Tag Archives: Steelers vs. Browns

Steelers Report Card for TNF Loss to the Browns: Losing Control of the Classroom Edition

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From the gradebook of a preoccupied principal worrying his teacher may be losing control of the classroom, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2026 TNF loss to the Browns.

Maliek Collins sacks Aaron Rodgers in the Steelers 2026 TNF loss to the Browns

Maliek Collins sacks Aaron Rodgers in the Steelers 2026 TNF loss to the Browns. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers went 22-40-299-2-2. Credit Rodgers for leading 3 touchdown drives, 2 of which came in the 4th quarter. He looked smart on all three. But he struggled for much of the rest of the night, throwing two picks and missing open receivers on multiple occasions. Grade: DSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren ran for 95 yards on 17 carries and caught 3 passes for 33 yards. Travis Homer had 2 carries for minus 1 yards. Grade: B

Tight Ends
Darnell Washington caught 3 passes for 27 yards and Pat Freiermuth 3 for 17. Each man caught a touchdown and both men continued to block well. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
D.K. Metcalf had 5 catches for 115 yards on 9 targets. You’d like to say he looked like a true WR No. 1, except he gave up a taunting penalty. Roman Wilson had 3 catches for 74 yards but broke off his route to the middle of the field trying to get out of bounds. Michael Pittman Jr. had 2 catches for 15 yards. Germie Bernard had 2 grabs for 11 yards while Ben Skowronek had 1 for 7 yards. Individually each wide out had his moments, but they struggled to gain separation during the middle of the game on a night when the team needed more. Grade: C-

Offensive Line
Aaron Rodgers was sacked 5 times, but to be fair to the offensive line, the last 2 of those can likely be chalked up as “coverage sacks.” And the run blocking was better. This performance doesn’t negate the positive signs the line showed against Cincinnati, but it does confirm more progress is needed. Grade: D

Defensive Line
The Browns rushing attack didn’t make any noise until early in the 2nd quarter. Derrick Harmon left injured in the 2nd quarter after his 5th defensive snap? Coincidence? Doubtful. An excuse? No way. IF you take out Jaleel McLaughlin’s 28-yard touchdown run, the Steelers defense had a lot of success against the Browns. But that’s the problem, tackling appeared to be optional at times. Cam Heyward did force a fumble, but that can only pull the grade up so much. Grade: D

Linebackers
The inside linebackers were also complicit in the poor tackling/run containment, while T.J. Watt did register a strip sack which should have been a momentum-changer, but pressure from the linebackers was not consistent. Grade: D

Robert Spears-Jennings intercepts Deshaun Watson during the Steelers 2026 TNF loss to the Browns

Robert Spears-Jennings picks off Deshaun Watson to start the 4th quarter. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Secondary
Deshaun Watson did his best Doug Williams Super Bowl XXII impersonation throwing more touchdown passes, two, than incompletions in the second quarter. To their credit, the unit tightened up and kept Cleveland out of the end zone in the 2nd half. And Robert Spears-Jennings heads-up interception got the Steelers back in the game. But the Browns got the yards they needed to get into field goal range. Grade: D

Special Teams
Cameron Johnston boomed off 5 punts pinning the Browns at the one once. And the Steelers punt return was solid, while Kaden Wetjen had one solid return. However, Wetjen was average on kick returns, and the Steelers gave up a 33-yard return helping set up a Browns field goal drive. Chris Boswell missed a 48-yarder in what would be a 3-point game. The Steelers needed their special teams to be special. Instead they were barely average: Grade: C-

Coaching
Mike McCarthy did an excellent job with his opening script of plays. And they looked to be building on another drive until an interception short-circuited the Steelers’ performance in all three phases for an entire quarter.

  • To his credit, McCarthy made adjustments.

The same can be said for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. His defense started strong, put in an atrocious 2nd quarter, but rebounded in the second half.

  • Objectively, the issue is consistency.

Just about every area on the depth chart put some quality sequences of plays on tape, but they also put some horrid sequences on tape. If one of them could have just managed to attain a little more consistency, the outcome could easily have been different.

Subjectively, we saw a number of players get animated either on the field or the sidelines. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – we all likely remember the NFL Films clip of rookie Jack Lambert yelling at veteran Jack Ham – but McCarthy must harness this passion and energy constructively. Grade: D

Jack Sawyer tips a Deshaun Watson pass during the Steelers 2026 TNF loss to the Cleveland Browns

Leaping Jack Sawyer tips Deshaun Watson’s pass. Photo Credit: X.com

Unsung Hero Award
Tides in football games are altered by players give everything they’ve got, who play to the whistle and who, when they can’t quite achieve their objective find other ways to make an impact. Second year man Jack Sawyer was a step to slow too reach the quarterback, but by leaping he just nicked the ball, transforming a pass interference penalty into a momentum-shifting interception. For that, Sawyer wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2026 Thursday Night loss to the Browns.

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The Game Within the Game: Dissecting the Steelers 27-24 Loss to the Browns on TNF

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Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season saw the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cleveland and drop a 27-24 decision to the Browns on Thursday Night Football.

Judging by the reaction from Steelers Nation on social media, the 2026 Steelers are officially the worst 2-2 team in the history of organized athletics (including, it would seem, team competitions from the ancient Olympics.)

However, with the benefit of a little time and detached reflection, one can see that the loss did yield a lot of insights about this Steelers squad, especially if you focus on the game within the game.

An animated T.J. Watt gets on the headset with Patrick Graham.

An animated T.J. Watt gets on the headset with Patrick Graham. Photo Credit: NFL on Amazon Prime.

Steelers Follow Tormented Template for Thursday Night AFC North Road Games

Thursday Night division road games have been terrible for the Steelers. Neither Chuck Noll, nor Bill Cowher, nor Mike Tomlin won one. Neither has Mike McCarthy, but his team did follow the same template that Tomlin laid down on a Thursday Night a year ago against the Bengals in the opposite corner of Ohio.

Both games saw the Steelers begin by scoring touchdowns on opening drives. Both saw the Steelers defense force fast punts on their Ohio opponent’s first possessions. In both games, the Steelers maintained control, until an untimely Aaron Rodgers interception flipped the momentum to the Ohio team.

And there, on both occasions, Pittsburgh’s opponents savaged a once-proud defense, with attacks on the ground followed by freely flowing passes downfield.

  • On both October nights, the Steelers offense fought back.

As he did in Cincinnati last year, Aaron Rodgers again in Cleveland would lead twin 4th quarter touchdown drives, culminating with touchdown passes to Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.

