Suddenly everybody in the AFC North is doing well. Nobody has a losing record through six weeks, and three teams have a winning record. That includes a Cleveland Browns team that beat a previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers squad despite being without RB Nick Chubb and QB Deshaun Watson.
It was a big win, to be sure, but the question is, can they sustain that energy? While they will get Watson back, perhaps as soon as this week, Chubb won’t be seen again until next year. You can argue that they currently have the best defense in the league, but can they handle that pressure if the weight of the team’s success is squarely on their shoulders? They’ve never had that responsibility before.
“I think what will be interesting is they very, very clearly were jacked up for that game”, NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala said of the Browns going against the 49ers, during an interview on 93.7 The Fan with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. “That defense set the tone all week long. We know how lights-out that defense is. Do you match that same intensity, focus, energy? Is it sustainable to keep playing defense that way all year long?”.
It is a fair question to ask. The Browns rank first in yards allowed, fifth in points allowed, have the top pass-coverage unit. Despite having one of the worst average starting field positions, they rank first in drive time, yardage, plays, and points per drive. Yet they’re not taking the ball away. And outside of Myles Garrett, nobody’s really bringing the quarterback down. Not that the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have similar concerns in their reliance on their defense.
“Of course, it’s the same conversation we keep having about the Steelers and how game-breaking, game-altering this Steelers defense is, how it’s the Steelers’ defense that got them at least two wins”, Kinkhabwala pointed out. “How sustainable is that over the course of an 18-week season? You watch the Browns and you certainly feel like, ‘Oh my goodness, this defense is playing in a monstrously historic way’”.
In contrast to Cleveland, the Steelers defense has been more of the bend-but-don’t-break variety. Their efficiency numbers are not favorable at all, yet they rank second in takeaways and have a healthy pressure percentage.
Both AFC North contenders are currently reliant upon the defense standing on its head in order for the teams to find any success. Arguably, this Steelers defense has had more background in navigating that role, however. The Browns are still trying to figure out what it’s even like to have success.
And they’ve had some luck, too. They caught the Cincinnati Bengals and the 49ers at their lowest moments, for example. In the case of San Francisco, the 49ers had several in-game injuries that contributed to their struggles as much as did the Browns defense. And next up they play the Indianapolis Colts just after putting their starting quarterback, Anthony Richardson, on the Reserve/Injured List. They got stomped by the best offense they have played, the Baltimore Ravens.
