As Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was trying to lead his team in a comeback in the final minutes against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, the scene inside Northwest Stadium was a sea of towels. Gold “Terrible Towels.”
Daniels came up one yard short on a fourth-down pass to Zach Ertz to keep the drive going. Granted it was a disputed one yard, but there was no outrage from the Washington bench as the seconds ticked down. One yard to stay alive, lost.
Then, in their desperation of trying to stop the Steelers on fourth down and one with a minute left, Commanders rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton obliged Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson by lining up in the neutral zone for the penalty Wilson was hoping for. One yard, lost.
Game over — Pittsburgh 28, Washington 27. One point, lost.
Was that the measure of difference between where the Steelers are and where the Commanders want to be?
Is coach Dan Quinn’s team that close to the identity of their opponent, an identity built over the last 50 years of winning? One yard? One point?
“We really thought this would be a hard-fought game and it was just what we expected,” Quinn told reporters after the game. Everyone expected that from the Steelers. It has been their identity since the days of Jack Lambert and Terry Bradshaw.
Washington? They have been trying to purge the toxic identity of this franchise and have admirably done so in the moment, at least, in a short amount of time — a 7-3 record after Sunday’s loss and a culture being developed on the run.
So was this a measure of the 2024 Commanders and was their goal on the other side of the ball facing them?
“I would hope that the missed opportunities are the lessons to apply,” Quinn said “It was a little bit uncharacteristic, a few drops, maybe a few plays that weren’t quite like us. I love that we were in this kind of fight. These are the kind that you need to build resilience and some resolve, establishing that kind of toughness and identity that we want to be about.
“As far as a measurement, I knew this was going to be a tough game,” he said. “They were coming off their bye, they played well, they made some changes with Russ at quarterback, they’ve really been effective running the ball over the last few weeks. We knew we had to stand up and make some plays. It played out probably like I thought in terms of how they would go attack but the missed opportunities on this sting the most.”
It may not be a fair measurement, though. Washington was missing more than opportunities. They were missing two key players that certainly could have had an impact on the game.
Running back Brian Robinson Jr. and his 4.6 yards per carry were missing for the second straight week because of a hamstring injury. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he was out for two of the three Commanders’ losses (he missed the 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last month due to a knee injury).
“He is certainly a factor, the size and what he can bring downhill,” Quinn said.
Washington was also missing their new star cornerback, Marshon Lattimore, who arrived last week from New Orleans in a trade with his injured hamstring and was ruled out for the Steelers game.
Let me offer this quote — from me: “With Wilson’s two touchdown passes to George Pickens and the go-ahead score with less than three minutes remaining to Mike Williams, I think it is safe to say that Lattimore, one of the premiere cornerbacks in the league, is certainly a factor.”
Two hamstrings — almost 35 inches.
Was that the measure of difference?
This was one week where Daniels had no prayers to offer, no Hail Mary tosses, because these are the Steelers and they measure differently than the Chicago Bears.
He completed 17 of 34 passes for 202 yards and again, no interceptions. He was let down by several drops and also struggled with some throws. “Hats off to them,” Daniels said. “This is a great scheme that they had, but we didn’t make plays and opportunities when they presented themselves.”
There will be no NFL Rookie of the Week honor this week.
Washington will have opportunities to continue the identity transformation Thursday night when they face the talented Eagles in Philadelphia. If the Commanders win that game, you can break out a new measuring stick and chalk Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh up to bad hamstrings.
• You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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