Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers at Redskins: 3 things we learned

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Here are three takeaways from the Monday Night Football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins in Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season.

On Monday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers visited the Washington Redskins at FedExField. Both teams were NFL Wild Card squads last season.

Tonight’s game would give Washington a chance to defeat a team with a winning record. However, it ended up showing that Pittsburgh has too potent an offense and could be a contender once again.

Here are three things that were learned in the Monday Night Football game for 2016 NFL Week 1.

1. The Steelers offense is picking up right where it left off last season.

For the 2015-16 NFL season, Pittsburgh was No. 3 overall in terms of offensive output. Tonight, Ben Roethlisberger and his team showed exactly why they are so good. They found ways to get down the field all night, scoring touchdowns through top-notch performances from backs and receivers.

The Steelers tallied 447 yards of total offense on the road tonight. The majority were receiving yards, with Antonio Brown picking up 126 of them. However, it was a solid rushing performance that also helped them bolster their lead. This one-two punch was really what knocked out their opponents Monday night, resulting in the 38-16 final score.

2. DeAngelo Williams is a solid replacement for Le’Veon Bell, for now.

In his 2015-16 season, DeAngelo Williams achieved 907 yards on the ground. In tonight’s game, he had about one-sixth of that total, which shows he could have a huge season ahead. It may also show how bad Washington was at stopping him and the Pittsburgh offense. There’s also the fact that he’s filling in for a star back.

Williams finished with 143 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Both his touchdowns came late to kill any momentum the Redskins may have found trying to close in on their opponents. It also spotlights how versatile an offense this team has.

With Le’Veon Bell out of the lineup for several more games, it’s a great sign for the Steelers early. Having Williams on top of his game will help Roethlisberger and the offense move toward more wins.

3. The Redskins need to find their ground game.

The most glaring issue with Washington in their home opener was rushing. They managed just 55 total yards on the ground. Matt Jones and Chris Thompson had the bulk of those, with Thompson also scoring his team’s sole touchdown of the night. Establishing a solid ground game would go a long way towards taking pressure off of Kirk Cousins to make everything happen.

That said, Cousins still put up solid numbers with 329 total yards passing on 30 of 43 completed passes. He just needs that ground game to complement his plays and give him a break.

With a 38-16 victory, the Steelers look ready to roll for another journey towards the playoffs. The Redskins can get there too. However, they once again showed that just like last season, they struggle against teams with winning records.