Well, that was quite a mess.
Things started off poorly for the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns. Then things were looking up midway through the fourth quarter. Until they weren’t.
Just like that, in a tough AFC North matchup on the road in a blizzard on a short week, the Steelers dropped a winnable game, snapping a five-game winning streak and falling to 8-3 on the season. It was a frustrating loss without a doubt, but the sky isn’t falling, and this isn’t an indication of what’s to come for the Steelers in the weeks ahead.
This is the type of loss you flush and move on from — and quickly — so that’s what I’ll try and do here. Let’s get to some grades and get into the mini bye week.
QB — B
For the most part, I thought Russell Wilson played a rather strong game. Wilson completed 21-of-28 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown in the loss. He did have a bad fumble with poor ball security in the pocket while trying to move around, which led to a Browns field goal. But overall, Wilson was sharp.
He connected on a handful of shots down the field, threw a dime to Calvin Austin III for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, and really looked comfortable in the poor conditions. He moved around rather well, too, showing off his mobility.
Wilson dialed up some big throws down the field, hitting the likes of Austin, Van Jefferson, and George Pickens on 30+ yard gains. He also made some plays off script and made smart decisions with the football, rarely putting it in harm’s way.
He was sacked four times, though, in the first half and the Steelers weren’t all that sharp in the red zone, either. That fumble loomed large, too, as it led to Browns points.
But a good game overall from Wilson, who showed that the conditions weren’t going to hinder him as a passer. That, at least, is positive.
It was nice to see Justin Fields get some looks in the game. He had a nice 30-yard run down the right sideline that gave the Steelers a spark, but he was blown up on a short-yardage play that was doomed from the start. He also had a wobbly pass downfield to George Pickens on a key 3rd and 4 that was baffling to see.
Fortunately, Fields did draw a roughing the passer call in the game that extended a touchdown drive for the Black and Gold.
RB — C
A very blah performance from Najee Harris on Thursday night. The wintry conditions should have been perfect for the downhill plodder. Instead, he was bottled up and had very little impact and often looked slow working downhill. Granted, he didn’t get much help from his offensive line, especially in short-yardage situations, but it was just a rough game for Harris.
He finished with just 16 carries for 41 yards and added two receptions for 13 yards. He also had a fumble that Russell Wilson recovered. He just didn’t have much juice, and it wasn’t working against the Browns’ penetrating defensive line.
Jaylen Warren had a bit more success against Cleveland, rushing 11 times for 45 yards and a touchdown while adding three receptions for 19 yards. He was much faster attacking downhill and was able to knife through Cleveland’s defense to take advantage of upfield penetration.
The failures in short yardage were maddening.
WR — B
A nice day for Calvin Austin III, who continues to be a playmaker with Wilson under center. Austin finished with three receptions or 78 yards and a touchdown, hauling in a 46-yard pass from Wilson in the first half and then making a spectacular contested catch in the end zone for the game’s go-ahead score.
He’s developing great chemistry with Wilson.
George Pickens had a decent night, hauling in four passes for 48 yards. However, one of his catches went for 31 yards. He also had a great catch on a third and short in the first half, winning on a slant and making a diving catch through contact. But he was involved in a postgame dust-up in the end zone after the failed Hail Mary and had later some interesting comments about the Browns.
Van Jefferson hauled in a 35-yard pass from Wilson in the third quarter to give the offense life after the Steelers had fallen behind 18-6. He had just two receptions on the day, but one was a big play.
The usage for Mike Williams is baffling and makes no sense. Williams played just 16 snaps and didn’t see a single target. That’s back-to-back games he’s gone without a target. He’s up to 50 snaps on the season with the Steelers with just one target, which went for a TD against Washington. Get him more involved.
TE — B-
Nice performance for Pat Freiermuth, who had a larger role in the passing game on Thursday night. Freiermuth hauled in four passes for 59 yards and was utilized in the middle of the field a few times. It was great to see. He had a nice 22-yard reception on third down in the first quarter and later added some clutch catches with the Steelers in comeback mode.
Darnell Washington had three receptions for 14 yards and continues to get more work in the passing game. Connor Heyward had a great block on the Fields 30-yard run, taking out two defenders to spring Fields. But he had some bad blocks in short yardage and also had two pre-snap penalties.
