ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The odds were against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders making the playoffs before the season started, for various reasons on either side.

They meet up just past the midway point in a showdown of first-place teams that have exceeded expectations and even added at the trade deadline to improve their odds. The Steelers (6-2) acquired receiver Mike Williams and edge rusher Preston Smith to fill areas of need, the Commanders (7-2) got cornerback Marshon Lattimore, and their game Sunday at Washington is a chance to see how they stack up against each other.

“It’s a tough matchup and another good test for us,” Commanders receiver Noah Brown said. “We’re excited about it.”

While Lattimore’s status is murky because of a hamstring injury, Williams and Smith could play — and the Steelers are plenty excited about what they bring to a group that has already set a high standard for what a successful season looks like.

“We know we have to win playoff games,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said. “That was our goal coming into this year, so any time the front office can add pieces to that, if they can help us win, obviously it’s cool. But we knew from the start we were all in to go win this thing this year.”

Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016 but has reached the postseason in two of the past three years and 11 times under coach Mike Tomlin. Washington has just one appearance since 2016 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005.

This looked like a rebuilding season around rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Instead, Daniels has been one of the NFL’s best players to leap into the MVP conversation, general manager Adam Peters’ roster overhaul has paid immediate dividends, and this is Washington’s best nine-game start since 1996. Six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner, one of a bevy of new additions in free agency, isn’t sure if playing the Steelers is a measuring stick but can’t wait to get on the field and find out.

“I think it’s more fun,” said Wagner, who played with Pittsburgh QB Russell Wilson for a decade with Seattle. “The Steelers is a really respected organization, and so being able to play against somebody like that and being able to play against a coach like Mike Tomlin and things of that nature, it’s more so like, ‘OK, this game’s going to be fun.’”

The Commanders are 3-point favorites on BetMGM Sportsbook.

No ordinary rookie

The Steelers have dominated rookie quarterbacks through the years, including a 25-6 mark under Tomlin. That list includes an easy victory over Robert Griffin III and Washington in 2012, as well as a win against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos in Week 2.

Enter the electric Daniels, who has Tomlin’s full attention.

The NFL’s longest-tenured coach doesn’t think Daniels is a typical first-year player, pointing to Daniels’ ability to extend plays and make productive decisions at the end of them.

“He’s been able to extract the good from those moments while minimizing the bad,” Tomlin said. “I just think that speaks to his savvy and experience. … This guy has been a franchise quarterback at two different universities.”

Respect for Russ

Daniels is several games into his pro career — nine, officially, but he missed the vast majority of one with a rib injury. Wilson is in his 13th season, now with his third team, and Daniels admires the almost-36-year-old vet’s playmaking abilities.

“I’ve been seeing Russ pretty much his whole career,” said Daniels, who continues practicing and playing through sore ribs but hasn’t slowed down. “He throws a really good deep ball, very accurate. Overall, just his leadership and how he treats his people on and off the field, that’s something that stands out.”

Commanders rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton, who grew up a Seahawks fan rooting for Wilson, called him smart and savvy.

“He has a feel of everything,” Newton said.

Running on empty

Pittsburgh’s vaunted run defense took a hit against the New York Giants during a 28-16 victory on Oct. 28, allowing a season-high 157 yards on the ground in a performance that left veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward fuming.

The Steelers, coming off their bye, need to make sure the shaky play at the line of scrimmage was an anomaly with their second-half schedule filled with teams that like to run the ball, including Washington, Baltimore (twice) and Philadelphia.

Tomlin seems less concerned about the opponents than he does his defense returning to the form it showed earlier in the season.

“We don’t care about the Joneses, man,” Tomlin said. “Our story is our story. We got an agenda and we’re trying to live it, and when we don’t meet it, we’re thumb-pointers. We’re the guys that look in the mirror.”

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AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers landed Mike Williams from the New York Jets just hours before the trade deadline passed. It’s a move they were anticipated to make, but one that didn’t come without plenty of effort to find an alternative route.

The Steelers searched high and low trying to find a wide receiver trade this season, starting with Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers and going down to the wire with check-ins on DK Metcalf and Courtland Sutton. Eventually, they landed Williams, who certainly adds to their roster, but one insider believes a “perfect world” would’ve looked different.

“They’re not asking [Williams] to come in and be a No. 2,” Steelers insider Mark Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan. “In a perfect world, they would want that. But that perfect world broke his collarbone two weeks ago. The perfect world decided to go play with his buddy in New York. And the other perfect world decided to re-sign with the 49ers.”

The references are to Christian Kirk, who the Steelers were reportedly in agreement to trade for prior to him breaking his collarbone and being placed on Injured Reserve. The others are in reference to Davante Adams, who was traded to the Jets instead of Pittsburgh, and Aiyuk, who chose to stay in San Francisco at the last second.

While Pittsburgh didn’t land the big-name wideout they wanted, they will hope Williams adds to their offense in a big way. The expectation isn’t that he starts alongside George Pickens immediately, but Williams did say he started working with the first team during his first practice.

As for that “perfect world,” the Steelers are going to have to win without it. After watching the Chiefs land DeAndre Hopkins, the Ravens add Diontae Johnson and the Bills trade for Amari Cooper, Pittsburgh is left with Pickens and Williams, and will do hope that is enough as they fight for a playoff run.

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — PennDOT is looking at rebuilding or rehabbing a major bridge on the Parkway East in Pittsburgh.

The bridge was built in the 1950s and carries Interstate 376 over the small neighborhood of Four Mile Run. A park and playground sit underneath the bridge, and homes stand just feet away.

PennDOT officials asked members of the public to provide feedback to them at a meeting on Wednesday. They stressed they were early in the planning stages.

They shared that while the bridge is listed in “fair” condition, it has been deteriorating. But for people who live near the bridge, the project could come with a cost. They are concerned about the possibility PennDOT will need to buy some of the homes near the bridge for the construction project.

“I don’t want to see my neighbors have to go because our neighborhood is so small already,” said Ziggy Edwards. “When you take into consideration the harm that was done to the neighborhood with the initial construction and how it has continued over the years, it should be a real consideration to protect the integrity of the community.”

At the meeting on Wednesday, KDKA-TV asked Doug Seeley, an assistant district executive at PennDOT District 11, which properties could be impacted

“We do not know that now. That would primarily depend on the option that is developed here, whether it is a replacement or rehabilitation, Seeley said.

Another bridge-related issue neighbors say they have faced is falling debris. As mentioned in the PennDOT presentation, debris occasionally falls on the playground below the bridge. Neighbors say it poses a safety issue for kids.

“Everyone in the neighborhood shares that concern,” Edwards said.

The material falling onto the playground is meant as a temporary measure to protect neighbors by catching debris that flies off the highway. It’s not a perfect system, but PennDOT is planning to replace the temporary protective material this fall.   

“Some of (my neighbors) have suffered damage to their vehicles that are parked across the street because of crashes and things flying off the bridge,” Edwards said.

At Wednesday’s meeting, neighbors also asked PennDOT to consider frequent flooding, noise, and the ability to use the nearby trail and the playground.

“We’re really concerned with the issues that the property owners and the community have with this project. That’s why we’re here today. We want to make sure we are considering those things as we move forward with the design,” Seeley said.

PennDOT’s presentation said it could potentially add additional fencing on both sides to either a rehabbed or rebuilt bridge to keep things from flying off.

Construction could start in 2028. PennDOT officials say they will do their best to minimize traffic impacts.