Shorthanded Steelers Show off Top Contender Form with MNF Road Win over Redskins

Monday night’s victory over the Washington Redskins won’t become Pittsburgh Steelers lore. The footage won’t be used as an example of flawless football. The Steelers beat the Redskins, but the Redskins also went out of their way to beat themselves.

But at the end of the day, the shorthanded Steelers executed in practically all of the big spots en route to a 38-16 triumph. And in Week 1, that’s pretty much all that matters.

Slow start? Sure, they went three-and-out on their first offensive possession and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception on their second drive. But after being shut out for the first 15 minutes, Pittsburgh scored double-digit points in each of the next three quarters.

And after failing to convert that initial third down, Roethlisberger and Co. moved the chains on nine of their next 13 third-down plays.

They weren’t always as crisp as we’ve come to expect, which isn’t surprising considering that key 2015 offensive cogs Le’Veon Bell (suspension), Martavis Bryant (suspension), Markus Wheaton (shoulder injury) and Heath Miller (retirement) were all absent. It couldn’t have been an easy adjustment, but Roethlisberger still completed all but 10 of his 37 pass attempts, backup running back DeAngelo Williams had 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Bell’s stead, and the offense was penalized just twice all night.

The key, though, was the way they kept moving, limiting a potent Redskins offense to just 16 points despite the shaky start.

At one point, the Steelers converted six out of eight third downs, with the two non-conversions leading to successful fourth-down gambles. They were practically unstoppable when trying to …

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