Following each game in the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers season, I will highlight the event or string of events in the game that was the turning point. Not all turning points will be earth-shattering but are meant to give a unique look at how we arrived at the outcome of the game, one that may be hard to see during the live watch.
The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped their Week 11 game to the Cleveland Browns in a critical AFC North divisional matchup. The loss is even more disappointing when considering the Steelers were playing against Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a rookie quarterback in his second NFL start. His first career start did not go so well, but this time the Browns had a clear game plan that he executed well. It was a very similar game plan to the one the Steelers attempted to execute with Kenny Pickett, only the Browns pulled it off better.
With the game coming down to a field goal with just a few seconds remaining, the difference between victory and defeat can be narrowed down to just a few plays here and there. This week, the turning point came on the Steelers’ final offensive drive.
To set the stage, the Steelers’ defense had just forced a punt from the Cleveland 32-yard line. The punt was stellar from Corey Bojorquez, but Calvin Austin III returned it from the Steelers’ own 9-yard line all the way to the 30. The Steelers started the drive with 1:42 of game time and one timeout left. That is plenty of time to drive down into Chris Boswell’s field goal range and walk off the field with a 13-10 win over the Browns. Pickett hadn’t accomplished much as a passer all game, but you’re liking the Steelers’ chances given Pickett’s well-documented fourth-quarter magic throughout his career.
So what is the Steelers’ plan of attack? Pass. Pass. Pass. Incomplete. Incomplete. Incomplete. That’s right, they ran three straight downfield passing plays, and all three fell incomplete. This not only ended the Steelers’ drive but consumed just 14 seconds of clock to give the Browns the ball back with 1:18 remaining in the game and two timeouts at their disposal.
All three of the passing plays targeted Diontae Johnson. Don’t get me wrong, Johnson is a good receiver and does well getting open, but the passing game hadn’t been working all game. There were miscommunications throughout the game between Pickett and Johnson as well, so it was no surprise that one of those occurred again when it mattered most.
If you are smart about it, the worst thing that happens on that final offensive drive is the Steelers don’t score but eat up enough clock to force overtime. You can turn to the passing game, but run a screen play or some high-percentage completion to make sure the clock is running while you get a chance to move the ball down the field. Or better yet, run the ball with Jaylen Warren—he leads the league in rushing yards over the last three weeks.
It was a failure in every phase. The play calling, the execution, the subsequent punt by Pressley Harvin III, and finally the defense. Just look at ESPN Analytics’ win probability chart. It tells the story well.
