No Martavis Bryant for five. Wheaton has become a solid complementary fellow wide receiver to Antonio Brown. Injured for the game. Suspended for three games.
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They turned up the heat on the Washington Redskins in a 38-16 win and seemed to confirm what many believe about them: They can be Super Bowl contenders. Roethlisberger was picked on a miscommunication with Rogers, and Brown nearly fumbled on an important Pittsburgh drive – the pass was, ultimately, ruled incomplete. The battle between Brown and Norman could end up being the difference on the night.
But the Steelers got lucky – long enough to have time to get good.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams (34) runs the ball against the Denver Broncos in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, in Pittsburgh. “Any time you can get those balls back, it’s huge”. Gabbert has a career record of 8-27 as a starter, and he hasn’t started more than eight games in a season since 2012.
Bashaud Breeland is a talented cornerback with a lot of upside, but Roethlisberger has to do better than that.
But more was expected from the offense. It was a quarterback clinic. “I just hope we have a little bit more of our fans than we do Steelers”. Pittsburgh gambled on fourth-and-1 from the Redskins 29-yard lne as Roethlisberger lofted a ideal pass to Brown, who got behind Breeland. Roethlisberger said he had two wide-open players on the first touchdown but threw to Brown because “that’s my guy”.
At this point, all that’s left to describe Brown is the “fire” emoji.
The hyped matchup between Brown and Norman didn’t really happen. Norman stayed on the left side of the field for quite a bit of the night. Washington totaled 55 yards rushing, including just 28 in the first half. And Williams took advantage.
The Steelers offense should have no trouble putting up points, even with running back DeAngelo Williams having to carry the load before Le’Veon Bell returns from suspension. “I was running through a lot of holes tonight”.
The lack of a steady run defense in Washington will set up an intriguing matchup next week with the Dallas Cowboys and Alfred Morris, who the Redskins didn’t make an effort to re-sign this offseason. In the end, Jones was only able to get 24 yards on seven attempts.
Pittsburgh’s passing attack got clicking, but Kirk Cousins and the Redskins couldn’t keep up.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming from a 18-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers in a preseason game.
Can either team find a pass rush in this game or this year? It threw Washington off in a situation where a wideout like DeSean Jackson could have done damage to the Pittsburgh secondary. In the game, Shazier forced a fumble, had an interception, had two pass defenses and tallied 6 tackles in the game before leaving in the 3rd quarter with the injury.
But the two Pro Bowlers rarely lined up opposite one another.
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If there’s one big takeaway from the game, it’s that if the Steelers are this good with key guys missing, imagine how risky they’re going to be when everyone is back.
