Winners and losers from the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-22 win against the Cleveland Browns Monday night.
Winners
Jaylen Warren: In a first half where the Steelers struggles continued, Warren made plays in the passing game. On dump offs and more designed plays, Warren is a threat in space and he helped move the sticks on third down. His downhill nature worked better on a day where it was tough for Pittsburgh to run on Cleveland’s five-man front. Good things happen when Warren touches the ball.
He did miss a pass protection blitz that resulted in a sack, but he was one of the few players on offense providing some signs of life tonight.
Joey Porter Jr.: Porter was kept in the same role as Week One, dime packages, but he saw a lot more action tonight. And he made plays. A great pass breakup on third down in the first half followed by strong man coverage to force a fourth-down incompletion to seal the Steelers’ win.
Cole Holcomb: Great play from Holcomb to force a fumble on TE David Njoku. The definition of “ball search” we hear from players and coaches during camp. No Steelers inside linebacker forced a fumble last year so it was great to see.
Calvin Austin III: Austin didn’t light up the stat sheet with a huge play, but he did all the little things tonight that help your offense. And they certainly need all the help they can get. Austin had two extended-play blocks, one on George Pickens’ 71-yard touchdown and another on Najee Harris’ reverse run. Putting his hand in the pile to make plays.
He also had a nice route to create space on CB Denzel Ward and make a tough catch along the sideline for a first down.
Pressley Harvin III/Chris Boswell: Special teams was badly needed on a night like this. Harvin and Boswell were really good. Boswell is truly one of the NFL’s best from 50-plus yards, connecting from 52 and 50 yards in this game. The latter was a really good hold from Harvin to give Boswell a good ball to kick. Harvin helped flip field position, kicking the game off with a punt that laned inside the Browns’ 10, a 55-yard boot.
T.J. Watt/Alex Highsmith: Gotta put the team’s all-time sack leader on the list. Run defense to his side was better than anywhere else and he beat rookie RT Dawand Jones for a third down sack to force a long Browns’ field goal, breaking the sack record he held with James Harrison. Cleveland clearly did its best to slow him down, but he even had a patented swat.
Highsmith had an absolutely massive play, beating LT Jedrick Wills to strip-sack Watson, recovered by Watt for a scoop-and-score touchdown. Pittsburgh’s only real advantage tonight
George Pickens: Pickens was the top wide receiver target tonight, a predictable outcome with Diontae Johnson out of the game. Though there was trouble getting him the ball early, Kenny Pickett hit him open and he did the rest, taking it 71-yards to the house. Pickens showed his YAC and ability to run a fuller route tree. They found their connection in the second half and Pickens ended the day with four catches for 127 yards and the score.
Losers
Gunner Olszewski: Sorry! I forgot Gunner. A terrible decision on a kickoff to field a ball going out of bounds and a fumble where his day ended with a concussion. Very, very bad.
Kenny Pickett: Overall, Pickett wasn’t sharp. Too many questionable decisions, too many risky throws, and while there was a couple of splash moments, it was a below-the-line performance as the Steelers’ offense struggled again. He has to be better.
O-Line Run Game: No doubt, the Browns’ front can be tough to run on when they put five down and get hat-on-a-hat. But Pittsburgh knew it was coming and couldn’t find a way to combat it. They had more opportunities to run the ball in this one than last week but did little with them. Just beat up at the line of scrimmage. Seems like no matter what the team does, what changes they make along the line, they can’t find a way to get a push. Pittsburgh’s desire to play bully ball has gone flat.
Perimeter Run Playcalling: Matt Canada’s offense likes to run the ball on the edges but there’s too much speed at the NFL for it to be successful without special talent (i.e. Tyreek Hill) or a really sound scheme. Pittsburgh has neither. The Steelers just tried too many perimeter runs with receivers or backs out wide and they did not work. The best outcome was Najee Harris cutting all the way back on a play the Browns figured out. Pittsburgh just beating their head against a wall with this one.
Front Seven/Run Defense: Predominantly an issue against RB Nick Chubb, who was carving them up before suffering a horrific-looking knee injury. But Jerome Ford’s 69-yard cutback run was a killer with poor contain by CB Levi Wallace, a play that should’ve gone for a loss nearly went for a touchdown and set up a Browns’ score two plays later, giving them the lead. The run defense has been poor the first two weeks, too many missed tackles, mental errors, and bad run fits, and Cam Heyward isn’t coming back anytime soon.
Levi Wallace/Patrick Peterson: Sticking with the Steelers’ corners, Wallace and Peterson aren’t playing like starting-caliber corners. And it’s not close. Wallace gave up contain on Ford’s long run, just a lazy mental error and dropped an interception on a Watson deep ball in the second half. A tough play, a corner trying to track the ball over his shoulder deep downfield but one he’s gotta make. Early in the fourth quarter, Wallace gave up a third-and-six conversion to WR Amari Cooper, a huge conversion for a backed-up Browns’ offense.
Peterson may not have had any play as egregious but can’t play the ball in the air and had the initial missed tackle on a 29-yard catch by TE David Njoku on first and 20.
Pittsburgh is trying to ease rookie Joey Porter Jr. into action and it’s not a bad plan — he’s raw and unrefined — but they may have to start him sooner than later. Porter, however, has primarily played on the left side, Peterson’s side, making it harder to replace someone like Wallace.
