Perspective Of An Average Steelers Fan: Putting Lipstick On A Pig

Game Prelude

The Steelers lost Cam Heyward, Diontae Johnson, and Anthony McFarland Jr., who did a great job returning kicks last week. All are on injured reserve. Cleveland was relatively healthy, and Nick Chubb, Deshaun Watson, and Myles Garrett came to town with the intent of vanquishing another AFC North foe.

Renegade Tailgate

There are a variety of tailgates or venues to hang out prior to the gates opening. But my favorite spot is the Renegade Tailgate run by Lenny and Cindy Huhn in the Science Center Lot. They welcome everyone, including visiting fans. Got to chat to Alex Highsmith’s dad before this game. Have met former players or other family members of current players almost every time. The food is delicious and there are plenty of liquid refreshments. They have a raffle every game with some nice prizes. If you are ever looking for a spot to hang out prior to a Steelers home game stop by.

The stadium ended up nearly full. The Browns were fresh off their slaughter of the Bengals. Surprisingly, not nearly as many Browns fans at the game as San Francisco had last week despite being just a few hours drive away. Of course, their dull brown jerseys blended in nicely with the Black and Gold, so they were hardly visible. Though loud at times. On to the game.

Steelers Offense

First half

Pittsburgh had eight possessions in the first half.

The offense came onto the field for the first time with a 7-3 lead thanks to the defense. The Steelers started at their own nine-yard line due to Gunner Olszewski fielding the kickoff instead of letting the ball go out of bounds. An error costing 31 yards of field position. There was 8:46 left in the quarter. But just 34 seconds elapsed before Kenny Pickett threw an interception at the 19-yard line. The second possession was a three and out along with Chuks Okorafor’s false start. The third drive even worse. Okorafor false starts again.

Then on first and 15, Pickett swings a pass to Olszewski, who is hit hard right after catching the pass and fumbles the ball away to Cleveland. Olszewski was concussed on the play and did not return. The Steelers picked up their initial first-down on the next drive with 12:17 left in the half. An improvement from last week, but they still punted. The Steelers’ first offensive points came on a Chris Boswell field goal. They had great field starting field position after a 14-yard Calvin Austin III punt return to the Cleveland 39. But they only advanced the ball five yards.

Finally, A Drive

The Steelers finally got a drive going on their sixth possession. A Najee Harris run, and a pass reception gained no yards. Then on third and 10, Pickett hit Jaylen Warren, who weaved and muscled his way to a first down. Great effort. Then Pickett hit George Pickens deep down the middle, and he streaked into the end zone for a 71-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed when Harris tried to leap into the pile and lost the ball prior to crossing the goal line. Still, Steelers up 16-11.

The Steelers gained just 12 yards on their next possession before punting. With one exceptional scoring drive, the first-half offense was lackluster.

Second Half

The offense did little more in the second half. At least it did not turn the ball.

The Steelers start the second half at their 25 clinging to a 16-14 lead. A key play was a 25-yard pass to George Pickens on third down that took the ball to midfield. Starting Cleveland DE Za’Darius Smith was injured on the play. The Browns would also lose CB Denzel Ward to injury. Warren gained 11 yards on two carries before being stopped for no gain on his third. Pickett hit Pickens for eight to the Cleveland 31. That’s where Boswell hit a 50-yarder to make the score 19-14.

“Fire Canada”

The Steelers offense punted the next four possessions away. Harris did gain 21 and 17 yards on two runs on one drive. But a pass behind the line of scrimmage for a loss and an incomplete pass forced a punt. Pickett was also sacked twice on separate drives.

The most egregious play call came with 3:05 to play. The defense scored to put the Steelers up 26-22 and then forced Cleveland to punt. The Steelers faced a third and one. A first down would force the Browns to use their last timeouts and take the game close to the two-minute warning. Instead of a quarterback sneak or Harris up the middle, the play call is some type of run option with Pickett keeping the ball. Cleveland drops him for a three-yard loss. Pittsburgh punts and Cleveland gets the ball with 2:55 remaining. The Browns have the two-minute warning and an extra timeout that they ultimately never use to try to steal the game away.

This was when many fans booed (including myself) and chants of “Fire Canada” permeated the stadium.

The defense held and preserved the victory with little help from the offense.

Steelers Defense

A strong if not flawless performance.

Defense Starts with a Bang

The defense started with a bang. On the first play of the game, Deshaun Watson threw a swing pass to Harrison Bryant. The pass bounced off his hands and into Minkah Fitzpatrick’s. The ball then popped out and into Alex Highsmith’s hands, and he raced into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Cleveland responds with a field goal. But the stadium is rocking. The defense got the fans into the game right away.

Following a Pickett interception, the defense faced the Cleveland offense for the third time from the Browns’ 19-yard line. Larry Ogunjobi sacked Watson on first down. Dustin Hopkins missed the field goal to keep the score 7-3. Nick Chubb was unleashed in the fourth Cleveland drive, after the Browns were pinned deep at the five by a Pressley Harvin III punt. Chubb ran for seven on first down. Watson then hit Amari Cooper for 17 with Patrick Peterson defending on third down. Chubb ran for 20. Then Chubb ran for nine to make it second and one at the Pittsburgh 43.

