Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Washington Redskins Week 1 Winners and Losers

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins went head-to-head in the first regular season game of 2016, and the Steelers were able to come out victorious by a score of 38-16.

However, after every game there are players who deserve praise, and some who deserve to be tagged a 'loser'. See who falls into which category as the team now heads into Week 2 of the NFL regular season.

Winners

Ben Roethlisberger / Antonio Brown

There really isn't much to be said about this duo which hasn't already been said. However, when Roethlisberger throws for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, two of which went to Brown, who had 126 yards receiving, the two were in mid-season form. Good news for Steelers fans everywhere, bad news for other NFL teams.

Eli Rogers

Early in this game there was probably a chance many fans would have put Rogers on the losers list, but after his wrong route which led to an interception, he got settled in and had 59 yards receiving and a touchdown. Rogers big catch on 4th down was a huge turning point in the game. By the end of the game, Rogers didn't just look like he belonged, but looked like a huge part of the team's offense.

Ryan Shazier

Despite leaving with a knee injury midway through the second half, Shazier had himself one of those games. One of those games where he is everywhere, and making plays. Shazier forced a fumble, had an interception, 6 tackles and two passes defended. Here is to hoping his knee injury is minor, and he will be back on the field in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

DeAngelo Williams

We've been here before. Le'Veon Bell out of the lineup, and Williams does more than carry the load, he grinds the opponent down to a stump. Williams had 143 yards on 26 carries, a 5.5 average, and two touchdowns. Not much else needs to be said, except the fact he also had 28 yards receiving on 6 receptions. Incredible start to the 2016 season for D-Will.

Offensive Line

All those stats you see above with Brown, Roethlisberger and Williams could all be credited to the Steelers' offensive line. Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert did a tremendous job in all phases Monday night. Roethlisberger was only sacked once, and Williams had gaping holes all night. Tip of the cap to David Johnson for some huge blocks to spring Williams.

Losers

Steelers Tackling

There are no official statistics for missed tackles, but the Steelers would have had a lot of them. The defense as a whole needs to improve on the little things like taking better angles as they approach a ball carrier, wrapping up and just overall better defense. Other than the missed tackles, the defense stood tall in Week 1 on prime time.

Officials

The officials could be on this list every game, but there were a lot of situations which made you scratch your head. DeSean Jackson throws a punch at Mike Mitchell, Antonio Brown flagged for dancing, a non-whistle on a potential fumble/incomplete pass. The list could go on, but someone would think the league would eventually put an emphasis on these type of mistakes which have become commonplace in the NFL.