The Pittsburgh Steelers are winners of three in a row and stand alone in first-place at the top of the AFC North, with a record of 6-2.
Heading in to Week 10, head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers defense—led by five-time All-Pro T.J. Watt—go on the road with a pretty daunting challenge in facing the Washington Commanders and their standout rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
In what has almost felt like an abrupt flick of a switch, Daniels has had the Commanders cruising along right from the jump, using his arm and legs to lift the team to an impressive, and equally surprising, record of 7-2.
The NFL and the sports world in general has been quick take notice of his astounding dual-threat abilities, and that would include coach Tomlin.
Here's what the Steelers' head coach had to say about the rookie phenom:
"It doesn’t matter what tape you put on third down, red zone operation, his mobility is a major factor," Tomlin explained. "Whether it's by design or by ad lib play extension escape. It is something to be reckoned with. It's one of the core components of why they are a dangerous group."
All anyone on the Steelers needs to do is take one look at Daniels' miraculous game-winning Hail Mary against the Chicago Bears, an iconic play where the QB seemingly ran around for days, to get a firm grasp on his "ad lib play extension escape" capability.
While the Steelers are a profoundly dominant 25-6 when facing rookie quarterbacks under Tomlin, it certainly doesn't sound that way when he discusses the challenges of facing a talent like the 23-year-old Daniels.
"I think we've done some nice things, but I think that particularly when you face quarterback mobility and the ability to extend plays, that really gets challenged," Tomlin said. "So stay tuned, particularly over the next couple of weeks, you'll get a good example of where we are in terms of some of that."
Keep in mind, this particular rookie is not just any rookie.
Daniels currently sits just 55 yards away from eclipsing 2,000 yards passing on the season and has thrown nine touchdown passes to just two interceptions. The former LSU star and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner is also closing in on 500 yards rushing (82 carries for 459 yards), forcing all kinds of extra attention and dialed-in focus from opposing defenses.
To make matters extra exhausting for the Steelers defense—as Tomlin alluded to with his "next couple of weeks" comment—following their Week 10 showdown against Daniels, Pittsburgh plays host to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
Not exactly an ideal scenario of back-to-back games. But NFL fans will probably have a much clearer idea of where the Steelers stand among the league's elite following these next two games.
