3 winners (and 4 losers) from Commanders' defeat vs. Steelers in Week 10
By Dean Jones
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.