(Getty)
Final Score
Pittsburgh Steelers: 0-14-10-14 — 38
Washington Redskins: 6-0-3-7 — 16
Full Box Score
The Pittsburgh Steelers captured their first win of the season with an impressive offensive attack. The Steelers dominated in a 38-16 win over the Washington Redskins Monday night at FedEx Field.
Pittsburgh finished with a total of 437 offensive yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 27 of 37 passes for 300 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception.
DeAngelo Williams had a strong outing as he led the Steelers in rushing with 26 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Antonio Brown also helped propel the Steelers to victory with 8 receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Washington began the game with promise– the offense sustained drives on its first two possessions, but was forced to settle for field goals. Their defense also started off strong by forcing a three-and-out and then intercepting Roethlisberger in the first quarter. However, they failed to limit Pittsburgh’s production as the game continued and struggled to find their own offensive rhythm.
Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins finished the night completing 30 of 43 passes for 329 yards, and two interceptions.
Matt Jones had a difficult time establishing the ground game as he managed just 23 rushing yards on seven carries.
Although the Steelers defense failed to register a sack, they held the Redskins to 16 points and capitalized on Washington’s mistakes.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
Dustin Hopkins Made a 31-Yard Field Goal
Washington’s first drive ended with a 31-yard field goal to give the Redskins a 3-0 lead with 6:01 left in the first quarter. The key play was a 31-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to DeSean Jackson.
Redskins Drilled Another Field Goal
Washington kicked its second field goal of the first quarter after a nice play on defense. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger tried to find Eli Rogers over the middle, but Bashaud Breeland came up with a tipped-pass interception to set up Washington’s second field goal.
Ben Roethlisberger Connected With Antonio Brown for 29-Yard Touchdown
On fourth-and-1, Roethlisberger faked the handoff to DeAngelo Williams then threw a 29-yard pass to Antonio Brown, who hauled in a beautiful catch. Steelers now have a 7-6 lead with 10:10 left in the second quarter.
Roethlisberger Connected With Eli Rogers for Another Steelers TD
How did they complete this TD?!?
Off Sammie Coates’ hands…and straight to Eli Rogers.
That’ll work. #PITvsWAS t.co/8JStumeNLo
Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to Eli Rogers to increase the Steelers lead to 14-6 with 27 seconds left in the half. Dashaun Phillips deflected Roethlisberger’s pass, which then bounced off a Steelers receiver before landing in the arms of Eli Rogers.
Roethlisberger completed 16 of 21 passes for 151 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in the first half.
Chris Boswell Made a 46-Yard Field Goal
The Steelers capped an 8 play, 47-yard drive with a 46-yard field goal to extend their lead 17-6.
Roethlisberger Found Brown for a Touchdown
.@AntonioBrown84 CANNOT be stopped.
By anyone. 😳 #PITvsWAS t.co/VndUVOxtdx
Brown is on a roll. Roethlisberger connected with Brown for a 26-yard touchdown.
Dustin Hopkins Made a 34-Yard Field Goal
Kirk Cousins led an impressive 9-play, 52 yard drive, completing seven passes in a row. However, the Redskins had to settle for a field goal. Washington cut the Steelers lead to 24-9 with 2:04 left in the third quarter.
Chris Thompson Rushed in a 1-Yard Touchdown for the Redskins
One possession game.
Cousins put together a touchdown drive capped by a 1-yard rush by Chris Thompson. Washington went 77 yards in 2:08 to bring the score to 24-16.
DeAngelo Williams Extended Pittsburgh’s Lead With a 15-Yard Rush
Too strong.
Too fast.
@DeangeloRB extends the @Steelers lead! #PITvsWAS t.co/yc9RBaUip7
Roethlisberger orchestrated a 12-play scoring drive, which featured a 14-yard pass to Sammie Coates, and 21-yard completion to Antonio Brown. DeAngelo Williams scored on a 15-yard rush to make the game 31-16 with 5:48 left in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh Put Together Another Scoring Drive to Solidify the Win
DeAngelo Williams came through with another touchdown with two minutes left. This time, he rushed for six yards.
Game Preview
Washington’s Kirk Cousins had a breakout season in 2015. After appearing in just 14 games in his first three years in the NFL, Cousins posted a 101.6 quarterback rating with 29 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He finished last year with 4,166 yards– the team record for passing years in a season. Although he rose to the occasion in his first full year as starter, Cousins enters the 2016 season with more to prove, especially with long-term contract uncertainty hanging over his head.
The problem for Washington last season was on the defensive side of the ball. Their defense finished No. 28 in yards allowed, and 25th against the pass. In one of the biggest moves of the offseason, the Redskins signed All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman, which will certainly bolster their defense.
The biggest challenge for Norman and the Redskins will be slowing down star wide receiver Antonio Brown. Brown finished 2015 with 136 receptions for 1,834 yards. Norman and the Panthers had a difficult time against Brown in 2014 as Brown caught all 10 passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Even with Ben Roethlisberger sidelined in four games in 2015, the Steelers offense was ranked as the third in the NFL. Le’Veon Bell is suspended for the first three games of 2016, but the Steelers’ ground game is still strong with the return of DeAngelo Williams. Williams rushed for 11 touchdowns and 907 yards on 200 carries last season.
Pittsburgh also focused on improving their defense by drafting a pair of cornerbacks in the first and second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
A high-scoring affair is anticipated Monday night between these two teams. However, keeping Pittsburgh out of the end zone will be a tough task for Washington.