Monday Night Football returns this week when the Washington Redskins welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to FedEx Field for their opening game of the National Football League season for both teams.

The Steelers aim for another playoff run

The Pittsburgh Steelers want to make the post season again and what better way to start that journey than by picking up a good 1-0 start in Washington on Monday. All the talk has been about how the Steelers offense will match or even exceed expectations this season and they will be key not just in this upcoming game, but the season as a whole. Led by one of the best quarterbacks in the game today, Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers offense is one of the most entertaining and high-scoring offenses to watch in the NFL.

The wide receiver core of Antonio Brown and Darrius Heyward-Bey alongside running back Deangelo Williams will make things difficult for most teams in the NFL and the Steelers will hope that their offense will find enough gaps in the Redskins' defense to win them the match.

Antonio Brown poised to have another excellent season | Source: Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports
Antonio Brown poised to have another excellent season | Source: Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports

On the other side of the ball, questions remain around the Steelers pass rush and in particular, their young secondary. Washington are no slouches in the air or on the ground and if the Steelers defense has not improved from last years version, they will have a tough time against the Redskins. Line backer Ryan Shazier will be key to getting to the quarterback for the Steelers while the secondary, led by veteran William Gay will need to be at their sharpest to stop the Redskins.

A new era may begin in Washington

Although he will not start on Monday, having Robert Griffin III in their ranks will potentially improve the Redskins. Until then, the 2015 NFC East champions will look to quarterback Kirk Cousins to continue from where he left off last season. Cousins will be looking to target the Steelers secondary by getting the ball to wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garçon who by their high standards, did not have a great 2015 season. They will be looking to prove themselves in the league again and what better way to do that then to put up big numbers against the Steelers.

On the defensive side of the ball, newly signed Josh Norman will be severely tested against Antonio Brown. Norman was a key part of the Carolina Panthers defense that went to the Super Bowl last year and the Redskins will need him to replicate his form not just on Monday, but throughout the rest of the season.

If Norman can shut down Brown, the Redskins will definitely have a chance of winning this game. Former Steeler Ziggy Hood will also want to have a big game against his old team and he will be needed to stop the Steelers run game which has shown during preseason that it has not slowed down, despite not having the services of Le'Veon Bell.

Josh Norman will be needed against the Steelers on Monday night | Source: wric.com
Josh Norman will be needed against the Steelers on Monday night | Source: wric.com

Prediction

All in all, opinion is split between the two teams on who will win the match. The Redskins won three of their four pre season matches but they were not entirely convincing in those wins against the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, the Buffalo Bills, and the New York Jets. The Steelers had an even worse pre season as they only managed one win against the New Orleans Saints in their four pre season matches. As far as predictions go, it could go either way but expect both teams to put up points on the board. The battle between Brown and Norman could end up being the difference on the night.

Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Washington Redskins 24.

Injury Report

The Steelers will be without the services of wide receiver Markus Wheaton (shoulder), full back Roosevelt Nix (back), guard Cody Wallace (knee) and corner back Senquez Golson (foot).

For the Redskins, no one is listed as out but wide receiver Josh Doctson (Achilles), nose tackle Kedric Goldston (back), running back Matt Jones (shoulder), guard Spencer Long (ankle), tackle Ty Nsekhe (illness) and defensive end Kendall Reyes (groin) are all listed as questionable.

Kickoff

The game is scheduled to start at 7:10 PM Eastern Time and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN

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