JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington TDs examples of how to take advantage of blown coverage

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a tremendous day at the office Sunday night when they traveled to Tennessee and beat the Titans 18-6. The night couldn’t have gone much better if you had drawn it up yourself.

No serious injuries.

Starters played almost a quarter, if not more, to get the rust off.

Big plays were had on both sides of the ball.

Offensive and Defensive line domination.

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. But let’s get back those two big plays. In particular, touchdown receptions by JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington.

On Smith-Schuster’s touchdown Ben Roethlisberger did a tremendous job reading their 0-coverage and threw a strike to Smith-Schuster. But talk about taking advantage of poor cornerback play. Smith-Schuster had the option to go to the post, or the flag, route and the cornerback squared him up. The result? Touchdown.

When it comes to Washington’s touchdown, there were some serious miscommunications in the deep secondary on this play. Nonetheless, Mason Rudolph recognizes Washington having inside leverage, and no help over the top for the defense, and he exploits it.

Check out NFL Network’s analyst Brian Baldinger breaking down the plays:

The biggest difference is how it seems so far this preseason the Steelers have capitalized on these mistakes. Last year Roethlisberger overthrew plenty of receivers, and drops were had by some pass catchers. But so far this preseason the offense seems to be clicking at just the right time.

Check out both touchdowns in real time below:

Is the the prelude of something great in 2019? Will the Steelers be able to take the success they’ve had in the preseason and carry it over into the regular season? History tells us this success means very little, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Think about how Titans fans feel today watching Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill getting beat around the football field for a half of football.

The Steelers won’t answer any burning questions in the preseason, but the certainly have calmed down any fan’s concerns about potential as the games that really count inch closer. Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as they ready themselves for the Carolina Panthers in Week 4 of the NFL Preseason this Thursday night.