Pat Freiermuth, Jordan Battle, Steelers vs Bengals, Steelers vs Bengals TNF

Pat Freiermuth stiff arms Jordan Battle en route to the end zone. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

And, on both occasions, fans twirled their Terrible Towels celebrating Freiermuth’s touchdown while silently asking themselves – “Did Aaron Rodgers leave too much time on the clock?”

To that end, perhaps the Bengals and Browns should retaliate for “Renegade” by starting to play Styx’s “Too Much Time on Your Hands” during 4th quarter TV time outs, because both games ended with the Steelers offense leaving too much time on the clock for defenses incapable of making stops.

  • The similarities between these twin AFC North Thursday Night road losses are uncanny indeed.

But there are important differences in the dynamics of how both contest evolved, and those differences are where we can find insights.

The Game within The Game: On the Field, the Ugly Side

Here are two factoids that contradict each other while both being true:

  • If you take out the second quarter, the Steelers win 24 to 6
  • But that 2nd period is a candidate for the “worst quarter” in Steelers history

And that’s what makes this game so fascinating. The Steelers opened with a 17-play, nine-minute and 48-second drive that ended with a Roman Wilson rushing touchdown. The Steelers ran six times with Jaylen Warren getting five carries, while Aaron Rodgers hit four different receivers.

  • That’s the kind of ball-control football that would have given Ron Erhardt a wet dream.

While Steelers history buffs will appreciate that, what that opening drive reveals is that Mike McCarthy and his staff did an extremely good job of scripting their opening set of plays.

Roman Wilson runs in a touchdown to put the Steelers up 7-0 against the Browns on Thursday Night Football.

Roman Wilson runs in a 1st quarter touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

The same can be said for Patrick Graham’s defense, which limited the Browns to 9 plays and under 30 yards on their first two drives.

Really it looked like McCarthy was en route to cracking the code to winning on TNF…

…Until Aaron Rodgers threw a pick. Then, the bottom feel out on the Steelers across the board:

  • The offensive line failed to protect Rodgers
  • When it did, the receivers couldn’t gain separation, so Rodgers got sacked anyway
  • When receivers did get open, Rodgers misfired, often badly
  • Tackling became an optional duty for Steelers defenders
  • The secondary struggled to cover the Browns’ receivers
  • Chris Boswell missed a field goal

About the only thing going right for the Steelers was Jaylen Warren’s running and Cameron Johnston’s punting.

The Game Within the Game: On the Field, the Sunny Side

Anytime you give up 21 unanswered points in a quarter, things are going bad. Truth be told, some of the weakness the Browns exposed can be fixed, others may be systemic.

The Steelers had to swallow a bitter pill and ship Joey Porter Jr. off to Dallas, but there’s no universe where their secondary is better for the change. Unless Daylen Everette’s baptism by fire transforms him into the next Rod Woodson, there’s little the Steelers can do to address that until next spring.

But some of the things that the Steelers flashed in-game give reason for hope. Take a second look at the third and fourth quarters and you’ll see Mike McCarthy, his staff and players making adjustments in real time:

  • The offensive line improved, protecting Rodgers better.
  • Either through improved play-calling or  execution, the receivers finally gained separation in the 4th quarter
  • D.K. Metcalf delivered when his number was called
  • Patrick Graham’s defense kept the Browns out of the end zone in the 2nd half
  • Robert Spears-Jennings secured a momentum-shifting interception
  • The run blocking of the offensive line was borderline exceptional

Anyone who is unconvinced on the last point should re-watch Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick outmuscling the opposing defensive tackles on Aaron Rodgers’ QB sneak.

Likewise, those tempted to hit the panic button over Patrick Graham’s defense should also take into consideration that he made those adjustments sans starting cornerback Jamel Dean and Derrick Harmon.

But those adjustments weren’t sufficient for the Steelers to secure victory. That brings us to the game within the game off the field.

The Game within the Game: Off the Field = McCarthy’s Challenge

The Steelers’ loss to the Browns on Thursday Night Football also featured something not seen in last year’s in the TNF loss to the Bengals and seldom seen before.

  • The quarterback and head coach exchanging F-bombs
  • T.J. Watt demanding the headset for a heated exchange with his coordinator
  • Cam Heyward reading the riot act to the rest of the defense

There are two directions this dynamic can evolve. It can mark the moment when the veterans on the team raised their voices to straighten the ship. Or it can mark the moment where the coaching staff started losing control.

Mike McCarthy’s challenge coming out of the Browns game is to ensure this dynamic evolves constructively rather than destructively.

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Win in the Trenches: Steelers Beat Browns 23-9 @ Acrisure Stadium

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The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 23-9 at Acrisure Stadium, improving their record to 4-1 and lengthening their lead in the AFC North.

This win had an unfamiliar feel to it, and that unfamiliarity doesn’t simply stem from the fact that the Steelers controlled all three phases for 60 minutes. While that’s a positive on its own merits, the “why” behind that control is most important and the Steelers controlled the game because they won the battle in the trenches.

T.J. Watt, Dillion Gabriel, Steelers vs Browns

Even 3 Browns can’t stop T.J. Watt. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Embracing AFC North Football

The game against the Browns gave the Steelers their first taste of AFC North Football since the Ravens Ridiculed them in the playoffs. As former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher admonished after that game, it wasn’t so much that the Ravens won, its in the way they won.

Baltimore beat the Steelers that day because the Ravens won and the Steelers lost in the trenches in equal parts. Baltimore was bigger, stronger, faster and better in every possible way that night.

  • Let’s acknowledge that the Cleveland Browns are hardly the class of the AFC North.

To find a time when they were, you’d have to hop in your DeLorean and go back to 80’s when it was the AFC Central, when in fact we were actually watching Doc Brown and Marty McFly on the silver screen and complaining how $5.00 movie tickets were a ripoff.

IF that’s true, then it’s also true that the Browns are fairly strong where AFC North teams must be strong – on the defensive and offensive lines.

Cleveland brought the NFL’s top rushing defense and resident game-wrecker Myles Garrett to Pittsburgh and dared the Steelers control the line of scrimmage.

  • As we will see, Arthur Smith’s first accepted and then vanquished that challenge.

On the other side of the field, Teryl Austin’s defense entered the game with one simple objective: Force the Browns to try to beat him with rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins has been a legitimate bright spot for the Browns, already drawing comparisons in some quarters to Nick Chubb.

While Cleveland’s offensive tackles might not scare anyone, their interior line is strong and one of the reasons the Steelers lost in last year’s trip to the shores of Eire. The Steelers run defense proved to be up to the task, limiting Judkins to 36 yards, and the Browns to 65 in total.

That in turn resulted in Gabriel throwing 52 passes – just what Austin and Mike Tomlin wanted.

