The Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to the Washington Redskins to open the Monday Night slate for the 2016 NFL season. This was to be a closely contested ball game. However, it ended up being a one-sided affair. Here are five things we learned from this debacle.
Same Old Redskins
The Washington Redskins did not seem to fix any issues that plagued them in 2015. They could not stop the run. They could not generate a pass rush. They also could not run the football. All of these are issues that reared their ugly heads again in the opener of 2016. If the Washington Redskins coaching staff does not find a way to fix these issues, it is going to be a long division title defense for Redskins and their fans.
Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are unstoppable
There is no doubt, after watching them play, that Big Ben and AB were the best two players on the field Monday Night. Redskins CB Bashaud Breeland certainly had his hands full when he was covering Brown. Both of Antonio Brown’s TDs came against Breeland. Breeland did not have bad coverage on either of them. It is just that Roethlisberger and Brown are so much on the same page that even perfect coverage can get beat. I am not saying that Breeland played perfect, but he certainly was not out of position.
Steelers are going to be damn good
You have to keep in mind that the Pittsburgh Steelers put up 38 points, and they had key players missing. Could you imagine the outcome had they had their missing players? Once the Pittsburgh Steelers get healthy, they could quite possibly be the best team in AFC. I would watch out for this team as the season goes on.
Kirk Cousins is going to be okay
If you are putting any of this blame on Kirk Cousins, you are wrong. Although he did not get the ball in the end zone, the loss was not entirely on his play. He went 30 of 43 for 329 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs. But when he has no running game to help him, he cannot have all the blame on his shoulders. He was given time and was able to find his receivers at will. Again the issue will be that Cousins will have to do it all alone if he does not get a running game.
Redskins are undisciplined
The Washington Redskins had issues with penalties in the preseason. Those issues came to light again on Monday night. The Redskins were penalized nine times for 55 yards. Although the yardage was not a lot, the number of penalties is. Many of the nine penalties would come at times in which the Redskins were driving. Drive killing penalties are always the worst. The Redskins need to become a better-disciplined team if they expect to defend their 2015 NFC East title.
If there is any shining light out of this loss, it comes in a way that it was to an AFC team. Either way, you look at it, the Washington Redskins have a lot of work to do especially if they expect to return to the top. The Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other hand, are primed and ready. Watch and see if the Redskins bounce back next week.