OL — D
I thought the offensive line was much better in pass protection than it will get credit for, considering the Browns had four sacks, all of which came in the first half. But overall the linemen held up well and gave Wilson plenty of time.
More often than not, the sacks were a result of Cleveland’s coverage on the back end and nobody getting open for Pittsburgh.
In the run game though, the offensive line was a disaster, particularly in short yardage. It got pushed around by Cleveland’s defensive front and had no answers in those weighty moments.
The All-22 won’t be pretty.
DL — C-
The Browns didn’t have a ton of success running the football, finishing with just 85 yards on 27 carries, but Cleveland racked up three rushing touchdowns and was able to run the football when it needed to with Nick Chubb.
The defensive line wasn’t as big of a force as I expected coming into a matchup against a struggling offensive line.
Cameron Heyward played some great football again, recording six tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups. He did a great job getting his hands in throwing lanes when he couldn’t get home on the rush, and he controlled the point of attack often against the run.
He didn’t get much help from anyone else.
Larry Ogunjobi had three tackles, but he wasn’t able to get to Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter on Winston’s scramble and throw to Jerry Jeudy for a big gain. Keeanu Benton was invisible for stretches and Isaiahh Loudermilk and Dean Lowry weren’t as impactful as they were last Sunday against the Ravens.
LB — C
Nick Herbig had a nice night against the Browns, recording a sack, a forced fumble, four pressures, five tackles and three runs stops on his 23rd birthday. He had what appeared to be the game-changing play in the fourth quarter, too, but it didn’t hold up in the end.
T.J. Watt was seemingly invisible all night. I know the Browns chipped him quite a bit, but he faced just three true double teams, per Next Gen Stats, and didn’t generate much pressure. He finished with four tackles and had a tackle for loss against the run, but he needs to be more impactful rushing the passer, and the Steelers need to move him around more.
Preston Smith had four tackles and made a nice play in space in coverage, too.
Inside, Patrick Queen was all over the place again, recording seven tackles and a pass breakup. He also generated a key pressure on third down, getting to Jameis Winston on what should have been ruled intentional grounding but was puzzlingly just an illegal-touching penalty.
Elandon Roberts had an early pressure on a blitz, too, but he missed at tackle in short yardage that allowed the Browns to convert in a big spot and later left the game with an injury.
Payton Wilson had six tackles and flew around in his first matchup with the Browns. But the six tackles felt empty, in a sense.
DB — C-
Just a few days after being dominant against the Ravens, Joey Porter Jr. took a step back in bad conditions.
Cleveland went right at him early and often, and Porter never really adjusted. He finished with six tackles, but he gave up too much space in the passing game. He also had some communication issues in a big spot on third down in the fourth quarter with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, leading to a completion to move the chains.
Donte Jackson had an interception in the fourth quarter that seemingly sealed the game for the Steelers, but he also gave up a catch to practice squad elevation tight end Blake Whiteheart down the field for an explosive play. Beanie Bishop Jr. nearly had an interception in the second half but also had a tough five-yard delay of game penalty on a play that very clearly looked like WR Jerry Jeudy wasn’t touched down, Bishop made the right call to try and punch the ball out.
DeShon Elliott was a rock for the Steelers, recording six tackles, breaking up a pass and just being all over the place. He’s been a great addition. Minkah Fitzpatrick was rather quiet, though, with just three tackles. He was beat in a key spot late in the game on a Browns third-down conversion.
Special Teams — D-
Tough night for the Steelers’ special teams.
Chris Boswell missed a 58-yard field goal, though he did finish 2-for-3 on the night. His march towards NFL history remains on, so there’s that.
Corliss Waitman had a bad shank in the second half, punting it 15 yards, giving the Browns the ball in Steelers’ territory. It led to the game-winning points. It was his only punt of the night, too.
In the return game, the Steelers are just generating nothing on kickoff returns. Cordarrelle Patterson looks like he’s running in sand and managed just 24 yards on two returns. Warren had a 26-yard return. Meanwhile, for the Browns, Jerome Ford had a 27-yard return to get out past the Cleveland 30.
Damontae Kazee had a terrible penalty in the first quarter, blocking Mike Ford Jr. out of bounds and then not stopping, adding 15 yards onto what was just a 12-yard punt from Cleveland’s Corey Bojorquez. Bad situational football.
