Roethlisberger, Brown combine to light up Redskins in season-opening win
LANDOVER, Md. — If the rest of the NFL didn't already realize Ben Roethlisberger will throw the ball to Antonio Brown at any point in the game, there's no hiding it now.
Fourth-and-1 for a touchdown? Why not?
Third-and-3 for a touchdown? Why not?
Third-and-5 with three minutes left to seal the outcome? But of course.
The better question might be: Why didn't the Redskins know that before Monday night?
Roethlisberger and Brown hooked up for a pair of head-shaking touchdowns on short-yardage situations that propelled the Steelers to a 24-point outburst that erased an early deficit. They continued their dominance on “Monday Night Football” with a 38-16 win over the Redskins at FedEx Field.
“It is always pretty good to dial his number,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He is Antonio Brown.”
The Steelers tied the Dallas Cowboys with the second-most MNF wins (44), and Tomlin improved his record on Mondays to 11-2.
The latest win can be boiled down to Roethlisberger-to-Brown, with more than just a little DeAngelo Williams on the side.
Roethlisberger completed 27 of 37 for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Brown caught eight passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Williams, filling in for the suspended Le'Veon Bell, rushed for 70 of his 143 yards and both of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
“We have goals in mind, and we want to be the best offense in this league and we played like it,” guard Ramon Foster said.
A lot of that can be traced to Roethlisberger and Brown, and more specifically, a play call in the second quarter that not many offensive coordinators will dial up or any quarterbacks will throw.
The Steelers managed only seven offensive plays through two drives and trailed 6-0 before stringing together 10 plays to get to the Redskins' 29 when they were faced with a fourth-and-1.
There was no hesitation from offensive coordinator Todd Haley: go deep to Brown.
“That's the call,” Tomlin said after being asked if there was an option for Roethlisberger. “We play to win.”
Roethlisberger wasn't as convinced as Tomlin that's where he was going with the ball.
“I am thinking about it ... strongly,” Roethlisberger said. “Depends on the coverage. They gave us a man look. The safety was in the middle of the field. I got the ball up quick and let him make the play.”
Foster admitted he thought they were going to run the ball at first.
“It's gutsy, but I appreciate it,” Foster said.
It kick-started the Steelers offense. It scored on four straight possessions, including Eli Rogers' first career touchdown late in the first half to take a 14-6 lead.
Roethlisberger fired a first-and-goal pass that bounced off Redskins cornerback Deshaun Phillip, then Bashaud Breeland, then Sammie Coates and into the hands of Rogers for a 3-yard score.
“That is a thing where two young guys need to learn exactly what to do on that play,” Roethlisberger said. “Eli has to bring two guys with him, and Sammie has to come flatter. Sometimes the ball bounces your way.”
After a Chris Boswell field goal early in the third made it 17-6, it was Roethlisberger and Brown again.
After a Ryan Shazier interception of Kirk Cousins gave the ball back to the Steelers, Roethlisberger and Brown hooked up on a third down.
Roethlisberger tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to a single-covered Brown to give the Steelers a 24-6 lead.
“We aren't afraid to take shots,” Roethlisberger said. “On third-and-short, we like to take chances. That's just who we are.”
It didn't hurt that the Redskins decided not to put their $75 million cornerback Josh Norman on Brown.
It proved to be a mistake.
“We didn't care where Norman was,” Tomlin said. “We don't have any control over how they utilize Norman and his talents. We were concerned with with we did.”
After that, the Steelers turned to their running game and Williams.
Williams scored from 15 yards and 6 yards in the final quarter to ice the game.
“Well, you know, we're confident in that group,” Tomlin said. “We know we were missing some pieces tonight, but we had 7. When you have 7, you have a chance to put together a performance like that.”
Mark Kaboly is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mkaboly@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MarkKaboly_Trib.
