GREATER LANDOVER, Md. — The Washington Commanders have a plan to silence any loud and proud members of Steelers Nation who may travel to Northwest Stadium on Sunday. Steelers fans are known for waving their yellow "Terrible Towels" to rally the team to victory. But now, the Commanders have their own rally towels.
The burgundy towels say "Fight for Old DC" on them, and might confuse fans watching on TV.
The idea came from Washington legend Brian Mitchell who called on the powers that be to produce the towels.
"I need you to give burgundy towels to every fan coming into the stadium because we know Steelers fans are going to come with their yellow. We gonna mix them together and it's going to be Burgundy and Gold all over the damn stadium. It's going to look good on TV," Mitchell said.
The Commanders heard the call, and made it happen. The Commanders towels don't have a clever name yet. Perhaps "Hail Hankies"? Just a thought.
What ever you call them, the rally towels will be given away at the gates Sunday, while supplies last.
The Steelers and Commanders 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.