DEANGELO WILLIAMS HAS TURNED HIS AGE INTO A BLESSING

By Robert O'Connell
https://sports.vice.com/
September 13, 2016



Running back DeAngelo Williams was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. (Steelers.com)

The hardest thing for an NFL running back to do is remain an NFL running back. The position requires both the ability and willingness to charge headfirst into literal tons of humanity dozens of times a game, and those traits tend to belong to 22-year-olds more than 27-year-olds, and to 27-year-olds more than 30-year-olds. Inexperience amounts to a virtue, since experience means wear. The transition from All-Pro to forced retiree is quick and no longer surprising; it's part of the job.

Monday night in Washington, Pittsburgh's 33-year-old backup running back DeAngelo Williams, filling in for a suspended Le'Veon Bell, ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, adding six catches for 28 yards for good measure. Though the totals got some boosting from a mostly speculative Washington defense, the night was also a prime example of the talents that have let Williams last so long. Despite his former role as the "Dash" to Jonathan Stewart's "Smash" during their tandem glory days in Carolina, Williams is a classically complete back, with strong shoulders and light feet and vision every bit as keen as it was in his mid-20s. He's a bowling ball between the tackles and a tap dancer at the edge. Most remarkably, he's seemed to make his age into a kind of blessing; he knows which of his abilities to call on at a given moment in a way only a veteran can. In a game designed to use him up, he's still useful, and plays with a rare headiness.

Behind a Pittsburgh line that plainly bullied Washington's front, Williams worked for the most part up the middle, padding along for a moment or two before plowing forward for six yards. For someone at the middle of a lot of scrums, he took few painful-looking hits (contrast this with Washington back Matt Jones, who finished his runs like someone taking a shotgun blast to a bulletproof vest). A key component to carrying a football that many times at that age is knowing how and when to fall.

The consummate Williams run, though, came around the left end. With just under six minutes to go and the Steelers up eight, the game in their control but not yet fully over, Williams took a handoff and surveyed things from behind the safety of his blockers, but the wall of linemen ran out with two Washington defenders unaccounted-for at the end. Williams gave the slightest of shimmies and skipped shoulder-ways right between them, then 15 more yards for the touchdown that put the game out of reach.

By the end of it, Williams was the first rusher of his age to have such an impressive game since Emmitt Smith put up 127 yards as a 35-year-old in 2004, but he also stood out in comparison to his present-day colleagues, becoming only the second back to run for 100 or more yards in the opening week of games. The days of the central stat-stuffing RB are increasingly on the wane; even Williams's brilliance was matched by that of Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, who connected for eight routinely spectacular completions and two touchdowns. NFL offenses belong to quarterbacks and receivers, now, and the job of the backs is to provide a little contrast and blocking for as long as they can. It's tough work, and people don't last long at it. So while Williams's game on Monday was spectacular, the best rushing performance of the week, it was secondary. The real triumph was being on the field to begin with.

Rodriguez homers in 9th to lift Pirates over Phillies 5-3

The Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/mlb/

September 13, 2016

Pittsburgh Pirates' Sean Rodriguez runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run off Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeanmar Gomez during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, in Philadelphia. Pittsburgh won 5-3. Matt Slocum AP Photo

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/sports/mlb/article101700907.html#storylink=cpy

PHILADELPHIA -- Sean Rodriguez is having his most productive big league season yet, and he had a memorable blast Tuesday night to keep the Pittsburgh Pirates' slim postseason hopes alive.

Rodriguez had a pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth inning, lifting the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Pittsburgh remained six games behind the Mets for the second NL wild card.

Rodriguez's home run was his career-high 13th of the season and first since Aug. 14. It was also his first pinch-hit home run since May 25, 2013.

"A couple years ago, yeah I was driving the ball, but I wasn't necessarily putting the ball in play enough," Rodriguez said. "This year, I've been able to do that."

Rodriguez hit for pitcher Felipe Rivero (1-5) with two on and one out and drilled a 2-2 pitch from reliever Jeanmar Gomez (3-4) into the second row of seats in right field.

"It was a tough day for me," Gomez said. "It was a slider that was up. Some of my pitches were flat."

Rodriguez put the Pirates ahead after Francisco Cervelli reached on a walk andJordy Mercer doubled off Gomez.

Tony Watson struck out two in the ninth for his 12th save.

Playing in just his third major league game, left fielder Roman Quinn had two hits and scored a go-ahead run in the eighth on Freddy Galvis' sacrifice fly.

