Pittsburgh visits Washington in a clash of teams that are on unexpected playoff tracks

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

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

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris walks off the field after an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. (31) runs back with an intercepted pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) carries the ball against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III, right, returns a punt for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (23) celebrates with tight end John Bates (87) after gaining a first down against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin fields questions after an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) celebrates with quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) after scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III (19) celebrates his touchdown catch with teammates during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Three people have been charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne, a former member of musical group One Direction who died after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires last month, Argentine prosecutors said Thursday.

Prosecutor Andrés Madrea charged the three suspects, whose identities were not revealed, with ​​the crimes of “abandonment of a person followed by death” and “supplying and facilitating the use of narcotics,” the prosecutor’s office said. Madrea also requested their arrest to judge Laura Bruniard, who ruled the three cannot leave the country.

Payne fell from his room's balcony on the third floor of his hotel in the upscale neighborhood of Palermo, in the Argentine capital. His autopsy said he died from multiple injuries and external bleeding.

Prosecutors also said that Payne’s toxicological exams showed that his body had "traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescribed antidepressant” in the moments before his death.

Investigators said hours after Payne’s death that he was by himself when he fell. The prosecutors' office said one of the people charged was often with the singer during his time in Buenos Aires. The second is a hotel staffer who allegedly gave Payne cocaine during his stay between Oct. 13 and 16. And the third is a drug dealer.

One Direction was among the most successful boy bands of recent times. It announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016 and Payne — like his former bandmates Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson — pursued a solo career.

The singer had posted on his Snapchat account that he traveled to Argentina to attend Horan’s concert in Buenos Aires on Oct. 2. He shared videos of himself dancing with his girlfriend, American influencer Kate Cassidy, and singing along in the stands. Cassidy had left Argentina after the show, but Payne stayed behind.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A fan holds a message as fans gather to pay tribute to late British singer Liam Payne, former member of the British pop band One Direction in Treptower Park in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)