AFC North
81 OVR
dksvault
Offense
Total: 4275 (26)
Passing: 3629 (16)
Rushing: 646 (32)
Vertical Zone Run
Defense
Total: 4614 (14)
Passing: 3478 (16)
Rushing: 1136 (11)
Base 4-3
Total: 6-4-0
Conf: 4-3-0
Div: 2-1-0
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Passing Leaders
Player Comp/Att Yards TDs INTs
D.Ridder 199/266 2703 30 6
A.Rodgers 64/82 1110 8 0
Receiving Leaders
Player Recs Yards TDs
D.Metcalf 44 928 14
C.Austin 35 551 7
J.Smith 38 527 6
N.Carter 40 392 1
J.Warren 33 333 2
Rushing Leaders
Player Ats Yards TDs
N.Carter 74 329 5
J.Warren 58 190 1
K.Johnson 12 41 0
D.Ridder 9 33 0
A.Rodgers 13 32 0
Defensive Leaders
Player Tackles Sacks INTs FFs
P.Queen 30 0.5 4 2
D.Slay Jr 29 0 3 0
J.Ramsey 24 0 1 1
J.Porter 23 0 4 0
P.Wilson 21 0.5 1 2
AFC North
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Recent Posts

Forged In Steel Times (#38) – Big Man Rising: Darnell Washington’s Breakout in the Jungle

PITTSBURGH – Every so often, a performance comes along that feels like a turning point. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, that moment may have arrived in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game itself was a shootout victory, a 55–38 fireworks show led by Desmond Ridder’s near-perfect day. But amid all the touchdowns and big plays, one story stood taller than the rest. Literally.

Darnell Washington, the six-foot-seven, 264-pound tight end out of Georgia, had his breakout performance. After weeks of showing flashes in limited opportunities, Washington finally announced himself to the Premier Madden League. And he did it in classic Steel City fashion — physical, fearless, and downright dominant.

The Breakout

Washington’s stat line alone tells part of the story: three catches, 87 yards, and two touchdowns. But the impact went far beyond the numbers. Each catch seemed to come in a high-leverage moment, the kind of plays that energize a sideline and silence a stadium.

“I just told Des, throw it where only I can go get it,” Washington said postgame with a grin. “And that’s exactly what he did.”

Ridder laughed when asked about that quote. “It’s not that hard,” he said. “When you have a guy that big, the margin for error is a little forgiving.”

The Blueprint for a Star

The Steelers have quietly been building one of the deepest tight end rooms in football. Between veteran Jonnu Smith, the versatile Pat Freiermuth, and the emerging Washington, head coach DK LaFleur has options that most teams envy. But Washington offers something unique.

He is not just a tight end. He is a mismatch nightmare. Linebackers cannot run with him. Safeties cannot outmuscle him. And corners? Well, they might as well bring a step stool.

What makes Washington’s rise so intriguing is that it has been a long time coming. Throughout the first half of the season, his production was modest: nince catches for 173 yards and one touchdown. But anyone watching closely saw it — the flashes, the pancake blocks, the routes improving each week, the confidence growing.

LaFleur saw it too.

“We knew what we had,” the coach said. “You do not see many athletes like him. He is a tight end who can block a defensive end and then run past a linebacker. We just needed to find the right moments to let him shine. This past week, we did.”

Strength and Skill

Washington’s strength is already the stuff of legend inside the Steelers locker room. At 6'7" and 264 pounds, he moves defenders like chess pieces. His ability to seal the edge in the run game is what first earned him playing time, and his physicality has drawn comparisons to former greats who defined the position through grit.

Patrick Queen, the defensive captain, put it bluntly. “That man is a problem,” Queen said. “You think you are about to set the edge, and then he just moves you like you are on wheels. It is ridiculous.”

But what makes Washington different is that he is not just a blocker. He has surprising speed for his size, soft hands, and a knack for making the tough catch look routine. When the ball goes his way, there is a sense of inevitability that it is coming down with him and likely a defender or two along for the ride.