Pirates right-hander Ivan Nova entered 5-0 since being acquired from the New York Yankees on Aug. 1. He allowed two runs and five hits while recording a season-high 11 strikeouts but left the game in the seventh after throwing 92 pitches.

Nova missed the chance to become the second Pirates pitcher to go 6-0 in his first eight starts.

"I was getting ahead in the count and I threw some good sinkers and that was a good thing for me," Nova said. "They're an aggressive team and they were out there swinging."

Phillies right-hander Alec Asher allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was ejected for the sixth time this season and the 51st time in his managerial career in the sixth inning. Hurdle vehemently argued with first-base umpire Alan Porter over a call that resulted in Ryan Howard beating out a double-play grounder to bring in the go-ahead run for Philadelphia.

The night was a mixed bag for Pirates rookie second baseman Adam Frazier, who gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the third inning but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Josh Bell followed with a double that would have scored Frazier.

Frazier also botched a fourth-inning grounder by Howard that tied the score at 1, had an errant throw on a potential double-play grounder by Maikel Franco that gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead in the sixth and grounded out with the bases loaded to end the seventh with the score tied 2-2 after Jung Ho Kang scored on a wild pitch.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: Pittsburgh placed right-hander Gerrit Cole on the 60-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right elbow. Cole returned Monday from a two-week stint on the DL and allowed five runs, four hits and walked four in two innings. He finishes the season with a 7-10 record and 3.88 ERA in 21 starts. ... LF Starling Marte, who leads the NL with 17 outfield assists, sat out his eighth straight game with back spasms and was replaced by Matt Joyce.

UP NEXT

Pirates: LHP Steven Brault (0-2, 3.38 ERA) will make his sixth career start when the series resumes Wednesday night. The 24-year-old has received just five runs of support in his five previous starts.

Phillies: RHP Jake Thompson (1-5, 6.05 ERA) will make his eighth start of the season. The 22-year-old is looking for his first win since Aug. 12.

The glaring, painful contrast ‘twixt Cousins, Roethlisberger

By Thom Loverro - - Monday, September 12, 2016

http://www.washingtontimes.com/

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) passes the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Landover, Md., Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/sports/article101488817.html#storylink=cpy

Kirk Cousins told us last week that it was “well-documented” how much talent he has at his disposal as the quarterback of this Washington Redskins offense.

“It has been well-documented how much talent there is and not just talent but experience,” he told reporters.

Cousins must have left those documents at Redskins Park — at least the ones that lead to touchdowns.

The Steelers wore down a game Redskins defense that got no help from Cousins and his talent-laden offense in a 38-16 season opening Monday Night Football Washington loss at FedEx Field.

If you are keeping score, it was Washington’s sixth straight loss to Pittsburgh. They haven’t beaten the Steelers since the 1991 Super Bowl championship season. No wonder Pittsburgh fans love to come to Washington watch their team play. They don’t lose.

Cousins told you that last week when he said simply but accurately of the Steelers, “They play very, very hard … I have a lot of respect for their defense and they’ll present a great challenge.”

But I’m not sure if it was Pittsburgh that presented the challenge for Cousins Monday night or if it was the moment — a long-anticipated Monday night game against a perennial winner. Cousins wasn’t up to the moment.

Cousins was unable to translate that talent into touchdowns when he was handed several opportunities early in the game by, of all things, the Redskins defense. Cousins produced just two field goals on two possessions, one of which came after a Bashaud Breeland interception.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) looks for an opening to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. (Mark Tenally/AP Photo)

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/sports/article101488817.html#storylink=cpy

Roethlisberger only dealt in touchdowns, though — two in the first half, one coming on a fourth and one when he completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown (he would add another one in the third quarter, a 26-yard scoring pass to Brown), and the second coming on a deflected three-yard pass to Eli Rogers, after Pittsburgh made good on another fourth-and-one play, a 17-yard completion to Rogers, as Pittsburgh took a 14-6 lead in the lockerroom at halftime.

The last scoring drive of that half was a 14-play, 57-yard beat down that lasted nearly six minutes. Pittsburgh continued to dominate in the third quarter, opening up a 24-9 lead and perhaps driving home the difference between an elite quarterback and a quarterback who got paid thanks to the franchise tag.