For some reason, Coach Kevin Stefanski gave Chubb a break on the next three plays. A run and an incomplete pass led to a fourth and one. Watson keeps and officials award a first down. But Mike Tomlin challenges. The replay review reveals Montravius Adams forced a fumble that Ogunjobi recovered. Pittsburgh ball!

Rock-Em, Sock-Em Sequence

In this rock ’em, sock ’em sequence at the end of the first and start of the second quarters, the Steelers offense gave the ball right back when Gunner Olszewski knocked out and ball recovered by Cleveland two plays later at the 23. Minkah Fitzpatrick hits Nick Chubb low as he is being tackled. A devastating knee injury. The Steelers fans were shocked when the replay was shown once on the jumbotron. Our collective gasp very audible.

It was almost anticlimactic when the Browns scored on the very next play and converted the two-point conversion to go up 11-7. In just five plays, two players were knocked out of the game and a fumble was recovered on a fourth-and-one play. The Steelers scored to make it 11-10.

Meanwhile, the defense forced three Cleveland punts before giving up a field goal near the end of the half as the Browns adjusted without Chubb. T.J. Watt sacked Watson on third down on this last defensive series to overtake James Harrison as the Steelers’ all-time sack leader. Just a half played, Steelers ahead 16-14. And we were emotionally exhausted.

Second Half

Déjà Vu All Over Again

The defense gave up another huge run near the start of the second half. Last week it was Christian McCaffrey running 65 yards for a touchdown on the Steelers’ second defensive play of the second half. This week, after Boswell kicked a 50-yard field goal to extend the Steelers’ lead to 19-14, it was déjà vu. On the Steelers’ second defensive play of the second half, Jerome Ford ran right but was bottled up. He reversed field and no one there guarding the back door. Ford ran 69 yards before Minkah Fitzpatrick finally pulled him down at the 1-yard line. But Fitzpatrick was knocked out of the game with a chest contusion and the Browns scored two plays later. With the two-point conversion, the Steelers fell behind 22-19.

Defense Recovers

The Browns were able to move to ball with their Chubb-less offense. Good adjustments. But some great defensive play coupled with Browns miscues forced two punts, two fumbles, and the last drive ended on downs. First, Cleveland moved the ball from its own 20 to the 49. But on second and 10, Kwon Alexander forced Deshaun Watson out of bounds for no gain. Watson grabbed Alexander’s facemask and the penalty made it third and 25 instead of third and 10. The Browns picked up 14 more yards but then punted with four minutes left in the third quarter.

Their next drive started at the1-yard line after another dandy Harvin punt. Watson threaded a pass to Amari Cooper, who was well covered by Levi Wallace, on third and six. Cooper catches another with Wallace covering for 23 yards. Browns reach Pittsburgh’s 35. But an offensive holding penalty plus another facemask by Watson pushes the ball back to the Cleveland 41. Then, on third and 26, Cole Holcomb strips the ball from David Njoku and Damontae Kazee recovers to end the drive.

The Steelers offense is going nowhere. So, with 7:06 to play, Alex Highsmith strip-sacks Watson. T.J. Watt scoops the loose ball and scores the go-ahead points. It’s 26-22. Cleveland had two more possessions to take the win. But Markus Golden sacks Watson on second down. Then his pass went out of bounds on third down to force a punt. Cleveland’s final drive started at the 25. They picked up two first downs. Then Elijah Riley sacks Watson for a two-yard loss on third down. Watson throws long to Donovan People-Jones. Joey Porter is covering and the ball sailed out of bounds to set up a victory formation for Pittsburgh.

Special Teams

Special teams are an underappreciated facet of the game. One big play can shift momentum or even decide the game.

I break special teams into three phases: kickoffs, punts, and field goals, including extra point attempts. Here is an overview of the special teams play during the game.

KICKOFFS

Chris Boswell kicked off six times. All touchbacks negated any possibility of a big return.

Dustin Hopkins kicked off five times. Four were touchbacks. But his first went 56 yards and appeared to be heading out of bounds. Gunner Olszewski inexplicably fielded the kick and then stepped out of bounds at the 9-yard line. If he had let it go out, the ball would have gone to the 40. Or if he had fair caught the ball, it would have given the Steelers possession at the 25.

Full disclosure: Prior to the game I predicted Olszewski as a wild-card who would make plays that impacted the game. I was hoping for his redemption after last year’s fumble in the New England game. But his bonehead return, and later losing the ball after a hard hit negatively impacted the game for Pittsburgh. However, he was concussed on the giveaway. I hope he recovers quickly, but it may be time for him to find his life’s work.

THE STATS

Advantage Browns.

PUNTING

Harvin punted seven times, averaging 45.7 yards. Two touchbacks hurt his net average. However, he had four punts inside the 20, including a punt that went out of bounds at the 1-yard line. James Pierre downed the other three. Donovan Peoples-Jones did not have an opportunity to return any. Strong day for Harvin.