The Perfect System Fit

LaFleur’s offense has always valued versatility. From DK Metcalf’s downfield power to Nate Carter’s dual-threat presence out of the backfield, every player has to do more than one thing. Washington fits that philosophy perfectly.

“Having a guy like Darnell means defenses cannot predict us,” offensive coordinator Marcus Granger explained. “If he is in the game, we can go power run or play-action bomb. He is a chess piece.”

The Steelers used him in every way imaginable against Cincinnati, from blocking in-line, releasing downfield, and posting up in the red zone like a power forward.

The Moment That Stands Out

Of all his plays in the game, the one that got the sideline roaring came late in the second quarter. Washington caught a short pass near midfield, stiff-armed one defender into next week, and carried another on his back for an extra eight yards. The crowd erupted, teammates lost their minds, and the message was clear.

The kid has arrived.

“It is about attitude,” Washington said afterward. “You play for Pittsburgh, you play physical. That is the standard here. I am just trying to uphold it.”

LaFleur’s Take

LaFleur, who has now seen Washington up close in practice and live action, was glowing about the young tight end.

“He has every tool you want in a player,” LaFleur said. “He is coachable, smart, physical, and has a team-first mentality. He does not care if he blocks 40 snaps or catches two touchdowns. That is rare. And that is why we are so excited about him.”

The Road Ahead

The Steelers have made it clear that Washington’s role will continue to grow. With his combination of blocking power and receiving skill, he has become a key part of Pittsburgh’s offensive identity. As the team continues to push toward the playoffs, he may very well become the X-factor opposing defenses fear most.

He is still young, still learning, but his breakout game against the Bengals may have been the moment everything clicked.

And for a team built on tradition and toughness, it feels fitting that their next star might be one of the biggest, strongest, and most unshakable players on the field.

Big men do not often fly under the radar for long. And after Week 11, Darnell Washington has officially landed on everyone’s radar.

Final Thought: The Steelers may have found their next great weapon, not with flash, but with force.

– Forged In Steel Times

Quartebacks
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Regular Season

 
 
 
34
 
 
 
16
 
 
 
 
21
 
 
 
20
 
 
 
 
39
 
 
 
42
 
 
 
 
42
 
 
 
49
 
 
 
 
BYE
 
 
 
 
31
 
 
 
28
 
 
 
 
28
 
 
 
24
 
 
 
 
48
 
 
 
58
 
 
 
 
31
 
 
 
38
 
 
59
 
 
 
60
 
 
38
 
 
 
55
 
 
0
 
 
 
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0
 
 
 
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Playoffs

Preseason

 
 
 
14
 
 
 
17
 
 
 
 
10
 
 
 
6
 
 
 
 
17
 
 
 
24
 

Regular Season and Playoffs

Team Stats
Offense
Stat
Defense
4275 (26) Total Yards 4614 (14)
3629 (16) Pass Yards 3478 (16)
646 (32) Rush Yards 1136 (11)
Passing
Player
Comp/Att
%
Yards
TDs
INTs
Long
Rating
D.Ridder 199/266 74.8 2703 30 6 78 135.1
A.Rodgers 64/82 78 1110 8 0 76 155.9
Totals
263/348
75.6
3813
38
6
78
140.1
Receiving
Player
Recs
Yards
Long
YAC
Drops
TDs
D.Metcalf 44 928 73 314 4 14
C.Austin 35 551 78 174 2 7
J.Smith 38 527 57 223 1 6
N.Carter 40 392 33 321 4 1
J.Warren 33 333 32 260 2 2
Totals
261
3778
78
1779
14
37
Rushing
Player
Attempts
Yards
Long
Broken Tackles
TDs
Fumbles
N.Carter 74 329 27 16 5 1
J.Warren 58 190 29 10 1 1
K.Johnson 12 41 12 8 0 0
D.Ridder 9 33 12 2 0 2
A.Rodgers 13 32 13 0 0 1
Totals
174
646
29
64
7
7
Defense
Player
Tackles
Sacks
INTs
FFs
FRs
TDs
P.Queen 30 0.5 4 2 0 0
D.Slay Jr 29 0 3 0 1 2
J.Ramsey 24 0 1 1 1 0
J.Porter 23 0 4 0 2 1
P.Wilson 21 0.5 1 2 1 1
Totals
268
13.5
20
8
6
5
Kicking
Player
FGs
Long
XPs
KOs
TBs
C.Boswell 15/20 52 47/48 75 6
Totals
15/20
52
47/48
75
6
Punting
Player
Punts
Yards
Long
In 20
TBs
Avg
Net Avg
C.Waitman 17 602 46 7 0 35.4 32.1
Totals
17
602
46
7
0
35.4
32.1

