The Pittsburgh Steelers have a problem in the red zone, but the Cleveland Browns may have the cure. The Browns have a bottom-10 red-zone defense this season, allowing 19 touchdowns on 30 trips inside the 20. That is a rate of 63.3 percent, which has only gotten worse lately.
Over their past three games, the Browns have allowed eight touchdowns in 10 red-zone opportunities. While we’re working with a small sample size, that 80-percent rate would be the worst in the NFL. That span did include two top-10 red-zone offenses, including the Ravens at the top, so we should note that. But the Steelers obviously want to face a worse red-zone defense on a cold streak than a better one.
Oh, and by the way, the Browns also have the worst home red-zone defense in the NFL in 2024. On the road, they have allowed a touchdown rate of 47.06 percent, but at home, it’s an abysmal 84.62. While the Steelers have had trouble winning in Cleveland lately, that has to sound inviting.
In their last two home games before the bye, the Browns allowed the Chargers to go 3-for-3 in the red zone, the Ravens 3-for-4. A week prior to that, the Bengals scored on their lone red-zone opportunity against them. The Steelers’ next opponent has only stopped one of eight red-zone opportunities at home over the last three games.
Even the Giants went 3-for-4 in the red zone in Cleveland against the Browns in Week 3. The Cowboys went 1-for-1 in the opener. So on the season, the Browns have stopped precisely two red-zone trips from resulting in touchdowns. They are 2-for-14, which is the worst red-zone defense at home since the 2021 Raiders.
Of course, it’s up to the Steelers to improve their own fortunes. They rank 30th on the season at 44.44 percent, and 31st over their last three games at just 25 percent. The good news? The Steelers have been a better red-zone offense on the road than at home. They have a 50-percent success rate in away games compared to 35 percent at home. So playing the Browns in Cleveland may be just what they need.
That is if trends actually remain true, which they frequently don’t. And that often is especially the case in rivalry and divisional games. Will it matter that the Browns have a bad red-zone defense or the Steelers have a bad red-zone offense? And how can they both be bad simultaneously? Something’s got to give, at least to some degree.
My main concern with the Steelers’ red-zone offense with Russell Wilson is pass protection. If he has a clean pocket, I trust him to navigate and find the play. Even on the plays that didn’t work, before the Ravens game, he was making the right reads. And the Browns have also been susceptible to the run inside the 10-yard line. In my mind, the offensive line is the Steelers’ key to getting back on track in the red zone, and the Browns may be the ideal opponent.