It must pain Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan to entertain the possibility that he may be right about Cousins — a good quarterback, but not in the class of the elite, like a Roethlisberger, and perhaps not worth long-term elite money.

This was just one game, but the contrast between Roethlisberger and Cousins was glaring. Cousins, who had the entire off season — workouts, mini camp, training camp and preseason — to prepare for this home opener, seemed to pick up right where he left off the last time we saw him at FedEx Field in the 35-18 loss to Green Bay. He did little to answer his critics, or questions about his ability to lead this talented offense against a quality team like the Steelers.

Cousins opened the game looking sharp — at least when it came to one receiver. On the opening drive, Cousins hit Jordan Reed with a 12-yard pass, a 14-yard completion, then another 13-yarder. But Washington had to punt after coming up short.

On Washington’s second drive, Cousins had a 31-yard completion to DeSean Jackson on a drive that would give Washington a 3-0 lead on a 31-yard Dustin Hopkins field goal. It was a timely play, because the best way to silence the away fans that fill your home stadium is for you to score first.

Yes, the Steelers fans were out in force. During television time outs, the video screen would attempt to show Redskins fans waving their burgundy and gold towels that were handed out free by the team. But in those shots they were often outnumbered by Pittsburgh fans waving the Steelers Terrible Towels, and by the end of the game, Steelers chants filled the stadium, with Terrible Towels flying everywhere.

Kevin Durant was in attendance, introduced during a time out with other local Olympians — but he didn’t have to worry about being booed for spurning his hometown Washington Wizards in free agency. There were probably more Pittsburgh Piper fans in the stadium than Wizards fans.

Perhaps Cousins’ best moments came early in the fourth quarter, when Washington went to the no-huddle offense and he moved them down the field 77 yards on seven plays in just over two minutes, leading to a one-yard Chris Thompson touchdown run.

But Roethlisberger methodically picked the Washington defense apart again, resulting in a touchdown jaunt by DeAngelo Williams (26 carries, 143 yards) to seal the 31-16 Steelers win.

Cousins ended the game with an end zone interception by 60-year-old James Harrison.

Cousins’ line? Zero touchdowns, two interceptions.

Roethlisberger? Three touchdowns, one interception.

One was a surgeon — the other an overmatched medical student. And surgeons get paid.

Steelers Rewind: Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers roll past Redskins 38-16

By Chris B. Mueller

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

September 12, 2016

Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams (34) crosses into the end zone as Washington Redskins defensive back David Bruton (30) watches from the turf during the second half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. The Steelers defeated the Redskins 38-16. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/sports/article101502542.html#storylink=cpy

LANDOVER, MD. -- The Steelers will begin the 2016 season in the win column.

Ben Roethlisberger thew for 300 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers won their regular season opener 38-16 over the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on Monday Night.

Roethlisberger and the offense overcame a slow start to outscore Washington 31-10 in the final three quarters as the Steelers quarterback connected twice with Antonio Brown and once with Eli Rogers for touchdowns.

A three-and-out on the Steelers' first offensive possession led to a quick Washington field goal. It was followed up by a Bashaun Breeland interception on Roethlisberger, who grabbed a tipped pass off Rogers' hands and returned it 26 yards to the Steelers 37-yard line. Backed up near the red zone, the Steelers defense bent but didn't break as it limited the Redskins to another field goal after giving up 14 yards on five plays.

And then came the fireworks.

On a fourth-and-1 conversion at Washington's 29-yard line, Roethlisberger connected with Brown off a play-action fake for the Steelers' first touchdown with 10:10 left in the second quarter. Brown made a tiptoe catch in the left corner of the end zone through double coverage.

The Steelers then drove 67 yards on 14 plays on their next drive, and received a little luck at the end of it. A pass intended for Sammie Coates tipped right into the hands of a waiting Rogers for a 3-yard score. Breeland jumped Coates' slant route at the goal line and caused the ball to deflect off Rogers' helmet before the second-year Steelers receiver came down with it.

It was Rogers' first career touchdown as the Steelers led 7-6 at halftime.

Chris Boswell added a field goal early in the third quarter before Roethlisberger connected with Brown for the All-Pro receiver's second and final score of the night. Brown burned his defender down the left sideline to haul in the touchdown. He racked up 126 yards on eight receptions.

The Redskins scored 10 straight points before DeAngelo Williams added two fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns to close out the game. The Steelers running back ended with 143 yards on 26 carries.

