Pittsburgh defense stops Campbell, Washington
The ball dropped to the ground, taking a lot of jaws along with it. Cornerback Carlos Rogers had the ball in his hands, an empty field ahead, and a touchdown dance to consider. Instead, he wound up looking at the two objects that betrayed him: his hands.
So it went for the Redskins, who endured one wasted chance after another in the first half vs. Pittsburgh. Because of it, the Steelers pulled away in this Monday night battle, beating the Redskins, 23-6.
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Washington entered wanting to make a statement on national TV. The one the Redskins made is not the one they wanted as they enter the bye week.
“We’ve got two weeks to sit and dwell on it,” said defensive end Demetric Evans.
Pittsburgh’s defense completely shut down Washington (6-3), holding it to 221 total yards. The Redskins converted just three of 15 third downs.
“It’s an attacking defense,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “Their front seven is pretty awesome. … They lived up to their billing.”
The Redskins (6-3) could only muster a few stabs at Pittsburgh’s defense. The NFL’s leading rusher, Clinton Portis, managed just 51 yards. Quarterback Jason Campbell, sacked seven times, passed for 206 yards. Campbell even threw his first two interceptions of the season, the first a tipped pass picked off by Deshea Townsend, ending his franchise-record streak of 271 passes without one. It also ended the Redskins’ NFL-record streak of 379 passes without an interception, which included the final four games of 2007.
It’s the second time Washington has looked bad on national TV, losing 16-6 to the New York Giants in the season opener.
Pittsburgh (6-2) pulled away after halftime, getting a one-yard run from Willie Parker in the third quarter and a five-yard Byron Leftwich to Santonio Holmes pass early in the fourth quarter. Leftwich subbed for Ben Roethlisberger, who injured his shoulder in the first half.
The real problem was Pittsburgh’s defense. The Steelers’ speed, especially on the edges, proved too much for Washington’s line and backs in protection. At times the linebackers got into the Redskins tackles too quickly for them to even react.
And it led to early wasted chances:
» Washington’s Alfred Fincher recovered an onsides kick to start the game at the Pittsburgh 36-yard line. But the Redskins managed only nine yards to set up Shaun Suisham’s 44-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
» Redskin defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin intercepted a tipped pass at the Steelers’ 30-yard line on the next possession. Once more the offense couldn’t solve Pittsburgh’s defense. Once more they settled for a Suisham field goal, this time a 43-yarder for a 6-0 lead.
» Then there was Rogers. With Washington leading 6-3, Rogers stepped in front of a Roethlisberger pass on the sideline. But he dropped the pass, continuing a negative theme of his this season.
“I just dropped it,” Rogers said.
“He can’t catch,” Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache said. “He needs to learn how to catch.”
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh capitalized on its one big scoring chance in the first half. Andre Frazier, taking advantage of soft blocking on the left side, blocked a Ryan Plackemeier punt that teammate William Gay returned four yards to the Redskins’ 13. The drive ended in a one-yard touchdown sneak by Roethlisberger for a 10-6 lead.
“We really could have taken advantage of them early in the game,” Campbell said. “If we’re able to punch seven in there [on the first drive], it’s big. It takes a lot of air out of them right at the start of the game. We had field position the whole first half and weren’t able to do anything with it. We weren’t able to punch those in for touchdowns and kept them in the game.”