Mr. Smith Goes to Pittsburgh

Bemoaning the offensive coordinator is one of Steelers Nations’ favorite pastimes. It was true (for good reason) in the days of Joe Walton, Ray Sherman and Kevin Gilbride. It continued to be true during the days of Bruce Arians and Todd Haley.

But it took Randy Fitchner and Matt Canada for Arians Antagonists and Haley Haters to see just how good they had it. Last year was Smith’s first year in Pittsburgh and while it was clear he had a different style, the results were largely the same (see the JV offense fielded in the regular season finale against the Bengals.)

  • In 2025, we’ve seen glimpses of how this Smith’s offense can be different.

And what a refreshing sight it was the see another of the units leaves blossom. Smith set the tone early with a 36 yard play-action pass to Darnell Washington on the opening play. Smith’s message was clear: We may run, we way pass, but regardless, we will be physical.

Darnell Washington, D.K. Metcalf, Steelers vs Browns

Arthur Smith is starting to weaponize Darnell Washington. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Smith committed to the run, dividing carries between Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell and rookie Kaleb Johnson. Tight end Jonnu Smith also earned 10 yards on a jet sweep. This commitment paid dividends down the stretch. In the second half Warren and Gainwell both posted double-digit carries while Johnson notched one for 9 years.

Forcing the defense to focus on the run, allowed Aaron Rodgers to hit D.K. Metcalf for several “chunk” plays using play action of 20 plus yards. It also helped him set up a touchdown throw to Connor Heyward.

This proved to be the difference for an offense that moved the ball but was forced to settle for 3 field goals in the first half, to a unit that scored two touchdowns and pulled away in the second half.

The foundation for all of this, was of course the offensive line play that neutralized Myles Garrett and rest of Cleveland’s rushers and opened lanes for the running backs.

A Good “Problem” to Have

The Steelers lost Alex Highsmith early in week 2 against Seattle. Nick Herbig took his place and has put up T.J. Watt like numbers since then. With Highsmith returning to full health the question was: What would the Steelers do?

The answer is: Unleash all three.

  • Watt and Highsmith split a sack to force a critical three and out.
  • On another third down Watt batted away a pass to force a punt
  • Herbig dropped Gabriel for an 11-yard loss from 2nd and goal at the Steelers 3
  • Herbig’s sack, combined with a Joey Porter Jr.  knocking away a pass from Jerry Jeudy on third down forced a punt

They had company, Derrick Harmon got a sack while Jalen Ramsey helped wreck the Browns 2nd drive in the first quarter and their penultimate one in the 4th quarter.

Jalen Ramsey, Dillion Gabriel, Steelers vs Browns

Jalen Ramsey with one of his two sacks of Dillion Gabriel. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

The Steelers defense did more than just throw a pressure party on Gabriel. Darius Slay, James Pierre, and Patrick Queen all tipped away passes at key moments, while Cam Heyward and the rest of the defensive line bottled up Cleveland’s ground attack.

Key Step But a Long Journey Lies Ahead

Winning their first AFC North game is important for the Steelers, but how they were able to win it could prove just as important — and that’s a two sided coin. For the first time all year, the Steelers hurt themselves with penalties. They can’t give quarterbacks more experienced than Dillion Gabriel 2nd and 3rd chances.

But if they can build on their success and discipline away their penalties, then the Steelers will have exited the Browns game with a solid foundation to stand on in the 12 games to come.

 

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Steelers Report Card for Win over Browns: Get Right, Don’t Get Back Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher glad his students focused on getting right instead of getting back here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 win over the Browns at Acrisure.

Elandon Roberts, Jerome Ford, Steelers vs Browns

Elandon Roberts stops Jerome Ford on 4th and 1. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson looked lost early on without George Pickens. However, he managed to find his footing, finishing 15 of 26 for 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions while hitting 9 different receivers. He also scrambled effectively several times. Grade: B+Steelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Najee Harris started off running strong, and finished with a few strong runs on the final series. In between, he was inconsistent as a rusher, finishing with 53 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Jaylen Warren got 47 yards on 9 carries. Warren also caught 2 balls for 25 yards. Cordarrelle Patterson had 3 yards on 4 carries and one catch for negative 2 yards. Grade: B-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had 3 catches for 48 yards, but the first set up a score, the second converted a critical third down that set up another score, and the third was a touchdown. Connor Heyward had a key block on the rushing touchdown. Darnell Washington had zero catches on one target but blocked effectively, while MyCole Pruitt had one catch for negative one yards. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
For the first time all season the Steelers were without George Pickens and they felt his absence, particularly early on. Yet, Scotty Miller and Mike Williams stepped up to make 3 small, but critical catches. Van Jefferson had one catch, but it was for a touchdown. Calvin Austin, undoubtedly blanketed by the Browns top corner, had one catch for 4 yards. If the Steelers go without Pickens for longer, they’re going to need more from their wide outs. But yesterday it was enough. Grade: B-

Offensive Line
In the first game against the Browns, the offensive line was an outright liability. The Browns sacked Russell Wilson 4 times and recorded double-digit tackles for losses. This time around the Browns only sacked Wilson once and recorded 6 yards for losses. To be sure, there were times when the Steelers needed to control the line of scrimmage better, but this group put together and above the line performance. Grade: B-

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward led the unit with 5 tackles, playing a critical role in stuffing the run. He also sacked Jameis Winston twice – both drives ended with zero points for the Browns – that’s not a coincidence. Keeanu Benton stat sheet is pretty spare, but his interception provided critical moments for the Steelers. Larry Ogunjobi left the game early and frankly, it was hard to notice. Which shows that Isaiahh Loudermilk was doing a good job. Grade: A-

Linebackers
T.J. Watt opened the action with a tackle for a loss on the game’s first play. Two snaps later, Alex Highsmith was sacking Jameis Winston. Patrick Queen led the team linebackers in tackles. Payton Wilson didn’t make any “splash plays” but he has a nose for the ball. Elandon Roberts authored the linebacker’s biggest play with he stoned Jerome Ford for a 5 yard loss on 4th and 1, forcing a turnover on downs that let to the Steelers final touchdown. Grade: A-

Ben Skowronek, Kadarius Toney, Steelers vs Browns

Ben Skowronek recovers a muffed punt. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Reivew

Secondary
DeShon Elliot led the team in tackles tipped a pass on third down in the Red Zone that set up a missed field goal. Joey Porter Jr. did commit a stupid penalty, but overall his play was strong. Minkah Fitzpatrick continues to keep a lid on the back end of the Steelers defense. Grade: A-

Special Teams
Chris Boswell was 2-2 on field goals and perfect on PATs. Corliss Waitman punted 6 times and turned in an outstanding afternoon. Calvin Austin did a respectable job returning punts. The Steelers kickoff coverage was suspect, as Jerome Ford got a 56 yard return. That mishap was made up for in part by Ben Skowronek excellent job recovering the muffed punt. Grade: B-

Coaching
With each passing week, Arthur Smith is looking like a smarter and smarter hire by Mike Tomlin. Up until 90 seconds before game time, the Steelers offensive coordinator thought he would have George Pickens available to him.

