Hogs Haven
Washington dips after a close loss
The Washington Commanders hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a few thousand of their closest fans, for a slugfest on Sunday. Washington lost 28-27 in a game they were leading 24-14. Mistakes were all over the field, in all phases of the game, and ultimately sealed the loss with Johnny Newton easily getting drawn offsides on a 4th and 1 play with 1:02 left in the game. This loss dropped them to 7-3, and the Philadelphia Eagles easy win over the Dallas Cowboys gave them a half-game lead in the NFC East.
Washington now prepares for a two-game stretch in the division that starts with a visit to Philly for Thursday Night Football. The Eagles have won their last five games since getting embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their early season meltdowns have calmed down, and their defense shut down the lowly Giants and Cowboys over the last two weeks. This game will be like any other game played in Philly, and dog-fight that will likely get very violent, very quickly. Washington players are pissed off about the loss to the Steelers, and prepared for a battle for the division.
That loss dropped them in most people’s power rankings, but they are still top 10 for most people. There’s one top 5 holdout, and a couple outside the top 10. Washington already cashed on FanDuel’s 6 1⁄2 win O/U from before the season. The Commanders odds of making the playoffs(-750), winning the division(+195), conference(+1200), and Super Bowl(+2500) all took hits with last week’s loss.
High: 4
Low: 11
Average: 7.9
It was a disappointing Week 10 outcome for the Washington Commanders, who welcomed the Pittsburgh Steelers into Northwest Stadium in a strong matchup. It wasn’t a great showing for the Washington offense, as Jayden Daniels (17/34, 202 yards) didn’t look all that strong.
Austin Ekeler stepped in for Brian Robinson again, finding the end zone twice on 13 carries, and Terry McLaurin caught five passes for 113 yards, but it wasn’t enough to earn the win. Last week: 3
They’re still going to be a problem in January. Last week: 4
Last week: 4
Non-QB MVP: Wide receiver Terry McLaurin
This, of course, has a lot to do with quarterback Jayden Daniels’ arrival, but McLaurin has caught six touchdown passes, one shy of his career high, and is on pace for a career-best 1,207 receiving yards. He also has four 100-yard receiving games; one more would set another personal best for a season. McLaurin is also a big factor in the red zone with seven catches — one shy of his career best — and a personal-high five touchdowns. — John Keim Last week: 5
The Commanders’ offense was game with Jayden Daniels in a tough matchup vs. the Steelers, helped most again by the backfield...
