LANDOVER — Russell Wilson shook off his first interception in 11 months and hit trade-deadline pickup Mike Williams for a 32-yard touchdown with less than 2 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter — the quarterback’s third scoring throw Sunday — to lift the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 28-27 comeback victory over Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.
Coming off a bye, the AFC North-leading Steelers (7-2) won their fourth game in a row, including all three since Wilson took over from Justin Fields as the starting QB. Wilson’s stats were not the prettiest, but he got the job done: 14 for 28 for 195 yards, the three TDs and the one pick.
George Pickens delivered an acrobatic catch in the end zone on a 16-yarder in the first quarter, and tight end Pat Freiermuth scored on a pass from 3 yards out in the second, much to the delight of the thousands of Terrible Towel-twirling Steelers fans in the stands.
Washington (7-3) led 24-14 but couldn’t hold on as it attempted to get to 8-2 overall for the first time since 1986 and 5-0 at home for the first time since 1991, when the team went on to win the Super Bowl under coach Joe Gibbs.
“They’re a dangerous group. They’re a hot group,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, “but we want to be the firemen. We want to put that stuff out.”
Daniels, the No. 2 overall draft pick who has starred for first-year coach Dan Quinn, was 17 for 34 for 202 yards without a touchdown or interception and he had three carries for 5 yards, his lowest output as a pro. After the Wilson-to-Williams score — Williams was acquired from the New York Jets last week — Daniels moved Washington to midfield. But on fourth-and-9 with less than 1 1/2 minutes to go, Daniels connected with Zach Ertz, but the catch was ruled just short of a first down; until then, the Commanders were 11 for 11 on fourth down.
“The missed opportunities on this one sting the most,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said.
On the ensuing possession, Pittsburgh faced a fourth-and-1 at Washington’s 49 with 1:02 on the clock and decided to line up as if to go for it. Rookie defensive lineman Johnny Newton jumped before the snap, and the penalty allowed the Steelers to keep the ball and run out the clock.
“Man, we have so much belief and love for this guy,” Quinn said of Newton. “It was a hard mistake. It was one to learn from.”
Chinn picked off Wilson late in the third quarter and recovered Jaylen Warren’s fumble at the 1-yard line in the fourth. Austin Ekeler ran for two short touchdowns for Washington, which had won three games in a row as part of a swift turnaround from last season’s 4-13 record under Ron Rivera.
The win sets up a major showdown between the Steelers and Ravens next weekend. Pittsburgh (7-2) holds a slim lead in the AFC North over Baltimore (7-3), but a Ravens win next weekend would flip the top two teams in the divisional standings. Sunday’s game between the rivals is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET.
As for the Commanders, they’ll return to action in a few days. They visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night for a critical NFC East matchup.
“We’ve got to turn quickly,” Quinn said.