The Steelers finished with 435 yards of total offense and went 9 for 14 on third-down attempts. The defense held the Redskins to just 55 net rushing yards and picked off quarterback Kirk Cousins twice, who finished 30 for 42 with 329 yards and zero touchdowns.

The Steelers improved to 1-0 in the win while the Redskins fell to 0-1. The Steelers look next to an AFC North matchup with the Bengals on Sept. 18.

TURNING POINT 

Brown's highlight-reel touchdown reception on fourth down lit a spark in the Steelers offense that hadn't been performing like its usual self up to that point. Roethlisberger threw a pick on his second offensive possession, and almost followed it up with another turnover when Ryan Kerrigan forced a fumble that the Steelers later recovered. As the offense was in the midst of its first sustained drive of the game, Mike Tomlin had a decision to make on fourth and one. It may not have been the most popular one, but it sure did set a tone for how the rest of the game would play out. 

PLAYER OF THE GAME 

DeAngelo Williams, RB

Happy Birthday, D-Will. The phrase repeatedly heard from Steelers players over the course of training camp was a microcosm of the veteran running back's performance against the Redskins. Williams, 33, has faced doubts surrounding his ability to produce like the workhorse back he was during his prime in Carolina. Well, his age didn't matter Monday night as Williams averaged 5.5 yards per carry and scored his team's final two touchdowns. Before Williams' two scores, the Redskins had scored 10 straight points to make it a one-possession game. 

NOTEWORTHY 

• Ryan Shazier's performance played a major factor in the Steelers defense limiting Cousins to zero touchdowns. Shazier, who was called upon to blanket Redskins tight end Jordan Reed for a majority of the night, ended with one interception. He also executed a major pass breakup in the back of the end zone covering Reed that forced the Redskins to kick a field goal. "We're going to play a lot of good tight ends this year, and Reed is one of the best ones we'll play," Shazier said. "I just wanted to do what I had to do for my team. I was just doing my job."
• Sean Davis was Keith Butler's primary nickel cornerback Monday night. The rookie finished with three tackles in his season debut. "My coverage was pretty good today. I didn't really get too many targets, but I've got to do a better job tackling."
• Surprisingly, Redskins cornerback Josh Norman did not shadow Brown and was held to the right side of the field for the entirety of the game. Instead, the Redskins doubled Brown with a safety and cornerback, primarily Breeland, which worked to no avail. "It's all about winning," Brown said. "It's not about who is on me." 

BY THE NUMBERS

13: Roethlisberger surpassed Joe Montana for 13th on the all-time passing touchdown list

7: The Steelers led in the game during seven offensive drives

43,000: Roethlisberger eclipsed 43,000 career passing yards in the first quarter

QUOTEWORTHY

"I knew somebody was going to bring that up." 

-- Williams, on if he thinks he's getting better with age

INJURY REPORT 

Shazier exited the game with a knee injury and is being evaluated.

UP NEXT

Week 2: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) at Heinz Field

Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS

No Vontaze Burfict, no Le’Veon Bell, no matter. This week’s game needs no buildup despite the suspensions to two of the main characters in recent series history. The Steelers might not consider the Bengals their biggest rival, but they are their biggest threat to win the AFC North. Cincinnati has won the division title two of the last three years, including last season. Still, the Steelers went 2-1 against Cincinnati in 2015, winning both games on the road. That includes Pittsburgh’s 18-16 win in the AFC Wild Card Game. The Bengals lost receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency, they’ve already lost prized draft picks William Jackson III and Andrew Billings to injury and could be without star tight end Tyler Eifert this week as he continues to rehab an ankle injury sustained in the Pro Bowl. Despite that and the Bengals’ recent playoff failures, it hasn’t hampered expectations for Cincinnati. In Week 1, the Bengals scored an impressive 23-22 road win over the New York Jets as A.J. Green torched Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis for 180 yards and one TD, while Andy Dalton threw for 366 yards on 23 of 30 passing. The Steelers are 58-35 all-time vs. Cincinnati, with a 30-16 record at home. In Mike Tomlin’s nine previous home openers, the Steelers are 8-1, the lone loss coming in 2013 against Tennessee.

Big Ben throws, Antonio Brown twerks and Steelers roll

Jeremy FowlerESPN Staff Writerhttp://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelersSeptember 13, 2016

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) celebrates running back DeAngelo Williams touchdown with teammate wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. (Mark Tenally/AP)

LANDOVER, Md. -- Antonio Brown's 2 Live Crew-inspired touchdown celebration got a 15-yard flag and deserves a PG-13 label, but the Pittsburgh Steelers don't care.