  • Then that change, and the offense lost its most dynamic talent.

It took a while to adjust and the numbers weren’t spectacular. But at the end of the day, Smith’s offense put 27 points on the board.

Teryl Austin’s defense did not have a good night against the Browns on the mistake by the Lake. Yes, it got turnovers twice in critical moments, but gave up too much before and after that. Jameis Winston is a quarterback who can catch fire in a hurry, but he’s also one who can crash and burn.

The Steelers defense made sure he never caught fire. Even on his second touchdown play, Austin’s defense made sure that the Browns burned up over 5 minutes of clock while down 3 scores in the 4th quarter. And when the Steelers offense faltered, Austin’s defense rose to the occasion and got the ball back 2 plays later.

“Get it right, instead of getting back.”

Football is an emotional game and one that must be played with passion. The Steelers loss to the Browns hurt their pride. The desire for revenge is strong. But revenge can be consuming. Mike Tomlin ensured that this did not happen and instead had his team focused on executing against the Browns, and that was a key difference between the two AFC North rivals. Grade: A

James Pierre, Steelers vs. Browns

James Pierre intercepts Jameis Winston. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Unsung Hero Award
You undoubtedly caught this player’s final play on an ESPN highlight reel. Yet his first one was arguably more important because it would have been a clear momentum shifter. Instead, this player who the Steelers didn’t resign last spring, who got cut by Washington and returned via the practice squad kept his chin strap buckled and ran down Jerome Ford preventing him from scoring on the opening kickoff and for that James Pierre wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 win over the Browns at Acrisure.

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No Pickens? No Problem. Steelers Beat Browns 27-14 at Acrisure Stadium

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The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 27-14 at Acrisure Stadium with a win that improved this season’s record to 10-3 and boosted Mike Tomin’s regular season home record against the Browns to 19-0.

And they earned this win after finding out 90 minutes before kickoff that their biggest offensive weapon, George Pickens, would miss the game.

How was Pittsburgh able to pull off this win? The Steelers won because each individual link reinforced the strength the whole chain and by capitalizing on Cleveland’s mistakes.

Russell Wilson, Rodney McLeod Jr., Steelers vs Browns

Russell Wilson fires away. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Slim Pickings with Out Pickens to Start

Even at their very best, the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers do not field an offense that makes many Fantasy Football owners happy. Twice they’ve had to rely on a six-pack of Chris Boswell field goals for their only points.

Further complicating matters, as the season has evolved it has become clear that they have a run-based offense without a dominant running back.

But through grit, opportunism and both smart and timely playmaking, the Steelers offense has gotten it done more often than not. And they’ve done it with only one true blue chip wide receiver, named George Pickens (with all due respect to Calvin Austin’s improved play of late.)

  • What would the Steelers do if they lost Pickens?

During the first 30 minutes Steelers Nation found out, and the results were not pretty.

  • Three of the Steelers first four possessions ended with three and outs
  • They did manage a field goal, thanks 27 yards rushing by Najee Harris
  • Late in the half they managed another field goal on another drive that stalled

The Steelers managed to take a 13 to 7 lead into the locker room at the break, but that was in spite of not because of their offense.

Mr. Smith Goes to the Locker Room, Makes Adjustments

Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith quick on his feet. The Steelers came out on their first possession of the second half looked like a new unit.

In the Red Zone Wilson executed a picture-perfect fake to Warren, which the Browns defense

Mike Williams, Martin Emmerson Jr., Steelers vs Browns 2024

Mike Williams hauls in a catch. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

bought hook-line-and-sinker only to hit Van Jefferson for an 11 yard touchdown.

On their next drive, Smith served up more of the same.

  • With excellent field position he fed the ball twice to Harris (why not give it to Warren?)
  • Then Wilson hit Mike Williams for a beautiful 22 yard completion or 3rd and 6
  • Two plays later and Wilson found Freiermuth in the middle for a 20 yard touchdown

When all was said and done, Wilson hit 9 different receivers. None of them had any more than 3 catches and no one even broke the 50-yard mark. All on a day where the Steelers only totaled 120 yards on the ground.

Nonetheless, they put 27 points on the board. They also had help from the Browns. And their own defense.

Capitalizing on Cleveland’s Mistakes

A big part of winning in football hinges on capitalizing on your opponent’s mistakes. A converse, but underappreciated element of that dynamic is preventing your opponent from taking advantage of your own errors

  • The Steelers did both in the win over the Browns.

Pittsburgh opened the second half by gift-wrapping the Browns a golden opportunity to get right back in the game.

  • Jerome Ford took the opening kick off 56 yards, bringing the Browns to Pittsburgh’s 39
  • Patrick Queen and T.J. Watt stopped Nick Chubb for 3, but Joey Porter Jr. got flagged for 15

The Browns had the ball at the 18, but only managed 6 yards before getting pushed back 10 thanks to a penalty. From their Jameis Winston fumbled the snap and ended up throwing the ball away.

  • Dustin Hopkins missed a 43-yard field goal attempt
  • This came after missing on a 38-yarder to end the first half

Those six points wouldn’t have made the difference for the Browns, but they would have dramatically altered the game’s dynamic in Cleveland’s favor.

  • As it was, the Browns couldn’t stop shooting themselves in the foot.
Cameron Heyward, Cam Heyward, Jameis Winson, Cam Heyward sack Jameis Winston, Steelers vs Browns 2024

Cam Heyward sacks Jameis Winson. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla

The opened the 4th quarter by reaching the Steelers 20. A Cam Heyward sack and a taunting penalty forced them to punt. Earlier in the game the Browns had a 4th and 1. For the record were 3 of 4 on 4th down, but on this attempt Elandon Roberts blew up a play for a 5 yard loss. The Steelers scored their 2nd touchdown of the half on the ensuing possession.

  • The turnover battle told a similar tale.

In the second quarter the Steelers only needed 5 plays to transform a Keeanu Benton into the game’s first touchdown and the lead. Late in the 4th quarter, with the Browns having just scored and Steelers looking to run out the clock Cordarrelle Patterson fumbled the ball.

Cleveland took over at Pittsburgh’s 50, Jerome Ford ripped off an 11 yard run and the Browns had four minutes and a fresh set of downs to make it a one score game. But DeShon Elliott tipped a Jameis Winston pass, and James Pierre picked it off.

The Browns actually forced a Pittsburgh punt, and theoretically had yet another chance to make a go of it.

