The Bye Week is over, and it is time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to return to action. Their next task will be the highly impressive rookie Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders from Washington. Before the 2024 season kicked off, many quickly wrote the Commanders off as the worst team in their division and with virtually no shot at the playoffs. Now, in Week 10, the Commanders lead said division and have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.

In what is sure to be an exciting matchup between two of the most surprising teams in the NFL this year, let us take a trip down memory lane to recap some history between these two. The Commanders have the edge on the all-time series as they lead 43-33-3. However, since 2000, the Steelers have owned this matchup in lopsided fashion. With the Steelers taking five of the last six, this one will likely pose as the most challenging.

The Commanders come into this one victors of three straight contests. Their last loss coming to the Steelers’ divisional foe the Baltimore Ravens, who Pittsburgh will dance with next weekend. Like the Steelers, the Commanders have just two losses this season with one being the Ravens and the other at the hands of Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Similarly, the Steelers enter this one as winners of three straight themselves. The Bye Week also brought the opportunity for a plethora of their injured players to get right. On the offense, RB Cordarelle Patterson and C Zach Frazier return to action with perfect timing. Defensively, Nick Herbig has been limited at practice this week as he labors a hamstring injury.

Other miscellaneous tidbits to keep an eye on this week include the likely debut of two new Steelers. Whether Herbig is good to go or not, expect newly acquired Preston Smith to see plenty of the field. General manager Omar Khan went out and snagged Smith from Green Bay after he reportedly requested a trade several weeks back. Smith will add size and strength to an already terrifying defensive front. Mike Williams will also look to get involved as the receiver makes his first start in black and gold. Williams has had a very disappointing season with the New York Jets as he continued to plummet down their receiver depth chart. He will get a fresh new opportunity in Pittsburgh as Russell Wilson will look to get him acclimated quickly. Finally, cornerback Cameron Sutton has completed his suspension time and will suit up this weekend against the Commanders. How much he will play remains a question mark after the strong play of Beanie Bishop over the past month.

Taking all of this news into account, let us take a look at some of the key matchups to monitor in a big-time matchup from the nation’s capital.

Rookie QB vs. Mike Tomlin

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Despite getting torched by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud last season, Mike Tomlin-led Steelers teams have quite an impressive resume against rookie QBs. The 24-6 record speaks to Tomlin’s veteran leadership and attack-first mindset. You can expect nothing less against Daniels with as talented a defense as the Steelers have here in Week 10.

The only caveat in this is that Daniels is not your average rookie QB. Daniels sits just behind Lamar Jackson for QB rushing yards in 2024 with 459. He also comes in at 13th for passing yards leaders with 1,945. This number puts him ahead of QBs such as Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff, and Jordan Love. Daniels has 13 total touchdowns for the Commanders this season, as he has shown to be the anchor of this high-flying offense. Expect the chess match to start early and last all game long between Tomlin’s scheme and Daniels's impressive young skillset.

Steelers WRs vs. Commanders’ secondary

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After six weeks of a sketchy-looking receiving core, Russell Wilson has brought the Steelers receivers to life, and he has a new option to include now. George Pickens's touchdown three weeks ago and Calvin Austin’s two-score game just before the Bye have fans optimistic about what could be. Now, sprinkle in Mike Williams to the mix, and all of a sudden, this is a very feasible receiver room. Whether Austin will continue as the WR2 or Williams will work his way into that role, the acquisition will no doubt free up Pickens even more.

This is great news for Week 10 because the Commander’s secondary is not one to look past. Star cornerback Marshon Lattimore remains questionable as he mends a hamstring injury, but what he has around him is more than enough to suffice. Safety Jeremy Chinn now has an impressive 54 tackles on the season along with a forced fumble and defended pass. He will look to make the Steelers receivers day miserable along with rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil. The Michigan product has 44 tackles and five passes defended in his opening campaign, one of the shining lights of this Commander defense. With a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball, this should be an entertaining matchup to watch to say the least.

What it all means

With two-two loss teams clashing, anything can happen. The similarities between these two are uncanny and while no one expected either to be in this position, here they are with the ultimate chance to prove they are contenders.

If Daniels leads the Commanders to a win over this all-star Steelers defense, it will not only silence the rookie QB haters but any Commander haters alike. For the Steelers, if they can slow down this incredible offense along with putting up a third straight week of strong offense of their own, people will have no choice but to take them seriously.

Amongst the similarities of these two include their divisional standings. The Commanders, while on top, have the Philadelphia Eagles nipping at their heels looking for any moment to overtake them. The same goes for Pittsburgh as Baltimore is just behind them as we get closer to an ultra-important Week 11 outing.

Pittsburgh must not look ahead to that though. The Commanders will be one of if not their toughest test so far this season. If the Steelers hope to win, they will have to either slow down the Commander’s offense or keep pace with them. For that reason, this game could be either extremely high-scoring or a tight low-scoring contest.

Score prediction: Steelers 27, Commanders 26