Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin sent his team a clear message before playing the Cleveland Browns Sunday. They had lost a bad game they should have won the last time out, but this wasn’t about getting even. In their second game against the Browns, the Steelers’ focus was getting back to being the Steelers. Not worrying about proving anything to anybody or re-establishing any kind of pecking order.
“The point of emphasis was to play Steelers football”, Dale Lolley quotes S DeShon Elliott as saying, via the Steelers’ website. “They out-physicaled us last time we played. We weren’t going to let that happen again. We went out there and played how we’re supposed to play. We played physical and we took the ball away”.
Two weeks prior to Sunday’s game, the Steelers lost to the Browns in frustrating fashion. After authoring a fourth-quarter comeback and erasing a 12-point deficit, they ultimately blew it. All three phases contributed to the implosion, including a shank by Corliss Waitman on his lone punt.
That Waitman averaged over 50 yards on six punts Sunday against the Browns is just a testament to the extent to which the Steelers responded as a whole. All three phases met the challenge to return to Steelers football, and they did so collectively. Keeanu Benton’s interception, for example, helped to jump-start the offense, leading to the Steelers’ first touchdown.
“We were just playing our brand of football,” Elliott said of the Steelers’ defense, and the team collectively. “We felt like going into this game it was very important just to make sure we didn’t make the same mistakes from last time. I think we went out there and played efficiently”.
The Steelers only allowed the Browns 14 points, holding them to exactly 300 yards. They managed just 4.3 yards per play and were 2-for-13 on third down. The defense also recorded three sacks and created two takeaways, special teams producing a third.
And there is no question the Steelers were the most physical team—Elandon Roberts saw to that. On one play, he blew up C Ethan Pocic, taking him out as the pulling blocker. The Steelers ended up recording a tackle for loss on the play.
Prior to the fourth quarter, the Steelers only allowed the Browns two drives of more than 16 yards. One led to an early touchdown, but they settled down after, as Elliott talked about. The second drive, spanning 50 yards, resulted in a missed field goal.
So, yes, sometimes luck is involved, too, as the Steelers did benefit from two missed field goals. But the defense also forced four three-and-outs on the Browns’ first six possessions. If they can keep playing like that against better teams, they will be a tough out in the postseason.