Corey Bojorquez punted five times, averaging 47.6 yards, but just one inside the 20. Calvin Austin III returned a short punt 14 yards to the Cleveland 39 giving Pittsburgh excellent field position. The Cleveland coverage also picked up a penalty when Austin was hit after signaling for a fair catch. That moved the ball from the 32 to the 47-yard line.

THE STATS

Advantage Steelers.

FIELD GOALS and EXTRA POINTS

Chris Boswell kicked 52- and 50-yard field goals. Plus, two extra points. However, the Steelers’ two-point conversion attempt failed. Najee Harris attempted to leap the pile, fumbled and Steelers recovered in end zone. Officials determined he fumbled before breaking the plane of the goal line, and the ball can’t be advanced on a fumble.

Dustin Hopkins made two-of-three field goals, including a 55-yarder near the end of the first half. But his miss from 43 yards after a takeaway hurt. Cleveland converted both of its two-point conversion attempts.

I give the Steelers a slight edge since a missed field goal is three compared to two missed points on the conversion attempt.

THE STATS

Advantage Steelers

DAVE BRYAN’S VICTORY PUNCH LIST

Dave Bryan provided five keys for a Steelers victory. Here is how the Steelers performed them:

1. Defensive line handles Nick Chubb rushing. Only the devastating injury stopped Chubb. Before that he averaged 6.4 yards a carry. But once he was out of the game it definitely impacted on the Browns offense. Mission Accomplished.
2. T.J. Watt sacks Deshaun Watson three times. Watt held to one sack. But the rest of the team sacked him another five times. Mission Failure.
3. Calvin Austin III receives eight touches on the move. Austin had one reception, one run, and a punt return. The punt return did set up a field goal. Mission Failure.
4. Darnell Washington plays more than eight run plays from 12 personnel. Washington played 26 offensive snaps. Hard to give a pass here when Steelers netted just 55 rushing yards. Mission Failure.
5. Limit Deshaun Watson when running the ball. Watson just six runs for 22 yards. His two facemask penalties hurt the Browns. Mission Accomplished.

The Steelers accomplished two of the keys to victory.

YOUR HOT TAKES DURING THE GAME

Thank you, Ross McCorkle, for keeping us up to date on the game’s first- and second-half Live Update and Discussion Threads. Steelers Depot respondents contributed 2,372 first-half comments. Respondents added  1,827 more second-half comments.  Here are the top three comments from each half. I don’t know the algorithm used by Disqus but here is how they stacked it up:

The top three first half comments covered a variety of topics.

SixBurg52 (he forgot the H)  had the top first-half comment with “How bad can Boykin be, I don’t ever want to see Gunner on the field again in a Steelers uniform.”

Next, Ike Evans shared the frustration many have when Pittsburgh underperforms. “At this point my relationship with this team has become toxic.”

Then there was anger at the coverage of the game. Folks tuned in to watch the Steelers and Browns play. But the producers decided to split the screen between the two games. BigDickSwangin captured many viewers ire with “Is there anyone outside of Louisiana or North Carolina that cares about that game…please get it off my screen!”

Tom – Steelers All the Way! continued the angst with ESPN’s coverage: “Seriously, can we please stop with the split screen crap?!?! If I wanted to watch the Saints game, I would be on that channel!!”

Monkey’s Uncle noted Pressley Harvin III’s excellent holder skills during Boswell’s second field goal. “Harvin gets the credit. Bad snap, great save.”

Steelers4Eva kept the Gunner mantra going. “Cut gunner during the half please!” Of course, most did not know Gunner concussed on that play. But after the ill-advised kick return and the giveaway folks very unhappy with his performance.

Those were the top three comments from both halves out of almost 4,200 posted.

CONCLUSION

I’m afraid that there is lipstick on the pigskin. The Steelers accomplished the most important task: they won the game. But significant flaws remain.

The offense contributed little to the win. One big touchdown drive out of 14 possessions. even when starting from the Browns’ 39-yard line. They could muster just five yards forcing Boswell to kick a 52-yard field goal. The third-and-one call late in the game was incomprehensible and gave the Browns another chance to retake the lead. The offensive line and Kenny Pickett seem to have regressed. Matt Canada’s schemes that underutilize weapons like Pat Freiermuth are unfathomable. But it was nice to see George Pickens getting a good share of targets.

The defense scored the winning points and made plays to keep the lead. Huge effort, especially without Cam Heyward. The injury to Minkah Fitzpatrick is worrisome. Can they afford to lose a second of their top three defenders with a game at Las Vegas Sunday night? Giving up a second long run at the start of the second half cannot be blamed on being tired. Unless the coaches have them working out during the halftime break.

Boswell and Harvin earned their pay. Calvin Austin III should take both punt and kick return roles until Anthony McFarland Jr. returns.

The Steelers need to stack up a win in Las Vegas. A number of people at the Renegade tailgate are flying to Vegas for the game. Time to wipe the smear of lipstick off this pigskin and get it flying. Here we go.

Your Song Selection

I always like to include a bit of music. A crazy, hard-fought game. In honor of the Cleveland Browns, here is Entry of the Gladiators composed by Julius Fucik