Winners and losers from the Pittsburgh Steelers' tightrope act against Jayden Daniels' Commanders

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ first game after the bye may have been their most scintillating win of the season. It's going to be amusing watching this one on Hard Knocks in December. Russell Wilson performed like a future Hall of Famer after the Steelers trailed by 10, down the stretch, after Jayen Warren fumbled on the 1, and even pre-snap. He was a calm and steadying force when TJ Watt was finally a non-factor as the officials ignored obvious holding calls on the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner.

It wasn't all rosy, but the final result keeps the Steelers atop the AFC North standings heading into their first showdown with the Baltimore Ravens.  There are winners and losers even within the Steelers roster. Here’s whose stock is trending up and down after Week 10’s clash.

Winners: Mike Williams

The Steelers have a penchant for maximizing their available talent. Mike Williams’ acquisition was the most disappointing moment of the season. Steeler Nation was courting more high-profile receivers than Ohio State. Ultimately, they landed on the 6-4 Mike Williams for approximately the same price as DeAndre Hopkins to the dismay of many. 

Williams had two 1,000-yard seasons, but his last one was in 2021, his 2023 season ended early with a torn ACL, and he was scapegoated by Aaron Rodgers during his half-season  in New York. In consecutive weeks against the Bills and Vikings, Rodgers chucked game-ending interceptions on jump balls intended for Williams.

Williams was the consolation prize that some felt was overwhelmed. However, the first catch of his Steeler tenure was a 32-yard touchdown off a parachute ball from Russell Wilson. Williams was supposed to be eased in after becoming a Steeler days earlier. Now, expectations for his contributions have already been raised exponentially. Mike Tomlin is a human performance-enhancement drug. 

Winners: Steelers coaching staff 

Tomlin made plenty of gambles and some of them may have backfired, but none of them seemed hastily made. It felt like Tomlin understood the challenge Washington’s offense posed. He went for it on 4th-and-1 at midfield, faked a punt from their own end zone and sent Wilson out there on 4th-and-1 at midfield to try and draw the Commanders offside. Teryl Austin’s defense also did a masterful job preventing Daniels from escaping the pocket. He finished with a career-low five rushing yards.

Danny Smith’s special teams didn't block a kick or return a punt for an endzone deposit, but they still made a handful of splash plays. They recovered their second muffed punt of the day by Olamide Zaccheaus leading to their second touchdown drive of the half. Smith’s unit proves that special teams shouldn’t be quotidian. Quality coaching there can win and lose games. Ask Kansas City.  He also deserves credit for the aforementioned fake punt call. The execution and play design were there, but James Pierre bobbled a ball he probably catches 99/100 times in practice.

Winners: Russell Wilson

Wilson going 14-for-28 for 195 yards sounds pedestrian. He was spraying it recklessly, but after calming down, he continuously rose to the occasion, completing passes of varying degrees of difficulty, including a trifecta of touchdowns such as the game-winner to Mike Williams.

Last month, one of the distinctions I drew between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson is that the former has been unable to win barnburners. When more than 20 points are scored Fields drowns. He was 2-28 all-time when that occurred. Sunday's result pushed Wilson to 54-54 in those contests, which is impressive considering the Steelers have been 5-20 since 2021 in games in which they surrendered at least 20.

Jayden Daniels came equipped with a flamethrower, but Wilson used wily veteran savvy and an assortment of pinpoint downfield throws to disarm Washington. His sideline dime to George Pickens on the sideline was an absolute gem, and even after Jaylen Warren’s fumble on the 1-yard line, Wilson kept his composure and executed his first comeback win as a Steeler. Wilson’s cadence also drew Commanders rookie Jer'Zhan Newton offsides when nearly everyone in the stadium knew they weren’t going to snap the ball from that position on the field. Wilson’s mastery of the idiosyncrasies of play action and cadences is the type of guile that Pittsburgh sought in its starter. 

Winners: The George Pickens Show

George Pickens is a circus act. Sure, he can be volatile. He unnecessarily stiff-armed a Commanders DB while getting pushed out of bounds and avoided a facemask penalty, then body-slammed another Commander defender out of frustration during an interception return instead of chasing the ball carrier. 

In totality though, he’s worth riding the rollercoaster especially when Russell Wilson is feeding him. On Sunday, he recorded seven catches for 91 yards and this unreal aerial display of body control for the touchdown.

Losers: Alex Highsmith

Alex Highsmith had a sack wiped out by a facemask penalty drawn by Joey Porter Jr. and hurried Daniels into an incompletion later on in that drive. However, early in the fourth quarter, Highsmith flattened Daniels but placed all his weight on the side of his ankle and had to be helped off the field. 

It was the second major injury suffered by Highsmith this season. He missed three weeks due to a groin injury and has only been active for the last three games Highsmith’s absence will be filled by Preston Smith and Nick Herbi, but it sucks for Highsmith who was in Jayden Daniels’ face all afternoon.

Losers: Steelers Secondary

After appearing on the NFL Network earlier in the week and asking for the smoke, Terry McLaurin lit Jerry Porter Jr. up. Additionally, Porter’s physicality got the best of him. Everything was a nail he had to hammer. His facemask penalty before the half was a huge factor in extending a drive that ended with a Commanders touchdown. He also got flagged for holding on 2nd and goal, which saved Washington from a pivotal 3rd and goal situation.

Meanwhile, No. 2 corner Donte Jackson could be lost for an extended period after suffering a hamstring injury. There’s no word yet on the severity of his strain, but he did not return to the contest. Despite the resounding win, Pittsburgh’s pass defense will be under scrutiny as their weakest link moving forward. That may sound like a criticism, but only because the bar is so high for their unit as a whole.