Kadarius Toney muffed the punt and Ben Skowronek executed a perfect dive recovering the ball. Three Najee Harris runs and one first down later, and Russell Wilson was kneeling in the victory formation.

Crucial AFC North Win as The Road Gets Tougher

While the home dominance over the Browns is nice, the win improves the Steelers record to 3-1 in the AFC North and gives them another Conference victory. Those could be crucial tie-breakers as the Steelers head to Philly next week where wins have eluded them since 1965, then play against Lamar Jackson in Baltimore followed by Kanas City at Christmas.

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Steelers Report Card for Loss to the Browns – Frustrated by Slow Starts Edition

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Taken from the gradebook of a teacher frustrated with his student’s slow starts, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the snowy Thursday Night Football loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Nick Herbig, Steelers vs Browns, Steelers vs Browns snow, Nick Herbig strip sack Jameis Winston

Nick Herbig strip-sacks Jameis Winston. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson went 21 of 28 for 270 yards no interceptions and one touchdown. Those are good numbers but somehow they didn’t quite add up for the Steelers. Case in point, he took four sacks and put the ball on the ground that set up a critical Browns score. Justin Fields played 7 snaps. He sparked the offense with his 30 yard run, but otherwise was ineffective. Grade: CSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren led the unit with 45 yards on 11 carries. Najee Harris struggled. Gaining only 45 yards on 16 carries. Cordarrelle Patterson and one carried for negative 2 yards. The Steelers running backs didn’t get a lot of help from the line, but the Steelers needed more from their backs, and didn’t get it. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth and 4 catches for 59 yards and Darnell Washington had 3 grabs for 14. Those are OK number on paper, but the tight ends don’t seem to be making up for the Steelers deficiencies at wide receiver. Grade: C-

Wide Receivers
Calvin Austin had a spectacular night catching a 46-yard “moonball” and then making a combat catch that briefly put the Steelers up. George Pickens had 4 catches for 48 yards. Van Jefferson had 2 catches for 39 yards. While all three put up some great individual plays, as a group the wideouts struggled to get open, facilitating several sacks. Grade: C-

Offensive Line
Cleveland Browns defenders dropped Steelers runners behind the line of scrimmage seven times. Dan Moore and Zach Frazier struggled against Myles Garrett. Wilson’s four sacks were drive killers. Not only Steelers went for it on 4th down twice and failed – the lost yardage both times. There’s no sugar coating this: The Steelers offensive line got manhandled. Grade: F

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward led to unit with 6 tackles and 2 passes defensed. Larry Ogunjobi registered a quarterback hit. The Browns converted 3 of their 4th down attemps on the ground. That’s not all on the line but it starts there. Grade: D

Linebackers
Nick Herbig was the star of the unit landing strip sack that set up the Steelers go ahead score. Credit the Browns for neutralizing T.J. Watt, who didn’t touch the quarterback and only registered one tackle for a loss. Outside of Herbig’s play, the Steelers barley touched Jameis Winston all night and that lack of pressure cost them dearly. And of course the Browns converted 3 of their 4th down attempts on the ground. Grade: D

Secondary
Donte Jackson came down with what should have been the game-sealing interception. DeShon Elliott forced a fumble which Jackson recovered and then recovered the ball after Herbig’s strip-sack. The Browns went 1-10 on third down conversions. But they seem to come down with catches when they needed them including on one of the Browns 4th down conversions. Grade: C-

Special Teams
Chris Boswell missed a 58 yard field goal that he probably shouldn’t have tried. He made two others under increasingly difficult conditions. The Steelers return coverage was solid. Corliss Waitman only punted once, but he shanked it, and that cost the team dearly. Grade: D

Coaching
Arthur Smith has his work cut out for him. After going 7 quarters without scoring a touchdown, his unit scored 2 in less than 2 minutes, yet couldn’t get a simple 1st down when earning one would have shifted the game’s fortunes drastically in the Steelers favor.

His offensive line got dominated at the line of scrimmage. The group will likely bounce back, but overall story of the Steelers offense in this game was a unit that featured some strong individual performances, but that started slow and couldn’t deliver in critical moments.

Teryl Austin needs to ask himself – why is it that the Steelers defense stopped the Ravens offensive juggernaut, only to allow the Browns 24 points? Huntington Bank Field featured the first truly hostile environment that the Steelers have played in this season, Austin needs to find a way for his defense to deliver against a much better quarterback in what will be an equally hostile Paycor stadium.

  • Thursday Night Games are tough for the visiting team. Fair enough.

But Mike Tomlin is now 1-8 on Thursday night on the road. After the game he pointed out his team’s slow start as one of the main factors behind the lose – he was right – and slow starts have been issues for the Steelers all along. Tomlin needed to do something to break both tendencies coming into this game, whatever he tried didn’t work. Grade: F

Patrick Queen, Nick Chubb, Steelers vs Browns

Patrick Queen stops Nick Chubb for a loss. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Unsung Hero Award
Unlike Herbig, Elliott and Jackson his plays won’t make the highlight reels. No one will point to his tipped passes and say, “See, he’s still got it.” But Patrick Queen led the Steelers in tackles, deflected a pass and landed a quarterback hit on a night when they were spare, and for that he wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 Thursday Night Football loss to the Browns at Huntington Bank Field.

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Snowed Out! Browns Beat Steelers 24-19 @ Huntington Bank Stadium

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The Pittsburgh Steelers, riding a 5-game winning streak, went to Huntington Bank Field and promptly dropped a 24-19 decision to the then 2-8 Cleveland Browns.

Instead of cementing their lead in the AFC North, the Steelers now cling to a ½ game advantage over the Baltimore Ravens.

  • So what do we make of this mess?

Three things come to mind: Playing Thursday Night Football on the road sucks, you have to hate playing in Cleveland, and, most consequentially, every play counts in the NFL.

 

Russell Wilson, Steelers vs Browns, Steelers vs Browns snow

Russell Wilson hit with a high snap. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Mistake by the Lake = A Miserable Stage for Pittsburgh to Play

Comparisons between an NFL game and a theater performance breakdown fast. But they do provide one useful parallel: In theater, the actors’ work defines the quality of the production, but the stage they play on colors their performance.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost at Huntington Bank Field because the Cleveland Browns played better.

  • But it is hard not to note the stage they were playing on.

Thursday Night Football is bad idea. Sure. Special event games like Thanksgiving and season openers are fine. An occasional sprinkling of Thursday Nighters during the rest of the regular season is maybe OK. Maybe.

But requiring every NFL Team to turn around and play a Thur$day Night Game game on three day$ rest highlight$ the NFL’$ $ingular focu$ on the player’$ $afety.

