In the wake of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ gritty, come-from-behind, 28-27 victory on Sunday afternoon at Northwest Stadium in Landover, MD, there no longer can be any reasonable question about the toughness and resolve of Coach Mike Tomlin’s 2024 team. Steelers Nation witnessed a never-say-die team which continually rose above adversity to claim its seventh win of the season.

Early in the first quarter, after taking a 7-0 lead, the Steelers set up the Commanders in the Red Zone (16-yard line) when they failed on a fake punt attempt. James Pierre dropped what would have been a huge completion for a first down on a throw from Miles Killebrew. This gaffe led directly to a Commanders’ TD which tied the score. Later, with only about seven minutes remaining in the game, the Steelers were denied what likely would have been a go-ahead TD when the officials ruled that Jaylen Warren fumbled the ball only one yard from the goal line. Replays showed clearly that Warren’s knee was down a split second before the ball was ripped out, but former NFL official Gene Steratore said the play should have been whistled dead in any case when Warren’s forward progress had been stopped.

Nevertheless, the Steelers came back to score what proved to be the winning TD on a rainbow pass from Russell Wilson to the Steelers’ newly acquired wideout Mike Williams. Williams made a great catch that served as the perfect bookend to the otherworldly grab George Pickens had made on the Steelers’ first TD drive. Equally impressive, the Steelers defense stopped Tight End Zach Ertz just short of a first down on a 4th-and-9 pass reception with only 1:28 remaining. Otherwise, the Commanders would have had an excellent shot to win the game with a FG.

Overall, this victory underscores a fact demonstrated through nine grueling games — that these 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers, at the very least, are a strong contender for the playoffs. While it’s obvious the Black-and-gold remains a team still in the process of improving and developing, their combination of toughness and sheer athletic talent definitely makes them a group to be reckoned with by every opponent.

Minus their failed fake-punt and Warren’s dubious fumble, the final score on Sunday likely wouldn’t have been nearly as close. And the Commanders are hardly an NFL doormat these days under the impressive leadership of rookie Jayden Daniels.

Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris accounted for 119 of the Steelers’ 140 total yards rushing. While Russell Wilson’s modest, 195 yards passing certainly doesn’t rank among his better performances as a pro, he made the key throws when he needed to — notching TD passes to Pickens, Pat Freiermuth and Williams. Perhaps most impressively, the Steelers dominated possession of the ball throughout the game (36:11 to Washington’s 23:49). The offense went 3-4 in Red Zone opportunities and was fairly effective on third down attempts (7-16).

Defensively, Patrick Queen led all tacklers with 7 total and 6 solo stops. DeShon Elliott, whose tough play resembles that of former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, added 6 total tackles and 4 solo stops. Of particular note, the play of newly acquired LB Preston Smith was valuable to the winning effort (Smith had one sack and two tackles for losses). Not to be upstaged, team captain Cam Heyward added two sacks and two tackles for losses.

The Steelers probably could have performed better in the pass-defense category, particularly with regard to the Commanders’ top wideout Terry McLaurin, who finished the game with 113 yards receiving out of Washington’s 202 yards total in the passing game. Daniels had a fairly easy time moving the ball via passes in the middle of the field. While some of Washington’s success was due to the talent of Daniels, several of his completions were thrown to fairly wide-open receivers. The Steelers didn’t appear to adjust very well defensively to the pass plays Washington kept dialing up to sustain their drives. Fortunately though, the offense was playing possession football and they mostly kept Daniels on the bench.

Beyond the stats, though, it was the grit demonstrated by the Steelers in pulling out their fourth-straight win that impressed most of all. Any frustration that fans might be feeling these days is far different than the feeling last season. Today, Steelers Nation is intrigued by the question of how far this group might go with the assemblage of talent on their roster. Whereas we spent most of the 2023 season waiting in vain for good things to happen, this season we’re watching an overall team that already looks strong but also appears to be standing on the threshold of bigger victories as their development continues week by week.

While the road ahead definitely presents a tougher challenge than the first half of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers already have shown remarkable resilience and the ability to soldier through adversity. Realizing that some disappointment is inevitable as the season unfolds, the 2024 Steelers remain a team that hasn’t yet been dominated on the gridiron. Even in their two losses, they were extremely competitive. And standing now with a 7-2 record atop their division, the Black-and-gold not only are surprising their fans, but they’re raising eyebrows throughout the NFL. As the Commanders discovered on Sunday, this is a Steelers team that consistently fights to the finish and never surrenders.