Jayden Daniels will present a unique challenge to the Pittsburgh Steelers this afternoon. Not only is he one of the best passers in the league this season, but he also has the high-end athleticism to make plays with his legs or run for big gains. He has nearly 2,000 passing yards while having 459 rushing yards and has elevated the Commanders to the No. 3 offense in the NFL in both yards gained and points scored.

Rex Ryan has an idea of ​​what the Steelers defense will do to slow him down.

“We’re going to destroy this guy,” Rex Ryan said of the Steelers’ plan to counter Daniels via ESPN’s NFL Sunday Countdown. “Believe me, I know Mike Tomlin. Looks a lot like someone else I know. That’s what I would tell my guys: ‘We’re going to hit this guy.’ And it’s not one hit that has me worried about taking him out. It’s about the number of hits. How much is this man going to take?

The Steelers don’t lead the league in sacks like they have in recent years, but their defensive front is still one of the best in football. Teams have been able to get the ball out early and get creative to slow down guys like TJ Watt, especially when Alex Highsmith was out of the lineup with a groin injury.

Now they have both Watt and Highsmith, as well as Preston Smith at trade deadline.

The Commanders are without LT Cornelius Lucas and RT Andrew Wylie is questionable due to a shoulder injury. According to Ari Meirov on X, Wylie is out for the match. Former Steeler Trent Scott takes on TJ Watt. Their tackles aren’t exactly in the best shape to meet the challenge of Watt and Highsmith.

Daniels has been sacked 17 times this season. The Steelers have traditionally been good against mobile quarterbacks, with Lamar Jackson having some of his worst games against Pittsburgh over the years.

Sometimes the mesh charge tactic of hitting the quarterback on read-option plays doesn’t work very well because it takes a defender out of the play for the rest of the run defense. Now RB Brian Robinson Jr. is out of the game due to a hamstring injury for the Commanders, it may be wise to use the mesh load to ensure Daniels feels the pressure as often as possible.

The Steelers managed to score twelve QB hits on Daniel Jones and the New York Giants before the bye. If they can do something similar to Daniels, it could be a tough day for him and the Commanders offense.