Washington Redskins: Week 1 Game Recap vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Washington Redskins have officially lost their opener. Here is a quick recap of what happened in the game.
The Washington Redskins were unable to come up victorious in the opening game of their season. The team fought hard against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the team just collapsed late. They ended up falling to the Steelers by a final score of 38-16.
Despite the lopsided score line, the game was actually very close at the end. In the fourth quarter, the Redskins were trailing by just a touchdown. The team had a 77-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 1 yard touchdown plunge by Chris Thompson. That brought the score at the time to 24-16 with 13 minutes remaining. Unfortunately, the team allowed a couple of touchdowns to close the game and they were unable to put any more points on the board.
Kirk Cousins had a so-so showing for the Redskins. While he was very accurate, going 30-of-43 for 329 yards, he also struggled with interceptions. He tossed two and on one of them, he did not see linebacker Ryan Shazier drop into coverage. Cousins will need to cut down on mistakes to be more effective and really help the Redskins offense in the future.
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The team got a stellar performance from DeSean Jackson. Jackson looked terrific during the contest and he is definitely in the best shape that he has been in since joining the Redskins. He was explosive and demonstrated elite athleticism that has not really been apparent since his days with the Philadelphia Eagles. Overall during the game, he totaled six catches for 102 yards receiving.
For the Steelers, this game was absolutely huge. The offense looked to be operating in full swing despite missing Le’Veon Bell and Markus Wheaton. In place of Bell, DeAngelo Williams was superb for the Steelers. Given his track record, it was hardly a surprise. Williams had 26 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns during the game. He showed a combination of power a speed and looked to be in great shape for yet another season. Williams will continue to perform well while Bell is out and that will really help the team.
One of the most anticipated matchups of the game was between Josh Norman and Antonio Brown. Prior to the game, I said that if Brown totaled over 100 yards of receiving, the Steelers would win. Brown broke the century mark and got 126 yards on the day along with two touchdowns. Norman locked him down for a lot of the first half, but as the game progressed Brown figured out ways to beat him. It was a valiant effort by both players, but it appears as though Brown won the battle.
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A couple of defensive notes for the Redskins: Mason Foster and Will Compton looked really good as the starting tandem at the middle linebacker position. Foster had 14 tackles while Compton totaled 13 during the game. They should be excellent in pursuit of ball.
Overall, the Redskins played better in this game than the score indicates. The team had some good moments, and they will probably improve as the season goes along. Their defense will also benefit when they play some offenses that are not quite as good as the Steelers’ unit.