Pittsburgh (6-2) at Washington (7-2)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Commanders by 3

Series record: Washington leads 43-33-3.

Against the spread: Steelers 6-2; Commanders 7-2

Last meeting: Washington beat the Steelers 23-17 on December 7, 2020 in Pittsburgh.

Last week: the Steelers were on a bye, before beating the Giants 26-18 on October 28; The Commanders defeated the Giants 27-22.

Steelers offense: total (19), rush (8), pass (26), score (13)

Steelers defense: overall (9), rush (4), pass (21), score (2)

Commanders Offensive: Total (3), Run (3), Pass (11), Score (3)

Commanders Defense: Total (14), Run (29), Pass (6), Score (5)

Turnover differential: Steelers plus-10; Plus-5 Commanders

Steelers Player to Watch

LB TJ Watt. The three-time NFL sack champ reached the quarterback just 6 1/2 times in his first eight games, a modest pace for the perennial All-Pro. Still, with Alex Highsmith fully healthy after missing three games with a groin injury, backup Nick Herbig potentially available after a hamstring issue and veteran Preston Smith arriving in a trade with Green Bay, Watt could theoretically rest a little more on early downs, freeing him up for more pass-specific situations.

Commanders Player to Watch

WR Terry McLaurin. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels only connected with McLaurin twice in New York, but each time it was for a touchdown. Daniels has done a good job mixing and matching the other receivers among Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey, Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus, but McLaurin gets the ball when the stakes are high. McLaurin had five catches for 125 yards two games ago against Chicago, so Daniels isn’t afraid to go after him often when the defense allows it.

Key injuries

Steelers: Rookie C Zach Frazier is expected to return after missing two games with an ankle injury. … RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson is also expected back. Patterson hasn’t played since a loss to Indianapolis on Sept. 29. … OLB Nick Herbig (hamstring) could also be available. … QB Justin Fields (hamstring) is expected to serve as a backup after serving as the emergency QB two weeks ago against the New York Giants.

The status of commanding RB Brian Robinson Jr. is unclear after he was a late scratch last week with a hamstring injury. …CB Marshon Lattimore, acquired at the trade deadline, is dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for his final game with the Saints. … K Austin Seibert (right hip) missed practice earlier this week. … LT Cornelius Lucas is expected to be out again with a left ankle injury.

Series Notes

Pittsburgh is playing at Washington for the first time since 2016. …The Steelers have won the last six meetings with fans in the stands. … This is the teams’ 80th game in a series that dates back to 1933, when Pittsburgh was known as the Pirates. … The Steelers and Commanders are two of five teams with more points than assists this season.

Statistics and others

The Steelers are off to their best start since winning their first 11 games in 2020, a streak that ended with a home loss to Washington. … Pittsburgh has dominated rookie quarterbacks over the years, going 50-15 against first-year starters since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, including 23-11 on the road. … The Steelers have won their last seven games after their bye week and are 23-12 all-time after the scheduled bye week. … Pittsburgh WR Mike Williams, acquired Tuesday in a trade with the New York Jets, could make his debut. The Steelers are looking for another impact player behind George Pickens. Pickens has a team-high 35 receptions. Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller have 30. … The special teams units are thriving under coordinator Danny Smith, who previously held the same position in Washington. Pittsburgh’s three blocked kicks are the most in the NFL, and Austin returned a punt for a touchdown in a win over the New York Giants two weeks ago. K Chris Boswell leads the NFL in field goal completion rate (95.8%) after going 23 of 24 this season. … Pittsburgh’s second-ranked defense has yet to give up a point in the third quarter this season. …Steelers RB Najee Harris has topped 100 rushing yards in each of his last three games. He is the first Pittsburgh running back to reach 100 rushing yards three straight times since James Conner did it in four straight games in 2018. Harris has 3,861 rushing yards since the start of 2021 to rank fourth in the NFL over this period. …Washington is off to its best nine-game start since 1996. The team is looking for its first 8-2 start since 1986. Washington hasn’t opened 5-0 at home since 1991, which is also the team’s most recent start. ‘organization. Super Bowl season. … The Commanders are 11 of 11 in fourth place this season. Buffalo (9 of 9) is the only other team that has yet to convert in these situations. … Daniels completed 71.5 percent of his passes to rank third in the league. He could become the fourth rookie quarterback since 1950 to win his first five starts at home. … RBs Chris Rodriguez Jr. (52), Austin Ekeler (42) and Jeremy McNichols (20) totaled 114 rushing yards for New York in Robinson’s absence. … Zach Ertz is one hook away from breaking a tie with Greg Olsen for sixth among tight ends. … The offensive line didn’t allow the Giants to sack after entering the game with a league-high 35. … LB Bobby Wagner is one of three active players with more than five tackles in 20 or more consecutive games. He looks to extend his streak to 22. … LB Dante Fowler has five sacks in the last five games, including two of Daniel Jones last week. … S Jeremy Chinn led the team with a team-high 12 tackles against the Giants. He made 14 in his only career game against Pittsburgh, two seasons ago while playing for Carolina.

Fancy tip

Keep a close eye on Robinson, who was scheduled to play until about two hours before kickoff last week. He wasn’t feeling well during pregame warmups, so the commanders decided to sit him down. This could be a similar situation against Pittsburgh.

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