Playing on Thursday amplifies home team advantage (“they” say that trend has softened lately; so be it, the overall tendency is clear.) Home teams don’t collect get-out-of-jail-free cards – see last year’s Thursday Night debacle at Acrisure against the Patriots.

  • But the Thursday Night home field advantage is real.

And even more real when the Steelers play the Browns in Cleveland on Thursday Night. In 2009, the Browns humiliated the defending Super Bowl Champions. In 2019, the Browns gave the Steelers their own “Body Bag Game” – people forget but Pittsburgh lost 5 players and 3 starters to injury before Myles Garrett assaulted Mason Rudolph.

And, as Bob Labriola lamented long ago in the Steelers Digest, when it comes to Cleveland you gotta hate place.

Cleveland’s the place where cars with Pennsylvania license plates were lucky not to find their tires slashed after games in the 60’s and 70’s. This is the venue where, in 1988, Hall of Famer Mike Webster once blew not one, but two snaps to punter Harry Newsome – and one he did get off correctly got blocked.

Oh, and can we again mention 1991, where a ball got deflected only to land on Leroy Hoard’s chest who’d been decked and was lying in the end zone? (Video courtesy of Steel City Star.)

Or maybe we’ll just talk about 2024, where on his first trip to the Mistake by the Lake young punter who has been quietly been an unsung hero of the season shanks a 12 yard punt at the absolute worst moment? Yeah, Labroila’s right — you gotta hate the place.

Slow Starts Finally Bite the Steelers in the Butt

Afterwards, Mike Tomlin delivered the loss’ autopsy in 39 words:

Particularly early on I thought it took us too long to warm up to the action. We were penalized, some pre-snap penalties. Just weren’t really sharp. We got going. Our guys fought, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory.

Although they’ve been better in recent weeks, the 2024 Steelers have been notoriously slow starters. That hasn’t mattered because the Steelers have overwhelmed opponents in the second halves of games.

The Steelers outscored the Browns 16-14 in the second half, including shutting them out in the third quarter and dominating them 3-0 in the turnover battle. None of that mattered because the Browns took a 10-3 lead into halftime thanks to opportunities the Steelers squandered.

  • Chris Boswell missed a 58 yard field goal Tomlin probably shouldn’t have had him try
  • Justin Fields failed to convert a 4th and 2
  • After a 46-yard Russell Wilson to Calvin Austin moonball, the Steelers settled for a field goal
  • Myles Garrett strip-sacked Russell Wilson with 3:19 remaining in the first half

The Steelers defense forced punts after the missed field goal and failed 4th down conversion attempt. But the Browns answered the Steelers successful field goal with a touchdown drive of their own, and transformed Garrett’s turnover into a field goal while bleeding all but 40 seconds off of the clock.

Arthur Smith: In Search of Consistency

After scoring 4 touchdowns in the win over the Washington Commanders, Arthur Smith’s offense went seven quarters without touching the end zone again.

Then in the 4th quarter, Jaylen Warren stormed into the end zone to answer a Browns touchdown. Two plays later, Nick Herbig strip-sacked Jameis Winston and Deshon Elliott’s recovery. It only took 3 plays for Russell Wilson to hit Calvin Austin with a phenomenal 23 yard strike in the end zone to put the Steelers ahead.

  • In under two minutes, the Steelers offense had scored two touchdowns – in the Red Zone no less.

Five plays later, Donte Jackson intercepted Winston with just over 4 minutes remaining.
Pittsburgh, seemed was primed to put Cleveland away for good….

Arthur Smith, Mike Tomlin, Steelers vs Browns, Steelers vs Browns snow

Arthur Smith confers with Mike Tomlin. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

…All they needed was one first down. All they got was six yards on two Najee Harris runs and a way off target deep shot from Justin Fields to George Pickens, followed by a 12-yard Corliss Waitman punt.

Talk about a Tale of Two Offenses. A glance at the stat sheet shows just how misleading NFL numbers can be sometimes:

  • Russell Wilson was 21 of 28 for no picks one touchdown and 116.7 passer rating
  • Wilson completed “moonballs” to Austin, Pickens and even Van Jefferson
  • Jaylen Warren ran strong and a Justin Fields 30-yard run sparked the offense
  • Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington caught 8 passes for nearly 75 yards between them

Yet for all of those fancy facts and figures, the Steelers offense was ineffective outside of the two touchdown drives. The offensive line got manhandled. The Steelers couldn’t convert in short yardage. Sure, Justin Fields’s 30-yard run jump-started the first touchdown drive, but Fields didn’t have the “Slash” effect a la Kordell Stewart in 1995.

My friend Matt C. Steel has argued on Steel City Insider that overreliance on the shotgun is sabotaging this offense. Matt has forgotten more X’s and O’s than I’ll ever know. And Wilson did start in the shotgun on 3 of his 4 sacks. But on the strip-sack he started under center. He also made several highlight-ready passes out of the shotgun.

  • The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers lack the talent to field a “great” offense.

But right now the whole of the Steelers offense is smaller than the sum of its parts. I don’t have the solution to this equation. But Arthur Smith must solve for “X” and do it quickly.

A Word on the What IF’s

Would the Steelers have been better off just letting Nick Chubb score to save time?* Should Tomlin have used a timeout? Should Tomlin have accepted or declined the penalty?

  • There may be “right” and “wrong” answers to those questions.

But those answers are irrelevant. If the Steelers defense delivers after Tomlin makes any one of those decisions, the questions are moot.

It’s like asking “What happens if Waitman booms off his final punt as he has all season instead of shanking it?” The Steelers probably win. But we’ll never know.

That’s not to scapegoat Waitman – he doesn’t deserve it – it simply drives home the reality that fortunes in the NFL shift on a dime.

*OK, that makes logical sense in the abstract. But when does a Pittsburgh Steelers defense just yield at the goal line?

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Case Closed: GroupThink Explains Myles Garrett Winning DPOY over T.J. Watt

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The AP has named Myles Garrett as 2023’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year over T.J. Watt, and in doing so makes a mockery of itself and the entire process.

Truthfully, T.J. Watt’s 2023 season might not be worthy of a second DPOY award, because it is perhaps more worthy of an NFL MVP Award. But I digress.

T.J. Watt, Steelers vs Titans, T.J. Watt sack Will Levis no helmet

No helmet? No problem for T.J. Watt. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Steelers.com

Let’s call a horse a horse here: Voting Myles Garrett over T.J. Watt for the NFL DPOY is an exercise in GroupThink pure and simple. Throughout the season, anyone who was even remotely tied into NFL threads on X (formerly known as Twitter) could see that there was a campaign underway pushing for Myles Garrett as 2023’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Two factors fuel GroupThink here. First is a palpable pro-Garrett sentiment in the press. Second is an infatuation with analytics, largely supplied by Pro Football Focus metrics.

