On a short week, it was a rough night for the Steelers as they were basically pushed around by the Cleveland Browns. After sweeping the series last year, the Browns got some much-needed revenge leaving both teams at 1-2.
The loss really sits on the the coaching staff. They had a rough night. Time management has been a Tomlin era problem and last night it was absolutely brutal. The Steelers wasted two valuable timeouts in the first half, that they could have used on the last drive of the first half to extend their lead, instead they went off without points. The Steelers down by two scores with 4:26 left opted to punt. The Browns were able to drain a portion of the clock and didn’t give the Steelers time to work. Teryl Austin’s defense had no answers for plays over the middle and struggled with the pass rush. Matt Canada’s play calling was horrendous as has been the through his entire tenure.
The offense did show signs of life but continued to fail in executing any kind of sustained play. The Steelers were atrocious on third down efficiency going only 1-9 and the play calling is baffling to frustrating on any given series. Mitch Trubisky is going to get roasted in the press this week and his play was less than stellar. He was not the reason though the Steelers struggled, he executed and was the victim of some dropped passes. He finished with 207 yards and no turnovers. The offensive line which has been in rebuilding mode, is starting to come together and the run blocking was improved. But a costly mistake by Chuks Okorafor negated a long pickup, he compounded it by dropping a WWE splash on Cleveland’s linebacker Anthony Walker, Jr., who was forced to leave the game.
The Steelers rushed for 100+ yards for the first time this season and Najee Harris led the team with 56 very hard-fought yards. Jaylen Warren contributed with 30 yards and despite almost losing a fumble, was a bright spot. Diontae Johnson led the team in catches with eight for 84 yards. George Pickens had a highlight reel catch and pitched in with 39 yards. It is clear the offense has playmakers but the game plan was awful and disjointed.
With a series of three and outs by the offense, the defense just wore down. The run defense came apart at the end after holding strong for three quarters. Cleveland banged out 171 yards on the ground, with 48 coming as part of an 11 play 80-yard drive. Nick Chubb led the way with 113 yards, the majority coming in the second half.
It is clear without T.J. Watt the Steelers pass rush has been non-existent, this gave Jacoby Brissett plenty of time to pick apart the secondary. David Njoku and Amari Cooper combined for 190 yards and 16 catches, they also had three key drops, so the numbers could have been worse. Akhello Witherspoon struggled in coverage as did Terrell Edmunds. Alex Highsmith got on the board with a late sack, combined with Malik Reed though, they never generated any kind of pass rush.
After a stellar first week, the special teams again hurt the Steelers for the second week in a row. Gunner Olszewski struggled with the return game. Chris Boswell missed a field goal, although to be fair it was a wind issue not a Bos issue. The onside kick try was valiant but as is always the theme with special teams, completely undisciplined.
It was a tough loss, but one thing to be optimistic about, there is something here. The Steelers have what they need to be successful, the question is can the coaching staff do what is needed to execute.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: Dan Moore, who all but shutout Myles Garret, he had help but his development continues, and this was a big step forward. Also considered; Myles Jack, he hung in there for the whole game and played tough, he has the potential to be a Pittsburgh folk hero. Cam Heyward is everything a Steelers should be, he ate about 15 double teams last night.
Beer of the Game: Being back at the house, went back to IC Light for me, KGB went Bud Light lime again, and Dante did A&W Root Beer. Tried to catch the first week magic, clearly it didn’t work.
“Steel the Snacks”: KGB made Cleveland Po-boys, complete with Kielbasa, Fries our family Cole Slaw recipe on a pretzel role, we did them as dinner because of the night game. I might make it breakfast as I write this, going to throw a fried egg on it to make it legit.
My Stat of the week: Trying to lighten up the mood here, how about 21 Coaches for the Cleveland Browns against three coaches for the Steelers since 1969! Keep in mind that the Browns left the league after 1995 and returned in 1999. Cleveland turnover is the most in the NFL in that time period, even with missing 1996-1998. Fun fact that I always knew but I guess never thought about, two of the three coaches played for the Brown. (Noll and Cowher)
My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers will have time to recover and get back on track. The Jets are no longer a guaranteed win, and they will be tough. The Steelers are ready to bust out, perhaps the Jets are the team to do it against.