Any hype about the Pittsburgh Steelers before 2016 was fully warranted. Even though they achieved their first TD, it only motivated the Steelers to push farther ahead not allowing them to remotely catch up.
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Pittsburgh might be the singular superior team in the National Football League – a loss to them shouldn’t be the end of Washington’s season – but it was the way the Redskins lost – with disorganization, listless offensive playcalling, a lack of any push on either line, and a defense that was devoid of adjustments – that should leave Washington fans concerned.
The Steelers capitalized and broke the game open, when Roethlisberger connected with Brown for a 26-yard score to make it 24-6.
“We have a lot of confidence in ourselves as a unit”, tight end Jesse James said.
Sticking with the offense, kudos to Eli Rogers for his promising debut at slot receiver. It’s only one game, but unless big changes are in the wings, it sure looks like that’s not going to be the case. Prior to the game, I said that if Brown totaled over 100 yards of receiving, the Steelers would win. He finished the night with 143 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns.
And yet he wasn’t penalized 15 yards for his filthy moves. Brown is an absolute animal, capable of destroying cornerbacks in multiple ways. “The way the players … took part in it”.
Fourth-and-1 usually means a run. “Coach (Tomlin’s) mantra is ‘Next man up.’ And that’s a credit to the front office”. “Just do that and I think we’ll have a good chance of stopping them”. Dating to September 7, 1997, Pittsburgh has won all six matchups by a combined score of 142-57.
Stupid sexy Antonio got dinged $11,000 for his end-zone celebration a year ago.
The team got a stellar performance from DeSean Jackson.
“It wasn’t haphazard by any stretch”, Tomlin said Tuesday. He said that the Redskins were forced into 43 passing attempts because they often dealt with third-and-long situations and were trailing the Steelers. It might be right.
While they had trouble stopping tight end Jordan Reed, they did stop him. Jamison Crowder is criminally underrated.
Here are some of the reactions to Monday night’s viral moment. It was pretty awkward. “Good to see 2 teams full of good examples”.
But there’s also the issue of Washington’s balance here. The Redskins were supposed to separate from that pack this year. By then let’s hope they have it together. It’s not going to work.
How much work? Watch this game a second and third time on tape. The running game just wasn’t there early.
For the first few minutes of the game, the Redskins were in control. This offense is supposed to prop up Cousins, not the other way around. Josh Norman is no shutdown corner and never should be considered elite. Shutdown corners travel with top receivers and stop them from producing.
There isn’t much anyone can do against Brown, so Breeland shouldn’t feel too bad. Have the Redskins figured out in Training Camp and preseason what the Panthers did that made them pull the Franchise Tag from Norman this offseason? So naturally the “Skins had Norman play strictly on the left side of the field Monday night. It’s good to get humbled early, because we can’t lose two in a row now”. They’re physical wideouts who better suit a Norman matchup.
But, dumb as that strategy was, this game was so one-sided that repositioning Norman might have done the perverse disservice of providing a less lopsided defeat that would have disguised problems.
The offense put on the show, but the Steelers are a complete team. It was just a freak play, and he made the play. Later, he intercepted Cousins.
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However, the Steelers defense held, and kicker Dustin Hopkins connected from 40 yards away for his second field goal to give Washington a 6-0 lead. It’s been said plenty, but Shazier is an All-Pro in the making – if healthy.