The press likes Myles Garrett. By all accounts he’s a well-rounded person who readily engages with members of the media. That’s fine. Good relationships with the press often lead to positive coverage (see Najee Harris for a contrasting example.) That’s how the game is played.

But relationships shouldn’t trump facts, but when in Garrett’s case it has. Jim Wexell pointed this out on Steel City Insider shortly after Myles Garrett assaulted Mason Rudolph in the infamous Body Bag Game back in 2019. Reflecting on reactions of many Cleveland based reporters, Wexell offered this:

Listening to Cleveland-area reporters telling me how nice of a guy Garrett is, and how well he treats his dog, made me think of reporters interviewing neighbors of mass murderers. Yes, a bit much, but, honestly, Mason Rudolph could’ve been killed out there. “He was SUCH a nice, quiet guy who never bothered anyone. And what a LOVELY dog!”

While Wexell admits to exaggerating a bit, subsequent events proved his point. After Roger Goodell lifted his suspension, Garrett doubled down on his baseless, debunked claim that Mason Rudolph uttered the N-word during their scuffle.

Garrett’s claim went unchallenged to the point where Mike Tomlin did the unheard of by breaking his off season vowel of silence by joining Stephen Smith on ESPN to defend his quarterback.

  • The analytics nut is a bit harder to crack.

Advanced analytics certainly have their place in today’s NFL. They can be an excellent tool for uncovering contributions and achievements that remain hidden in standard box scores. Kenny Pickett’s quarter-by-quarter splits might offer an example here.

But over-reliance on analytics, either by coaches or the press creates a tail-wags the dog dynamic. Which is what’s happening with Myles Garrett, who apparently does exceptionally better than his peers in penetrating pass coverage.

  • Fine. But the result of what you do after you get past the offensive lineman that drives excellence.

And in that, T.J. Watt wins hands down. Some times raw numbers reveal a truth that advanced analytics can’t obscure:

T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Micha Parsons

Numbers don’t lie: T.J. Watt should be 2023’s NFL DPOY

But of course there are those who try to argue that it’s as much about quality as it is quantity. So let’s take a look at a highlights reveal a little bit about the quality vs quantity debate. Here’s a clip of T.J. Watt’s interception against the Rams this past season:

Now let’s look at a clip of a Myles Garrett interception from the past season…. Oh, wait a minute. He doesn’t have one.

Scores serve as an excellent differentiator when evaluating defenders. So let’s take a look at T.J. Watt’s touchdown from the season:

That wasn’t just a splash play, it came at a critical moment and sealed the Steelers win over the Browns. Now, let’s look at a Myles Garrett scoring play from the 2023 season…. Oh, wait a minute, Myles Garrett didn’t have a scoring play.  (And this was a close game. Garrett had multiple opportunities to make a similar play. He didn’t. Just Saying….)

And this barely scratches the depths of the pro-Garett GroupThink movement. In the eyes of one commentator, Garrett is more versatile than T.J. Watt.

Fortunately, Steelers reporter Mike Frazer wasn’t having any of it.

 

Yes, facts can be stubborn things, but they come up short against GroupThink.

Myles Garrett beat out T.J. Watt because it many felt it was “His turn” and perhaps because Cam Heyward won the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and as L.C. Greenwood’s absence from the Hall of Fame attest to, the “too many Steelers” mentality is real.

JJ Watt was right when he stated: “Myles is a phenomenal player, I’m a big fan and he’s had an incredible career so far. I can acknowledge that while also wondering what more TJ could have possibly done.”

T.J. Watt couldn’t have done more, and frankly should have needed to.

But it is what it is.

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Steelers Report Card for Loss to Browns: Nightmares Like its 1999 Edition

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Taken from the gradebook of a teacher worrying that he hasn’t seen a quarterbacking nightmare like this since 1999, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2023 road loss to the Browns.

Diontae Johnson, Steelers vs Browns

Too high! Diontae Johnson reaches for a poorly thrown pass. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review

Quarterback
Kenny Pickett went 15 of 28 for 106 yards. In this case “…at least he didn’t turn over the ball eh” does not apply. Pickett inaccurate and especially so on third downs. The lion’s share of his 15 completions were safe, check down route. The Steelers haven’t seen type of timid, 3 yard passing plays since the days for Kordell Stewart in 1999. Grade: Fsteelers, report card, steelers grades, coaching, special teams, unsung heroes, steelers 2018season

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren ran for 129 yards, and while the biggest chunk of that came on his 74 yard explosion, he had several other good runs. Najee Harris had 35 yards on 12 carries, with half of that coming on one carry. The Steelers could not afford “Sludge Ball” when Harris was carrying, but that’s what they got. Grade: B

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth’s much ballyhooed return resulted in one catch for 7 yards. Darnell Washington had a catch for 8. It wasn’t that the tight ends were necessarily bad, but they weren’t an asset. Grade: C-

Wide Receivers
George Pickens led the team with 4 catches for 38 yards. Again this is not a misprint of a Charles Lockett stat line from the 1980s. Allen Robinson was next with 3 catches for 20 yards. Diontae Johnson had 2 catches for 16 yards and was misaligned with Pickett on another play. He’s now claiming on social media that he ran the right route and openly griping in the locker room. Ouch. Grade: D

Offensive Line
Kenny Pickett was only sacked 3 times, but the first one set the tone for the game (and should have been a safety) the second one came on third down, and the final one helped force a field goal when a touchdown would have given the Steelers the lead. He was only hit 4 other times, but he was under pressure for much of the game. The run blocking was good at times. Run blocking took a step back. Sometimes holes were there, other times both Warren and Harris were either getting hit behind the line of scrimmage or met walls when they got there. Grade: F

Defensive Line
The Steelers limited the Browns running backs to sludge ball of their own with Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton making their presence known. More pressure on Dorian Thompson-Robinson would have been nice. Grade: B

Linebackers
Elandon Roberts stepped up in the absence of the other two members of the starting troika and led the team with 15 tackles including 2 for losses. T.J. Watt only had one sack but that helped get the ball back for the Steelers in a tie game. Mykal Walker didn’t stand out in his first start, which is good. Grade: B

Secondary
Joey Porter Jr. and Patrick Peterson both had tipped passes while Chandon Sullivan had two with Sullivan coming down with a very difficult interception. Damontae Kazee looked solid. The Browns were 4-17 on third down conversions – worse than the Steelers, if you’ll believe. Grade: B

Special Teams
Chris Boswell was perfect, Calvin Austin was strong as a punt returner, Pressley Harvin had one bad one that went off the side of his foot, but other than that was strong. Punt coverage was a little leaky. Grade: B-

Coaching
The Steelers came into the week starting a raft of practice squanders on defense, and at times early in the game that was painfully obvious. However, once the Steelers defense settled down, they started making Dorian Thompson-Robinson look like a rookie.

