All good things must come to an end.
The Washington Commanders' unbeaten home record at Northwest Stadium was halted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, moving head coach Dan Quinn's men to 7-3 on the season. They also lost the top spot in the NFC East after the Philadelphia Eagles easily disposed of the Dallas Cowboys as expected.
This was a game the Commanders should have won. They were up 10 points in the second half and created two turnovers that resulted in zero points. Several costly individual errors eventually caused their demise. Washington remained competitive, but something was missing from an offensive standpoint for one of the few times this season.
The Commanders were missing some key men. They are banged up with their Week 14 bye some way off yet. To make matters worse, Quinn and his staff must navigate a short week before taking on the Eagles in a crunch Thursday Night Football clash on primetime.
That's for the not-too-distant future. For now, here are three winners and four losers from Washington's narrow loss to the Steelers in Week 10.
Winners and losers from Commanders' defeat vs. Steelers
Loser No. 1
Johnny Newton - Commanders DT
There was a slight chance for the Washington Commanders to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat late in proceedings. The defense held their ground and it looked like Jayden Daniels might get one final drive to work miracles once again. Unfortunately, a grave lapse in concentration ended the contest in the blink of an eye.
The Steelers lined up on fourth down with no intention to run a play. It was not the time. They were looking to bait someone on the Commanders' defensive front to jump offside. Everyone knew it, but rookie second-round pick Johnny Newton duly obliged.
Newton should have been more disciplined. Perhaps it was first-year jitters or a lack of experience that caused the jump. The reasons don't matter. It cost the Commanders and the former Illinois standout cut a dejected figure following the clash.
This is a teaching moment for Newton and the staff who've been so pleased with his progress so far. Some of the criticism on social media directed at the player was extremely harsh. It was one mistake, and there were plenty of other factors that caused the defeat.
Terry McLaurin - Commanders WR
The Washington Commanders had trouble getting anything going offensively. Every yard was earned versus a stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense that had a fantastic strategy to counteract Jayden Daniels' threat. The rookie quarterback had a hard time of it, which left him turning to his most consistent pass-catcher when the going got tough.
Terry McLaurin, as always throughout his accomplished career, answered the call. The Pro Bowl wide receiver turned in another superb display after being challenged by Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the build-up. He got the better of this matchup, securing five receptions from six targets for 113 receiving yards.
These stats would have been even better had it not been for some defensive pass interference calls. McLaurin was sensational, continuing his outstanding campaign where he's cementing his status among the league's best.
If the other Washington wideouts had even half of McLaurin's reliability in this one, they'd be celebrating their eighth win of the campaign. But it wasn't to be.
Loser No. 2
Benjamin St-Juste - Commanders CB
This game was a prime example of why the Commanders traded for four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The rest of the secondary is decent enough, but nowhere near the consistency needed when the postseason arrives.
Benjamin St-Juste's performance came in for scathing criticism among the fanbase. He's a walking defensive pass interference call, becoming unstuck with poor technique for the umpteenth time this season. However, his slow responses and lack of awareness late in the game allowed recently acquired Steelers wide receiver Mike Williams to breeze past him for the winning touchdown.
It's unacceptable, but all too familiar where St-Juste is concerned. Even if Lattimore shuts down one side of the field, the Commanders need to think long and hard about moving Mike Sainristil back inside when one considers how much the former third-round pick out of Minnesota is struggling.
St-Juste revealed that he dislocated his finger during the contest. That was an excuse rather than taking accountability. But it's getting harder to justify offering him a new deal when his rookie contract expires next spring.
Winner No. 2
Jeremy Chinn - Commanders S
Jeremy Chinn has come of age over the last few weeks. The standout safety took time to adjust following his move from the Carolina Panthers in free agency. It's safe to say that the dynamic defensive weapon has hit his stride.
Aside from one frustrating penalty call, it was another accomplished outing for Chinn in all phases. The former second-round selection was around the football consistently, putting his instincts and explosiveness to good use against a physical Pittsburgh Steelers ground game en route to 13 tackles.
Chinn also helped himself to a pass breakup, one interception, and collected a crucial fumble recovery on the goal line after an outstanding play from Quan Martin. The offense couldn't take advantage, but the defensive back is one of few who can look back at his performance with enormous pride.
The Washington Commanders have an easy decision regarding a long-term deal for Chuinn next spring if he keeps this up. He's silenced his doubters after becoming an afterthought in Carolina. Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr.'s scheme is bringing out the best in him. Long may it continue.
Loser No. 3
Olamide Zaccheaus - Commanders WR
This was a fine margins game that came down to a few costly mistakes that cost the Commanders. Unfortunately for Olamide Zaccheaus, he was responsible for some concentration errors during the game at Northwest Stadium.
The signs were there early. Zaccheaus muffed a punt but ended up recovering just in time. He was not so fortunate on the second occasion, which the Steelers collected and made the Commanders pay with a touchdown soon after.
If that wasn't bad enough, the wide receiver dropped what would have been a huge gain after failing to bring in a Jayden Daniels ball on a slant route with nothing but open space in front of him. This was a concerning trend throughout the contest, which resulted in arguably the rookie signal-caller's worst performance of the season.
This isn't a performance Zaccheaus will be remembering with any great fondness. What's important for the veteran pass-catcher is brushing it off quickly with the Commanders on a short week.
Winner No. 3
Tress Way - Commanders P
Tress Way hasn't been called upon too much this season. The Washington Commanders' offense has come on significantly following the appointment of coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and drafting Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall. This left the Pro Bowl punter as an innocent bystander for large periods earlier in the campaign.
Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was a different story. The Commanders found life more difficult versus a vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers defense. That meant Way had to play his part. He did so with his customary consistency and exemplary ball positioning.
Way punted six times in Week 10. He amassed a whopping 330 yards at 55 yards per punt. Two of his attempts landed inside the 20-yard line, but this can be attributed to the Commanders being backed up on a few occasions with nowhere to go but slightly beyond midfield.
Washington's offense isn't going to face many bigger challenges than this. But the coaching staff can relax safe in the knowledge Way will be on hand to produce the goods if they stutter at any stage.
Loser No. 4
Zach Ertz - Commanders TE
Zach Ertz picked a bad time to have his worst showing since joining the Commanders in free agency. The veteran tight end was not at his best in this one. He'll be the first to acknowledge that, but he's also got enough know-how to brush it off in readiness for Thursday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ertz was not the typically dependable presence in the passing game that Jayden Daniels needed. He brought in four receptions from eight targets for 31 receiving yards. This also included a crucial drop in the second half when a first down was there for the taking and failing to get a fourth-down conversion on what turned out to be Washington's final drive.
The replay clearly shows that Ertz was over the marker upon catching the football. He moved back in an attempt to go forward and was hit immediately. This signified a lack of awareness and eventually became the team's undoing with the contest at stake.
Hopefully, this will be nothing more than a blip rather than the start of an ongoing trend for Ertz. Bouncing back versus the team he was drafted by and won a Super Bowl with would be a great place to start.
