The Washington Redskins defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-13 on Monday Night Football. It was a game dictated by a defensive presence as both teams had their opportunities to pick up turnovers and run away with the game. The Redskins won their second preseason game after taking advantage of the Steelers' mistakes.
The Redskins opened up the scoring with 8:24 on the clock in the first quarter. Ryan Kerrigan read the Steelers' offense perfectly, jumping for the block, but picking up the interception which he ran back for a 22-yard touchdown. The play cut into any momentum the Steelers had built entering their second drive of the game.
The Redskins' defensive line was extremely dangerous early on in this game. Darryl Tapp, Barry Cofield and Kerrigan all played their part in preventing the Steelers from marching up field. As expected, these guys will be starting for the Redskins in 2013 and they will likely cause a lot of chaos in the NFC East.
Defense and Kerrigan continued to rule this game as the Steelers and Redskins exchanged turnovers. After Roethlisberger's time was up, with 8:25 remaining in the first half, Bruce Gradkowski was stripped by Kerrigan. The Redskins didn't take advantage of the turnover, as they turned the ball over on a botched pitch. The Steelers took over, but then immediately turned the ball over once again, committing their third in the first half.
The Redskins made sure to hold on to the ball this time around. Grossman was in the field as Kirk Cousins was knocked out of the game with a bad right foot. Grossman was throwing bullets up the middle of the field and finally, he hit Leonard Hankerson for the 10-yard touchdown pass.
The Steelers couldn't get into the end zone despite making two trips deep into Redskins territory in the first half. As a result, kicker Shaun Suisham made the best of the situation, kicking 24-yard and 31-yard field goals.
Landry Jones, the rookie out of Oklahoma, finally led a successful drive in the red zone for the Steelers, piecing a 76-yard drive that concluded with a touchdown pass. He finished the game with 111 yards and a touchdown. It was the Steelers' first touchdown in the preseason as all the offense has been provided by Suisham.
The Redskins put the game completely out of reach with a 23-yard touchdown run by Roy Helu Jr. as the Steelers completely blew the coverage. The score made it 23-13, making it a two possession game, which was insurmountable for the Steelers' offense. Look for the Redskins to continue dominating despite lacking Robert Griffin III behind center.