They turned up the heat on the Washington Redskins in a 38-16 win and seemed to confirm what many believe about them: They can be Super Bowl contenders.

The Steelers certainly look ready for the Cincinnati Bengals in what promises to be a bruising clash on Sunday at Heinz Field.

'BOOMIN," Brown calls his latest end-zone gyration.

Think about it: The Steelers were without several key offensive players on the road against a 2015 playoff team and still posted 437 offensive yards and five touchdowns. That included teardrop dimes of 29 and 25 yards from Ben Roethlisberger to Brown, who mistreated cornerback Bashaud Breeland relentlessly.

Curiously, Brown didn't get the Redskins' best corner, Josh Norman, for much of the game. Norman stayed on the left side of the field for quite a bit of the night. That seems like a football injustice. Coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers "didn't care where Norman was' on the field because they don't have control over that, a thought Brown echoed when he said after the game: "Trying to beat the man across from me."

Roethlisberger and Brown have connected on 500 passes in their careers, and some things they run, particularly by the sideline, are difficult for any corner to cover. Roethlisberger said he had two wide-open players on the first touchdown but threw to Brown because "that's my guy."

Through touchdowns and mistakes, the Steelers will play fearlessly all year.

"We're not afraid to take chances," said Roethlisberger about his offense, which converted two fourth-and-shots, one for a touchdown. "That's just who we are."

Roethlisberger sensed the public questions about his offense after losing Martavis Bryant and Le'Veon Bell to suspension, but Big Ben made clear: He likes his current group.

The Steelers' most important number from Monday might be 143: DeAngelo Williams' rushing yards total after a 26-carry, two-touchdown night. Williams had everything working, including a backbreaking 15-yard touchdown run as he split two defenders like a point guard.

When games get tight, the Steelers feel they can utilize a stout offensive line to wear down defenses. They countered Washington's first touchdown with a 73-yard, run-heavy drive. If the passing windows close because of Cincinnati's defense this week, Williams could see 20-plus carries once again.

The Steelers will be tested more than this. Washington failed to stretch the field offensively, with DeSean Jackson's 33-yard reception the Redskins' only play of more than 20 yards all evening.

But Pittsburgh played to its formula defensively, and it worked: Give Washington the short stuff, shade on tight end Jordan Reed and tighten up once close to the red zone. This will be a theme.

That the Steelers failed to record a sack and still kept an above-average Redskins offense to 16 points suggests this group has grown.

They could have had an off night and it wouldn't have mattered.

The Steelers picked up where they left off in the 2015 regular season: With 30-plus points.

"We're used to that -- making plays," Williams said.

Redskins find out right away their expectations may not be reality

Jerry Brewer

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/

September 12, 2016

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) pulls in a touchdown pass under pressure from Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland (26) during the second half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Monday, Sept. 12, 2016 (Alex Brandon/AP)

The overflowing excitement of a new season drained slowly into reality Monday night. The hope of a season-opening statement went swirling with it. If you thought this would be the night the Washington Redskins announced themselves as a legitimate contender, well, that was a nice little fleeting fantasy.

Dreams are a good thing, you know. But sometimes you wake up too soon, and all of a sudden Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is throwing deep to Antonio Brown in the third quarter, and the all-pro wide receiver is making a beautiful 26-yard touchdown reception and twerking in the end zone. Brown drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for a dancing celebration that he made look extra raunchy, but the mind can’t delete such a sight. It burned the eyes. So, too, did the final score: Pittsburgh 38, Washington 16.

It was a sobering reminder of how far Washington has to go. For all the improvements the franchise has made, for all the well-earned excitement it has generated, this isn’t a team ready for primetime, not unless the opponent has a losing record. There’s still reason to believe that 2016 will be another year of progress, but the wait might take months rather than weeks.

[Recap: Roethlisberger, Steelers hammer Redskins in opener]

By the end Monday night, a FedEx Field crowd of 79,124 had thinned to an audience mostly of Terrible Towel-waving Steelers fans chanting, “Here we go, Steelers, here we go!” as 33-year-old running back DeAngelo Williams completed a 143-yard, two-touchdown performance.

To the burgundy supporters bonked by disappointment, Washington Coach Jay Gruden could only say, “We let them down in a big way.”