One can criticize Teryl Austin’s group for giving up the final field goal drive, but with the game tied the defense delivered the ball to the offense twice in the game’s final six minutes.

  • The Steelers offense, outside of the play of Jaylen Warren, was an unmitigated disaster.

Pressley Harvin punted four times in the first half alone. And if the touchdown to open the second half was good, And although a touchdown to open the second half was nice, it is yet another case of Matt Canada’s offense being able to drop an random a pure big play into a bucket full of raw sewage.

If it is true that Kenny Pickett NEEDED to make some of those passes with the game on the line why wasn’t Jaylen Warren given a carry at clutch time when the Steelers needed to both move the ball and get a score?

Worse yet, sniping started almost immediately in the locker room after the game. Mike Tomlin needs to fix this. Fast. Grade: F

Trenton Thompson, Steelers vs Browns

Trenton Thompson bats away a pass on third down. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Unsung Hero Award
Going into the game Mike Tomlin made a distinction between practice squad players who were “developmental” and “capable” with Mykal Walker falling into the latter category. However, it was it was the “developmental” guy who kept a lid on the top of the Steelers defense was stepping up twice to bat away passes, once in the Red Zone and once on third down and for that Trenton Thompson wins Unsung Hero Honors for the Steelers loss to the Browns at Cleveland.

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Brown Out: Steelers Lose to Browns 13-10 as Offense, Kenny Pickett Stumbles Down Stretch

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In so many ways the Steelers trip to Cleveland was like other games earlier in the season as it featured:

  • A slow start
  • A dramatic big play on offense
  • 2nd half defensive fireworks
  • A field goal coming on to the field to settle things as regulation expired

Yet, this one had a different result, as the Browns beat the Steelers 13 to 10 on a last minute Dustin Hopkins field goal. The reason this one was different for Pittsburgh is simple: Kenny Pickett not only failed to find his 4th quarter magic, his performance suggested that the previous examples were mere mirages.

Kenny Pickett, Myles Garrett, Steelers vs Browns

Myles Garrett sacks Kenny Pickett in the 4th quarter. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Browns Start Strong, Steelers Sputter

The 9 game the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers have been a historical aberration. They’ve been outgained in all of their games and collectively outscored. Yet they arrived in Cleveland after having passed the season’s half way mark with a 6-3 record.

  • Were they a bad team hiding behind a couple of three on Any Given Sundays?
  • Or where they a good team struggling to find themselves?

As staff writer Tony Defeo observed on X (formerly known as Twitter):

Could the Browns offer something of a real test?

After all, they’d lost starting quarterback Deshaun Watson for the season and were starting rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. But the Steelers had lost Kwon Alexander, Kenau Neal and were already missing all Pro Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, and forced to start practice squanders Mykal Walker and Trenton Thompson at inside linebacker and safety.

Credit the Browns PR staff for selling the “Browns locker room rallies around the rookie story” as the CBS broadcast crew kept touching on threads tied to this story line every chance they got.

  • But credit Kevin Stefanski and his staff for breathing truth into this narrative.

No one would mistake Cleveland for an offensive juggernaut nor did its defense go into shut down mode, but they were clearly the better-prepared unit in the first half, as the Browns scored 10 points while the Steelers spent the first quarter burning time outs on both sides of the ball to avoid penalties.

And while the Steelers defense hung tough in the Red Zone late in the first half by forcing a field goal, with the Steelers offense completely AOWL, Pittsburgh was lucky to be down by only 10.

Meet the Steelers One Man Offense

The Steelers got to the ball to open the second half. On first down Najee Harris got the nod, and ran into a wall at the line of scrimmage, gaining one yard. Another 30 minutes of “Sludge Ball” seemed to be in order.

Warren ripped off a 74 yard run that was even more impressive than his cousin Fast Willie Parker’s 75 yard Super Bowl XL romp. In the blink of an eye, Warren had gained more yards than the entire Steelers offense had gained in the first half and he’d putt Pittsburgh to within three.

Jaylen Warren was literally the only thing about the Steelers offense that worked against the Browns. He followed his touchdown with a 14 yard catch, a 21 yard run and a 12 yard run. Would Warren have been able to “take over the game” had Matt Canada given him a chance?

It is hard to be sure.

But clearly he was out performing Najee Harris behind an offensive line whose run blocking was shaky enough. Hindsight’s 20/20, but the Steelers should have leaned on Warren more.

Defense Delivers 2nd Half Fireworks

Statistically speaking the Steelers 2023 defense ranks near the bottom both against the run and against the past. They’ve made a lot of fantasy football owners happy this season. But they’ve found a way to deliver when the game is on the line.

Sunday’s trip to Cleveland was no exception:

All of that was good enough for the Steelers defense to force punts on 5 punts the Browns six the second half possessions. Dorian Thompson-Robinson looked like a frustrated, clueless rookie through much of it.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson was good enough to do something Kenny Pickett wasn’t able to do – get his team into field goal range inside the 2 minute warning.

Pickett Regresses

Kenny Pickett finished 2022 with a bang. He started 2023 with a thud. He looked terrible in blowouts to the 49ers and Texans and in the week 2 win over the Browns.

  • In his six wins his MO has been the same: Start slow, finish strong.

Narrative spinners in Steelers Nation have liked to talk about Pickett’s 4th quarter magic as if its been something he turns on at will during the game’s final 15 minutes. But the truth is that he’s gotten progressively better as games have worn on.

Others may disagree, but even in the loss to the Jaguars he seemed to be improving on the “eye test” before he got hurt. Last week’s win over the Packers was a little different. Pickett did get a little better as the game progressed, but his improvement was marginal.

  • Against the Browns it was next to non-existent.

Kenny Pickett converted just 2 of 11 third downs passing. After the Steelers tied the game with 7:44 remaining, Teryl Austin’s defense forced two punts and limited the Browns to just 10 plays. That gave Pickett and the Steelers offense 2 possessions to get 3 points in the game’s final minutes.

Yes, Pickett did start that stretch with a nice hook up to George Pickens. After that he threw 5 passes, completing only one of those. Those incompletions are damning enough, but if you really want to understand how Pickett has come up short look at his completion: A 2 yards pass to Jaylen Warren on third and 15.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the Steelers haven’t seen such timid play at quarterback since Kordell Stewart and the dark days of the 1999 season.

For those of you who’ve forgotten or are too young to remember, the 1999 Steelers won just six games. Its no exaggeration to say that if Kenny Pickett doesn’t find a way to pick it up, the Steelers might finished 2023 with a similar total.

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