Pittsburgh visits Washington in a clash of teams that are on unexpected playoff tracks

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The odds were against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders making the playoffs before the season started, for various reasons on either side.

They meet up just past the midway point in a showdown of first-place teams that have exceeded expectations and even added at the trade deadline to improve their odds. The Steelers (6-2) acquired receiver Mike Williams and edge rusher Preston Smith to fill areas of need, the Commanders (7-2) got cornerback Marshon Lattimore, and their game Sunday at Washington is a chance to see how the teams stack up against each other.

“It’s a tough matchup and another good test for us,” Commanders receiver Noah Brown said. “We’re excited about it.”

Lattimore is out because of a hamstring injury, Williams and Smith are available to play — and the Steelers are plenty excited about what they bring to a group that has already set a high standard for what a successful season looks like.

“We know we have to win playoff games,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said. “That was our goal coming into this year, so any time the front office can add pieces to that, if they can help us win, obviously it’s cool. But we knew from the start we were all in to go win this thing this year.”

Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016 but has reached the postseason in two of the past three years and 11 times under coach Mike Tomlin. Washington has just one appearance since 2016 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005.

This looked like a rebuilding season around rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Instead, Daniels has been one of the NFL’s best players to leap into the MVP conversation, general manager Adam Peters’ roster overhaul has paid immediate dividends, and this is Washington’s best nine-game start since 1996. Six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner, one of a bevy of new additions in free agency, isn’t sure if playing the Steelers is a measuring stick but can’t wait to get on the field and find out.

“I think it’s more fun,” said Wagner, who played with Pittsburgh QB Russell Wilson for a decade with Seattle. “The Steelers is a really respected organization, and so being able to play against somebody like that and being able to play against a coach like Mike Tomlin and things of that nature, it’s more so like, ‘OK, this game’s going to be fun.’”

The Commanders are 3-point favorites on BetMGM Sportsbook.

No ordinary rookie

The Steelers have dominated rookie quarterbacks through the years, including a 25-6 mark under Tomlin. That list includes an easy victory over Robert Griffin III and Washington in 2012, as well as a win against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos in Week 2.

Enter the electric Daniels, who has Tomlin’s full attention.

The NFL’s longest-tenured coach doesn’t think Daniels is a typical first-year player, pointing to Daniels’ ability to extend plays and make productive decisions at the end of them.

“He’s been able to extract the good from those moments while minimizing the bad,” Tomlin said. “I just think that speaks to his savvy and experience. ... This guy has been a franchise quarterback at two different universities.”

Respect for Russ

Daniels is several games into his pro career — nine, officially, but he missed the vast majority of one with a rib injury. Wilson is in his 13th season, now with his third team, and Daniels admires the almost-36-year-old vet’s playmaking abilities.

“I’ve been seeing Russ pretty much his whole career,” said Daniels, who continues practicing and playing through sore ribs but hasn’t slowed down. “He throws a really good deep ball, very accurate. Overall, just his leadership and how he treats his people on and off the field, that’s something that stands out.”

Commanders rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton, who grew up a Seahawks fan rooting for Wilson, called him smart and savvy.

“He has a feel of everything,” Newton said.

Running on empty

Pittsburgh’s vaunted run defense took a hit against the New York Giants during a 28-16 victory on Oct. 28, allowing a season-high 157 yards on the ground in a performance that left veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward fuming.

The Steelers, coming off their bye, need to make sure the shaky play at the line of scrimmage was an anomaly with their second-half schedule filled with teams that like to run the ball, including Washington, Baltimore (twice) and Philadelphia.

Tomlin seems less concerned about the opponents than he does his defense returning to the form it showed earlier in the season.

“We don’t care about the Joneses, man,” Tomlin said. “Our story is our story. We got an agenda and we’re trying to live it, and when we don’t meet it, we’re thumb-pointers. We’re the guys that look in the mirror.”

___

AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL