JEFF ALLEN GAME PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH at WASHINGTON
One of the perks of the opening week of the NFL is in having two Monday night games. That is especially the
case this year with the late game being the Rams at 49ers. Pittsburgh at Washington is an interesting inter-
conference matchup between to playoff teams looking to take another step up this year. The current Vegas line
is Pittsburgh -3 with total down a point to 49 1/2. The forecast predicts a warm muggy night at Fed Ex Field in
Washington, D.C. The 7:10 EST kickoff will be on ESPN.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are once again in the mix as AFC title contenders with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
calling the shots. “Big Ben” was limited to just nine games last year due to injuries but Pittsburgh always has a
puncher’s chance with him in the lineup. He’ll be missing two important weapons via suspension. Le’Veon is
one of the elite all purpose backs in the league and will miss three games. Wide out Martavius Bryant is extremely
talented and extremely troubled. He’ll miss the year after hauling in 76 catches for 1314 yards and 14 touchdowns
in his first two years in the league. Roelthlisberger does have some options including Antonio Brown (136-1804,
10 TDs) but it is highly unlikely DeAngelo Williams can replicate his season of 900+ yards last year after being
grabbed off the scrap heap during last year’s off season. The Pitt defense was 29th against the pass last year
and will need to be greatly improved facing a Redskin squad that offers little running attack and could throw on
almost every play.
It was a perfect storm for QB Kirk Cousins who won the job coming out of camp and then threw for 4100 yards
and 29 touchdowns while leading the Skins to the playoffs. Cousins parlayed his strong year into a $20 million
dollar one-year franchise tag and will be the mix for a lot more if he were to have a good year. Washington has very
little in the way of a running game unless Matt Jones can stay healthey. DeShaun Jackson, Pierre Garcon along
with rook Josh Doctson are as good as most of the top trifectas in the league. Jordan Reed is the best tight end
this side of Gronk but like their opponents tonight, the 28th overall ranked defense in the league will at least need
to slow people down.
This is a tough game to rate. The Steelers have lost their last five road openers (0-4-1) and all were by a touchdown
or more. Pitt is also a ticket burning 8-20 ATS in their L28 non-division games. The Redskins have seemingly been
cursed when they’ve been on MNF going just 1-12 L13 as a Monday night host and 11-23 ATS on Monday night in 34
tries. World Champion Handicapper Jeff Allen will make a determination on this game Monday and any play can be
found on his home site of www.vegasscoresandodds.com