The Steelers gained 435 yards anyway thanks in no small part to Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown, but with a healthy assist from some young pass catchers and a veteran running back. The pass from the 3-yard line went off the fingertips of Washington cornerback Dashaun Phillips and then deflected off Breeland’s chest before landing in the arms of Steelers receiver Eli Rogers.
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Starting in place of the suspended Le’Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
Ben Roethlisberger will initially struggle to get into a rhythm without number two and three wideouts Martavis Bryant (suspension) and Markus Wheaton (shoulder).
Although the Steelers defense failed to register a sack, they held the Redskins to 16 points and capitalized on Washington’s mistakes. It’s the second time in just the last six years that Pittsburgh has won the season opener. He threw two interceptions and saw his streak of 16 straight regular-season games with a touchdown pass snapped. The Steelers will likely move Brown around, but the Redskins don’t expect a dropoff in coverage with third-year cornerback Bashaud Breeland manning the other side of the field. Coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers “didn’t care where Norman was’ on the field because they don’t have control over that, a thought Brown echoed when he said after the game: “Trying to beat the man across from me”. “You know we get a little bit too giddy sometimes with the (passing) weapons that we have”.
“The ball was on the ground and Pounce was kind of laying on it and I was trying to tell Pouncey it was right under his leg”, Roethlisberger said.
“When you look back at the tape, even with the hands we were dealt, whether it was injuries, suspensions, whatever it was, to me it would have been a very attainable goal for us a year ago”, Haley said. “That’s why I played it the way I played it”. Will Cousins back up the $19.95 million contract that makes him one of the highest-paid players at his position and bolster his case for a long-term deal in Washington? “That’s all I can say”.
Perhaps most importantly, the Steelers came through on the game’s biggest plays, finishing 9-of-14 on third down and 2-of-2 on fourth. Cousins likes to target tight end Jordan Reed (87 receptions), and Jamison Crowder, DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon will be tough matchups for a Pittsburgh secondary that is searching for improvement in 2016. Pittsburgh is 4-1 when opening the season on Monday night, and the Steelers’ 44-24 record on MNF is third-best in the National Football League behind Seattle (23-6) and San Francisco (47-25). The Monday Night Football Odds have the Steelers favored to pick up the win on the road.
HOPPING HOPKINS: Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins made all three of his field-goal attempts, connecting from 31, 40 and 34 yards.
“We’re not afraid to take chances”, said Roethlisberger about his offense, which converted two fourth-and-shots, one for a touchdown.
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RUNNING ON EMPTY: Jones was in the starting lineup after separating his left shoulder on August 19, but he lost 4 yards on his first two carries and finished with 24 yards on seven carries. The first half of the season was dismal for Washington previous year having only scored 12 TD’s in the first six games. Garcon is always a good play on DraftKings with their full point PPR scoring system, as he may not rack up a ton of yards, but always catches a ton of short passes out of the slot as a check down option for Cousins. “They were doing a good job of just dropping out, forcing us to take things underneath”.
