It didn’t matter if Pittsburgh’s offense started off slowly. Roethlisberger completed 27 of 37 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, while Brown caught eight passes for 126 yards and two scores.
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The very reason Roethlisberger is unafraid of making mistakes is also the reason why he had 151 yards and two scores in the first half.
The Monday Night Football matchup was billed in part as a matchup between a star cornerback (Norman) and star receiver (Brown). He again more than eased the loss of Le’Veon Bell, who is suspended for the first three games of the season for his second violation of the NFL’s drug policy after also sitting out the first two games of last season. The Pittsburgh Steelers are considered a Super Bowl contender, and were able to get things going in the second quarter, and never looked back. Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey knocked the ball out of Kerrigan’s hands, and Roethlisberger dived on it at his 13-yard line. He said “I know all of our players will be standing out of respect for their teammate, Alejandro Villanueva”. “Any time you can get those balls back, it’s huge”.
Roethlisberger then guided Pittsburgh 87 yards down the field, finishing the drive with a 29-yard touchdown to Brown on a gutsy fourth-and-1 call. “That’s why I played it the way I played it”. They drove 73 yards on 13 plays. That wasn’t the only time Roethlisberger made something happen when nothing was there.
While Ben Roethlisberger’s explosive offense drew only the peristent accolades attached to hot anticipation all spring and summer, Keith Butler’s defense drew only scrutiny and suspicion, particularly for the unpromising way in which it’s pass defense was so tentatively constructed. Quarterback Kirk Cousins did not seem overly concerned about the running game. But Steelers are not anxious, and they shouldn’t be when they have a backup running back like DeAngelo Williams who can easily be a starter on at least 25 other teams. On their first three scoring drives, the Redskins had to settle for field goals. (Still, Thompson did record Washington’s only touchdown of the night.) Grade: B+. The Redskins will rely on Matt Jones to be their No. 1 back for the first time, but he’s coming off a separated left shoulder.
“My message was, ‘Well, we’ve got Sammie Coates and Eli and all the tight ends and DeAngelo Williams.’ We have guys that can make plays and they showed it”.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a good football team, but, they were playing at half strength and thats being generous.
Wide Receivers: Even with the nearly fumble by Antonio Brown in the first quarter and the Rogers-Roethlisberger miscommunication, the Steelers’ wide receiving corps still get a high grade.
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NOTES: Pittsburgh LB Ryan Shazier left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury, and was being evaluated after the game, according to Tomlin. He’s more than worth the hassle, regardless of what Mike Tomlin might say.