Preseason

Team Stats
Offense Stat Defense
715 (29) Total Yards 839 (8)
495 (28) Pass Yards 569 (9)
220 (29) Rush Yards 270 (11)
Passing
Player Comp/Att % Yards TDs INTs Long Rating
M.Rudolph 25/46 54.3 297 0 0 27 74.4
A.Rodgers 22/34 64.7 198 2 1 22 87.5
Totals 47/80 58.8 495 2 1 27 80
Receiving
Player Recs Yards Long YAC Drops TDs
J.Smith 9 122 27 34 0 0
S.Miller 9 122 21 28 1 0
C.Austin 5 67 22 17 0 0
P.Freiermuth 8 54 11 25 0 0
D.Metcalf 7 47 9 17 0 2
B.Skowronek 2 19 12 8 0 0
D.Washington 2 19 13 6 0 0
J.Warren 1 17 17 9 0 0
K.Gainwell 3 16 7 10 0 0
K.Johnson 1 12 12 11 0 0
Totals 47 495 27 165 1 2
Rushing
Player Attempts Yards Long Broken Tackles TDs Fumbles
J.Warren 26 85 7 2 0 0
K.Johnson 22 69 9 4 0 0
M.Rudolph 8 37 8 1 1 0
A.Rodgers 4 20 6 1 0 0
K.Gainwell 3 12 6 0 0 0
D.Metcalf 1 -3 0 0 0 0
Totals 64 220 9 8 1 0
Defense
Player Tackles Sacks INTs FFs FRs TDs
C.Holcomb 12 0 0 0 0 0
P.Queen 12 0 1 0 0 0
J.Porter 12 0 0 0 0 0
D.Elliott 10 0 0 0 0 0
M.Harrison 9 0 0 0 0 0
C.Clark 8 0 0 0 0 0
P.Wilson 7 0 0 0 0 0
J.Ramsey 7 0 0 0 0 0
A.Highsmith 7 1.5 0 0 0 0
C.Heyward 6 1 0 0 0 0
B.Echols 6 0 0 0 0 0
T.Watt 5 2.5 0 0 0 0
T.Washington 4 0 0 0 0 0
C.Bruener 3 0 0 0 0 0
J.Thornhill 3 0 0 0 0 0
D.Slay Jr 3 0 0 0 0 0
D.Harmon 2 1 0 0 0 0
B.Spector 2 0 0 0 0 0
J.Sawyer 1 1 0 0 0 0
N.Herbig 1 1 0 0 0 0
J.Dumas-Johnson 1 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 121 8 1 0 0 0
Kicking
Player FGs Long XPs KOs TBs
C.Boswell 5/5 56 2/2 6 6
Totals 5/5 56 2/2 6 6
Punting
Player Punts Yards Long In 20 TBs Avg Net Avg
C.Waitman 14 726 68 3 4 51.9 49.4
Totals 14 726 68 3 4 51.9 49.4

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Player Pos Value OVR Age Dev Cap Hit Net Savings Penalty Salary Bonus Length Years Left