After the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Washington Commanders 28-27 last week, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about comparing Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to Ravens star Lamar Jackson.
“Man, be real slow about comparing people to Lamar Jackson,” Tomlin said. “It’s a multi-time MVP. It’s Mr. Jackson. We’ll see Mr. Jackson in a few days.”
Daniels completed 17 of 34 passes for 202 yards in the game, but was not helped by several dropped passes by Washington.
On Sunday, Tomlin saw Mr. Jackson — and it wasn’t good news for Mr. Jackson.
The Steelers improved to 8-2 by beating the Ravens 18-16. Pittsburgh won even though they didn’t score a touchdown, but the big story of the game was how they defended Jackson.
Jackson completed 16 of 33 passes for 207 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Jackson rushed for 46 yards. Jackson’s passing numbers were eerily similar to Daniels’, but the narrative surrounding the two passers couldn’t be more different.
No one is saying the sky is falling on the 7-4 Ravens and Jackson. After Washington lost its second straight game last week to fall to 7-4, several analysts wondered how good the Commanders were. Others were critical of Daniels.
To slow down.
Daniels didn’t play well in last week’s loss to the Eagles – on a short week. He’s not the first talented quarterback to struggle on a short week against a good team, and he won’t be the last. As ugly as the game was, the Commanders led for more than three quarters. They wore out in the fourth quarter. This happens when you are a tired team facing a healthy and rested team. And let’s not forget, the Eagles are really good.
Now back to the Steelers and Commanders. Pittsburgh’s defense is legit. It’s the Super Bowl. And yet, Washington scored 27 points against the Steelers and made numerous mistakes. There was also the questionable fourth place late on. What happens if the commanders’ receivers pick up at least one of these drops? Or if tight end Zach Ertz gets on the field for another yard? We’re talking about a different narrative.
The Commanders blew it against the Steelers. They were neither understaffed nor overmatched. Against the Eagles, Philadelphia’s talent advantage finally showed itself late, exhausting the commanders in the trenches. However, they battled each other for most of this game and still only lost by possession.
On Sunday, you saw what Pittsburgh did to Baltimore – a Super Bowl favorite. Remember, the Commanders played Baltimore six weeks ago, losing by a touchdown on the road.
As for Daniels, he performed better against Pittsburgh than Jackson.
So if you think the sky is falling on the Commanders after two straight losses and they will return to their pre-2024 form, relax. The last two weeks should tell you that everything will be fine for Washington. They host the 3-7 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, followed by a Week 13 matchup against the 2-8 Tennessee Titans.
This article was originally published on Commanders Wire: Sunday’s NFL results prove why the Commanders are doing just fine
