When they last met: Commanders and Steelers

Do you remember the last time Washington and Pittsburgh played?

“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.

Washington 23, Pittsburgh 17 – Week 13, December 7, 2020

After falling behind by 14 points in the second quarter, Washington stormed back to defeat Pittsburgh 23-17 at Heinz Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Entering the game at 4-7, Washington quickly found themselves down to the undefeated 11-0 Steelers when Ben Roethlisberger connected with Diontae Johnson from three yards and then James Washington from 50 yards.

But a Dustin Hopkins 49-yard field goal with only:01 remaining in the half not only got Washington on the scoreboard but also seemed to ignite the team.

Washington drove 82 yards in 14 plays on their next possession, drawing to within 14-10 when Peyton Barber scored from one yard.

On the first play of the final quarter, Matthew Wright’s 37-yard field goal extended the Steelers lead back to 17-10. But that would be the last time the Steelers would score, as Washington dominated the rest of the way.

Driving 53 yards in eight plays, Alex Smith’s 15-yard touchdown to Logan Thomas tied the score with 9:08 remaining.

A nine-play drive followed, resulting in a Hopkins 45-yard field goal for a 20-17 Washington lead with 2:04 on the clock. After a Jonathan Bostic interception, Hopkins’ 45-yard field goal closed out the scoring for Washington.

The game also turned the seasons of the two teams. Washington would go forward and win the NFC East, while the Steelers never recovered, losing four of their final five in the regular season and then also their first-round playoff game to the Cleveland Browns.

 

Commanders: Some things changed, some things remained the same

The more things change, the more they remain the same — for the Commanders.

The more some things change, the more some things remain the same.

The old saying is still true in various aspects of life, and Sunday revealed it is true regarding the 2024 Commanders as well. What’s changed? The general manager, Adam Peters, is new, and so is head coach Dan Quinn, as well as most of his coaching staff is also new.

It’s also quite new that 30 players are on the active roster that were not Commanders in 2023. What’s also new is the name of the next Washington Commanders kicker, seeing Cade York was released after only one game.

York had come to the Commanders for a conditional seventh-round draft choice. The Browns were going to cut him anyway, as Dustin Hopkins continued to prove to Ron Rivera that he belongs in the NFL and was extended by the Browns. York had to be with the Commanders for two games for the draft choice to become a reality. This was enough motivation for Peters to release York.

What hasn’t changed is that the Commanders surrendered the most passing touchdowns in 2023, and they picked up right where they left off, yielding four more in the Week 1 loss.

Benjamin St-Juste was fighting out there. I will give him that. He even interfered with Mike Evans on one touchdown pass in the second quarter. Mike Sainristil looked like, well, a rookie. He was lost and beaten badly more than once. Emmanuel Forbes? Looked like the same rookie of 2023.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ARteugC4RDU?si=ksJmjH1C7wPCEDJq

You recall back to last year, when Ron Rivera was recorded saying the Commanders were hoping to draft Emmanuel Forbes that night in the first round. Were they actually that determined and hopeful to draft Forbes? Before selecting him, Rivera was telling Commanders Nation how Forbes had great ball skills and had set an NCAA mark for pick-sixes.

Other than the highlights film of Forbes at Mississippi State, how much of the game film did they actually watch? It’s unthinkable to consider this as a possibility. Forbes has gotten beaten so badly, so repeatedly, there had to be college games where his coverage was shown to be inadequate. How did they not see that? How did they not recognize that?

However, at this rate, will Forbes show that Rivera may have gone 0-4 in his four NFL draft first-round picks with Washington?