Instant analysis | Mistakes add up in 28-27 loss to Steelers

The Washington Commanders were going to have one last chance at pulling out a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, until they weren't.

Russell Wilson and the Steelers' offense lined up on fourth-and-1 with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter. Whether they were actually planning to run a play will never be known because Johnny Newton jumped offsides not long after the Steelers got into their formation, and the ensuing first down all but sealed Washington's fate.

Newton's mistake was the last one people will remember in the Commanders' 28-27 loss to the Steelers at home -- their first defeat at Northwest Stadium this season -- but it was hardly the only one that had directly led to the Burgundy & Gold falling to 7-3 on the season. Uncharacteristic drops, inconsistent stretches from the offense and a list of other mental mistakes were just as responsible for the result.

Even more frustrating is the fact that Washington still could have won. It's a tough lesson for the players that there is no room for mistakes, no matter how small, against good teams.

Coach Dan Quinn and the players knew Sunday's game would be difficult. Mike Tomlin's Steelers came into the matchup 13-4 after a bye week; their defense had a potent front led by Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt; and Wilson added a sorely-missed vertical passing threat to their offense.

To the Commanders' credit, they largely rose to that challenge. They fought back from an early 7-0 deficit and even led by 10 points after their first drive of the second half. The defense, which ranked near the bottom in terms of rushing yards allowed, held Najee Harris to 53 yards on 21 carries.

But the small mistakes piled up for Washington throughout the afternoon. Several passes from Jayden Daniels, who finished the night with 202 passing yards, were just out of his receivers' reach. The offense punted six times and had five three-and-outs, leading to the unit producing just 242 total yards. The defense forced two turnovers but allowed the Steelers to score on three of their four red zone trips.

So, when the big mistakes happened, like Mike Williams scoring a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to put the Steelers up by one point, they served as daggers that proved too much for the Commanders to recover from.

Those mistakes started on the Steeles' second drive, when a pass interference call on Benjamin St-Juste and a roughing the passer penalty on Jeremy Chinn helped put Pittsburgh at Washington's 16-yard line. George Pickens, who had delivered in previous weeks with acrobatic catches, delivered once again with a 16-yard touchdown grab.

After responding with a three-and-out that resulted in negative yardage, the offense was gifted with a short field thanks to a failed fake punt from Pittsburgh at their own 15-yard line. Washington crossed the goal line three plays later with Austin Ekeler, who received the bulk of the carries with Brian Robinson Jr. out, scoring on a one-yard run.

That would have been enough to give the Commanders a spark in previous weeks, but setbacks continued to make attempts at progress more laborious. Olamide Zaccheaus muffed his second punt of the afternoon, which was recovered by the Steelers, after a Steelers three-and-out. Pittsburgh scored five plays later with Wilson tossing his second touchdown of the day, this time to tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Despite all that, it seemed like Washington had found its rhythm in the second quarter. A 10-yard run by Ekeler got the Commanders into range for a 48-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez, and after the defense forced an incompletion from Wilson to Calvin Austin III on third-and-10, the offense marched 94 yards downfield and went up 17-14 at halftime thanks to Ekeler's second rushing score.

And it seemed Washington would continue to roll in the third quarter. Terry McLaurin opened things up with a 54-yard catch-and-run and then had a 16-yard grab on third-and-10. Jeremy McNichols ran it in from the one-yard line to put Washington up 24-14 and cap off the 71-yard drive.

Daniels and the offense didn't do much after that, though, amassing just 56 yards on their final five drives. The Steelers, meanwhile, did just enough to climb back from the deficit. Harris ran in a one-yard score to bring his team back within three points, and after giving up turnovers on back-to-back drives to Jeremy Chinn, they got to work on a 46-yard touchdown drive that saw them convert two third downs, the second of which was Williams' 38-yard touchdown that put his team up 28-27.

The Commanders got to midfield before hitting a wall. Daniels was held to one yard on a scramble, followed by two incompletions. That left the offense facing a fourth-and-9, and while Daniels' pass to Zach Ertz was complete, it was also ruled short of the marker and resulted in a turnover on downs.

That left Washington needing to burn all their timeouts to even hope for another chance at a field goal. That strategy worked, but Newton's gaffe dashed those hopes as the Steelers' sideline erupted in celebration at Northwest Stadium.