The Pittsburgh Steelers came out of their bye week and pushed their winning streak to four games as they took down the Commanders in Washington 28-27. It was the first game the Steelers have won without attempting a field goal since the 2020 season, and it’s the first time a Steelers quarterback has thrown for 3 touchdown in a game since Ben Roethlisberger.

So without further ado, here are some of the numbers involved in the Steelers Week 10 win over the Commanders.

-1

The Steelers came away on the wrong end of the turnover margin on Sunday, and it’s even worse than the actual number appears. The Steelers had two turnovers on the day with a long Russell Wilson interception and a Jaylen Warren fumble on the Washington 1-yard line in what would have been a first goal. The Steelers lone takeaway was on special teams when they were able to recover a muffed punt. But with the Steelers also faking a punt that was not successful, it acted much like an additional turnover even though it technically was not.

242

Although some fell the Steelers defense was not on their game in Washington, they held the Washington Commanders to only 242 yards of offense. It was the Commanders fewest offensive yards of the season and the first time they were held under 300 yards since they had 299 in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers held the Commanders to only 60 rushing yards and 182 net passing yards on the day.

5

One concern the Steelers had coming into this game was containing rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and his ability to run the ball. The Steelers held Daniels to only 5 yards on 3 rushing attempts. Daniels’ previous low was 22 rushing yards against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6, so what the Steelers were able to do was a significant result.

50%

Not only did the Steelers keep Jayden Daniels in check in the running game, he had his least efficient passing game of the season. Daniels was coming in with a 71.5% completion percentage but was held to a season low 50% completion percentage as he was 17 of 34.

0/1

Coming into the game, the Washington Commanders were a perfect 11 for 11 on fourth down attempts through the first nine weeks of the 2024 NFL season. With the game on the line, the Commanders went for it on fourth down and 9 yards to go needing  about another 20 yards for a field goal to take the lead. But the Steelers were able to keep tight end Zach Ertz just short of the sticks on a play that was upheld on review and the Commanders finished 0 for 1 on fourth downs in the game. When it came to third downs, the Steelers held Washington only 36% as they were 5 of 14 during the game.

5

Averaging just over one drive with a three and out per game, the Steelers managed to hold Washington to three plays in a punt without a first down on 5 occasions during the game. On the flip-side, the Steelers had 3 drives with a three and out on the game and would have had a fourth one had they punted the ball instead of running a fake.

48%

Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers were victorious on Sunday, they did not have a very efficient passing attack. The Steelers only completed 48% of their passes as Russell Wilson was 14 of 28 for 195 passing yards and Miles Killebrew was 0 for 1 with his incompletion coming on the fake punt. It was the first time the Steelers were under a 55% completion percentage this season and was the first time they were under 50% since Week 18 of the 2022 season.

144 to 16

The reason the Pittsburgh Steelers were victorious on Sunday was largely in part because they dominated the fourth quarter. The Steelers outgained Washington 144 yards to 16 yards. The Steelers had 57 rushing yards and 87 passing yards in the fourth quarter while Washington only had 6 rushing yards and 10 passing yards. Washington was 0 for 3 on third downs and 0 for 1 on fourth downs in the quarter while the Steelers were 4 for 6 on third downs and 1 for 1 on fourth downs. The Steelers outscored Washington 7–0 which would have potentially been more had they not turned the ball over at the Washington 1-yard line. The Steelers dominated the time possession to finish the game holding the ball for 11:43 where Washington only possessed it for 3:17.

3 for 40

A big reason the Steelers were trailing at halftime against the Commanders had to do with the 40 yards they surrendered on penalties during Washington’s final two drives of the second quarter. Washington scored 10 points on these drives while the Steelers gave them 40 yards on three penalties. Unfortunately, all of the enforced penalties came at the hands of cornerback Joy Porter Jr. They were the only accepted first half penalties the Steelers surrendered, and the Steelers finished with 5 accepted penalties for 49 yards.

1

The Steelers did not have their best game of the season. Between losing the turnover battle, giving up some bad penalties, and a failed fake punt, the Steelers had to overcome a lot. But in the end, the Steelers got out of Washington with a victory against a team that is now 7–3 and had previously won all four of their home games this season. So as interesting is all the other numbers are, once again the tally in the win column is the only one that matters.

So there are some numbers to help put the Steelers Week 10 win in perspective. The Steelers now head into a stretch of four-straight divisional games.

So what numbers from Sunday’s game stand out to you? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.