Commanders Week 10: Key Milestones and Matchup Against Steelers

The Commanders take on the Steelers in Week 10, with key players approaching career milestones and a chance to extend their strong start to the season.

Oct 20, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) celebrates while leaving the field after the game against the Carolina Panthers at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Commanders are back home at Northwest Stadium, riding the momentum of a 27-22 victory over the New York Giants, as they prepare to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10.

The Commanders are determined to snap a two-game losing streak at home against Pittsburgh. The last time these two teams faced off, Washington handed the 11-0 Steelers their first loss in Week 13 of the 2020 season.

With a 7-2 record, Washington has the chance to hit 8-2, something they haven’t seen since way back in 1986. And it’s not just the team on the verge of big things; a few players are about to reach some career milestones of their own. Here’s what to watch as Washington heads into Week 10:

Oct 20, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) celebrates while leaving the field after the game against the Carolina Panthers at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

1

Tight end Zach Ertz is knocking on the door of two major milestones. With just one more reception, he’ll pass Greg Olsen (742) for sixth all-time in receptions by a tight end. Plus, one more touchdown catch will tie him with Raymond Chester (48) for 17th all-time in touchdowns by a tight end.

Linebacker Frankie Luvu is also eyeing a milestone, needing only one more sack to reach 25 career sacks.

And wide receiver Terry McLaurin is about to hit two big marks himself. McLaurin is one touchdown reception away from his 30th career touchdown, and this game will mark his 90th career appearance.

2

Running back Austin Ekeler is closing in on history with 8,769 career scrimmage yards. He’s just over 100 yards away from passing Arian Foster (8,873) for the second-most scrimmage yards by an undrafted back since 1967—trailing only Priest Holmes (11,134). Ekeler is also just two catches shy of passing Steven Jackson (461) for 26th all-time in receptions by a running back.

Terry McLaurin needs just two catches to surpass Jerry Smith (421) for sixth in franchise history for receptions.

Daron Payne is 2.5 sacks away from breaking into the top 10 in team history.

Linebacker Bobby Wagner is only two interceptions away from reaching 15 in his career.

3

Washington’s travel schedule is fairly light on cross-country trips this season. After their Week 4 game in Arizona, they’ll only leave the Eastern Time Zone twice more, with games in New Orleans (Week 14) and Dallas (Week 17).

4

Though these milestones may be a stretch for Sunday, they’re definitely worth watching as the season progresses. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin is on pace for some elite company: he needs 50 more receptions and 900 receiving yards to become just the fourth player in NFL history to hit both marks in each of his first six seasons. That would put him alongside legends like Mike Evans, A.J. Green, and Randy Moss.

McLaurin could also make more history with 75 catches and 1,000 receiving yards, joining Torry Holt, Brandon Marshall, and Randy Moss as the only players to reach those numbers in five of their first six seasons.

5

Bobby Wagner is also in milestone territory, needing just five more sacks to hit 40 in his career, though this is unlikely to happen on Sunday.

6

While it’s unlikely to happen on Sunday, a season milestone to watch for Austin Ekeler is his pursuit of becoming just the sixth running back in NFL history to record 500 receptions in his first eight seasons. Ekeler, currently at 462 catches, would join an elite group that includes Marshall Faulk (548), LaDainian Tomlinson (510), Christian McCaffrey (509 in seven seasons), Roger Craig (508), and Alvin Kamara (505 in seven seasons).

Defensive lineman Daron Payne also has a notable milestone in sight, needing six tackles for loss to reach 60 for his career.

7

Washington has won seven of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’ first nine starts, and with a win on Sunday, Daniels could join Ben Roethlisberger (10 wins) and Dak Prescott (nine) as the only rookie quarterbacks to notch at least eight wins in their first 10 career starts. Daniels is also a perfect 4-0 at home, with a chance to become just the fourth rookie quarterback since 1950 to win each of his first five home starts—joining Chris Chandler (1988), Ben Roethlisberger (2004), and Russell Wilson (2012).

While it’s unlikely to happen on Sunday, Austin Ekeler is also approaching a historic milestone. He needs seven more touchdown receptions to surpass Marshall Faulk (36) for the most receiving touchdowns by a running back in the Super Bowl era; Ekeler currently has 30 career touchdown catches.

8

Zach Ertz is eyeing another major milestone, needing just eight more catches to become the sixth tight end in NFL history to reach 750 receptions. He would join an elite group that includes Tony Gonzalez (1,325), Jason Witten (1,228), Antonio Gates (955), Travis Kelce (907 entering 2023), and Shannon Sharpe (815). Currently, Ertz has 742 career receptions.

9

Zach Ertz is also just 216 receiving yards away from 8,000 career receiving yards. Achieving this milestone would make him the ninth tight end in NFL history to reach the 8,000-yard mark. While it's unlikely to happen on Sunday, it’s definitely a milestone to watch for the rest of the season.

Though running back Brian Robinson Jr. has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s only nine rushing yards away from reaching 2,000 career rushing yards. If he hits this mark, Robinson Jr. would become the fifth running back in Washington history to record 2,000 rushing yards in his first three seasons. Here's hoping he can accomplish this milestone when he returns to the field.

10

With last week’s victory over the New York Giants, head coach Dan Quinn has reached 50 career regular-season wins. This milestone places him 10th among all active NFL coaches in total wins.

As the Commanders head into Week 10, there’s plenty to watch for as they face the Steelers this Sunday.

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