Pittsburgh provided an important Week 1 dissection. The Steelers dominated up front on both sides of the ball, going for 147 yards on the ground and yielding just 55 , exposing Washington’s issues of talent, toughness and commitment to playing physical football. Roethlisberger took advantage of nearly every opportunity, lucky or otherwise, while the Redskins failed to capitalize on several early chances that could’ve stretched a 6-0 lead well into double digits.

Simply, you watched a good team with Super Bowl aspirations and clear understanding of itself pummel a developing squad still tinkering and perhaps wandering into a dangerous identity problem. The difference between the two teams was as dramatic as the situational stats show. The Steelers converted 9 of 14 third-down chances and both of their fourth-down attempts, including a ridiculous 29-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Brown on fourth and one in the second quarter. Brown caught the pass between free safety DeAngelo Hall and cornerback Bashaud Breeland, one of many difficult moments for Breeland against him.

[Lack of investment in defensive line renders Norman nearly useless]

The loss isn’t as troubling as the way in which Washington lost, the fact that the team’s most curious offseason decisions manifested as glaring weaknesses in this game. General Manager Scot McCloughan strayed from making moves to add talent to the defensive line and give the run game a significant boost, opting instead to upgrade other areas. Washington made cornerback Josh Norman the highest-paid player at his position, and while he played fine against Pittsburgh, the defense still allowed 435 yards. It drafted wide receiver Josh Doctson, who plays a position of strength on this roster, in the first round. Then it took linebacker-safety Su’a Cravens in the second round and cornerback Kendall Fuller in the third . It’s premature to say the strategy was wrong, but as Washington began this 16-game trek, it played like a soft football team.

Just a year ago, Washington was obsessed with getting better up front. McCloughan brought in stopgap defensive veterans to ensure the team was more physical. He drafted guard Brandon Scherff fifth overall and dismissed critics who thought that was too high, partly because he knew the team needed a major injection of toughness. Gruden and the entire franchise preached the need to establish a physical style upfront.

[Steinberg: The Redskins say they want to run the ball. They didn’t act like it.]

Now it seems as if Washington is morphing into something else. Something softer. Yes, the team made the playoffs last season on the back of a potent passing game. But it’s foolish to think that style is sustainable, especially because the team didn’t beat a winning opponent with it.

The stat must be repeated: Washington only played three teams in 2015 that finished the year with a winning record. In those games, against New England, Carolina and the New York Jets, Washington lost by a combined score of 105-46. And in the playoffs, it lost 35-18 at home to Green Bay.

Even though the Redskins had difficulty running the ball and stopping the run for most of last season, they were never as easy to break down as they were Monday night.

“I mean, we got beat,” linebacker Will Compton said. “We got whupped.”

Washington couldn’t run the ball, and its patience with the run — seven rushing attempts in the first half, 12 for the entire game — was even worse. The defensive line was a complete non-factor, struggling in the trenches as the unit allowed 4.9 yards per carry. The defense recorded just one sack, which came when linebacker Ryan Kerrigan stripped Roethlisberger but didn’t recover the fumble. Besides Chris Baker, there aren’t any impact performers on this D-line. It’s a collection of role players that the coaches hope to mix and match in order to be effective.

It didn’t work on Monday. It probably won’t work for any prolonged period this season. In the NFL, defensive lines are built, for the most part, by spending big money and investing major draft picks. There are a few players, such as Baker, who will surprise. But it’s hard to make an impact with a roster of overlooked defensive linemen, especially when most of those are veterans who have been overlooked their entire careers. That’s not overlooked. They’ve been seen and discarded.

From the beginning, Washington didn’t have any confidence in its run game. Fourteen of the first 19 plays were passes. With only 12 rushes, Washington had the fewest rushing attempts of any NFL team in Week 1. The blocking was inconsistent, and the running backs did not look good despite averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Many of their successful run plays came at insignificant moments. As a result, Kirk Cousins had to throw 43 times. He completed 30 of them and amassed 329 yards, but he also threw two interceptions and missed a few early throws in key situations. The Redskins wound up throwing passes on 78 percent of their 55 offensive plays. Do that too much, and Cousins is guaranteed to fail.

Surely Washington will get better, and it starts with the team’s approach. The style we saw on this night? It won’t cut it.

If the Redskins think they can win this way, they’re dreaming, and the time for fantasizing ended about eight Antonio Brown receptions ago.

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