This Sunday, November 10th, the Washington Commanders took on the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in a close, hard-fought game. The Commanders fell short in the fourth quarter, with a controversial fourth-down call deciding the game.
It seems like all is well with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson at the helm in Pittsburgh. Wilson led his team to this win over the Commanders, posting 95 Passing Yards, 50% Completion percentage, 3 Passing touchdowns, 1 Interception, 3 Sacks, and a 72.6 QB Rating. With this win, the Steelers improve to 7-2 and 3-0 since Wilson has been the starter over the 11th pick in the 2021 draft, Justin Fields.
Pittsburgh had to overcome many obstacles, including a dropped pass on a fake punt and a fumble at the goal line in the fourth quarter. However, Wilson made sure that Pittsburgh would prevail with a late touchdown pass to Mike Williams, who had just been traded from the New York Jets just under a week earlier.
Washington was leading 27-21 with 2 minutes remaining on the clock, Wilson looked deep to Williams on a sideline go-route on a third-and-9. He lifted a perfect pass under pressure that Williams railed in the end zone. The touchdown was Williams first of the season.
For the Commanders, Jayden Daniels played a strong game, with 202 Pass Yards, 50% Completion %, 0 Pass TD, 0 Int, 3 Sacks, and a 36.2 QB Rating, but it all came down to a crucial fourth-down catch by Zach Ertz, which was controversially ruled short of the first down marker.
In this image, it appears that Ertz’s entire body and the ball were clear of the first down marker, Yet the officiating crew marked him short. After that, they reviewed the call and eventually upheld it.
This call was made with Washington trailing Pittsburgh by one point in the final 2 minutes, and only needed to gain 5 more yards to enter field goal range for a chance at a game-winning kick. Instead, the Steelers took over on downs.
The Commanders used their timeouts to stop Pittsburgh from running out the clock, setting up one last chance to drive for the win. However, when the Steelers lined up on fourth down to try to draw Washington offside, rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton fell for the bait, which sealed the win for Pittsburgh. The Steelers knelt out the rest of the clock to grab the victory.
It’s a tough loss for Washington, especially after a well-played, back-and-forth game. Just two weeks ago, the Commanders benefited from a miraculous Hail Mary win over Chicago, and this week reminded them that what’s given can also be taken away.
Despite the loss, the Commanders remain 7-3, and now have until Thursday to prepare for a tough game against the Philadelphia Eagles, with first place in the division at risk.
