My final Pittsburgh Steelers thoughts as they welcome the Browns for the second home game at Acrisure Stadium.
1. THE STEELERS ARE SMARTER THAN CHASE CLAYPOOL
Formers Steelers wide receivers Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster certainly had their share of missteps with sports media as well as social media, providing the Browns with plenty of bulletin board material. Whether their words were taken out of context or not, it fed a Browns team that thrives on a sense of being disrespected.
The Steelers have kept it tight this week. Despite a dismal record of 1-4, Cleveland still poses a threat, and this will not be an easy win for the Steelers. The Browns have one of the top defenses in the league. They also have a rookie quarterback who looked composed and showed potential in his NFL debut last week against the impressive Vikings defense. Dillon Gabriel, the Browns’ third-round pick in the 2025 draft, threw two touchdown passes against the Vikings, who had only given up three passing touchdowns in their prior four games.
Add that divisional games are just different. Teams know each other better, they hate each other more, and a win or loss has more impact on playoff seeding. While NFL players are professionals and should approach every game with the same urgency and intensity, games against divisional opponents have more edge and bigger bragging rights. The Steelers aren’t taking this game for granted as an easy win, and they are smart not to make that mistake.
2. FULL FORCE FOR THE FIRST TIME
After suffering a hamstring injury in Dublin, CB Jalen Ramsey was expected to miss a few weeks. For Ramsey, the bye week came at the right time. After missing practice Wednesday and Thursday – but confirmed by reporters to be doing individual drills – Ramsey was a full practice participant on Friday. Just this morning, he was upgraded from “questionable” and is expected to play tomorrow.
With Ramsey good to go, the Steelers will have their full complement of defensive starters take the field for the first time this season. The team started the season without rookie DT Derrick Harmon, who was sidelined with an MCL sprain, and OLB Nick Herbig, who missed the season opener with a hamstring injury. CB Joey Porter Jr. missed three games with a hamstring strain sustained in the Week 1 game and OLB Alex Highsmith has been out with an ankle injury since the Week 2 game. S DeShon Elliott made his return last week, coming back from a knee injury. They are all now healthy and ready to start.
The Steelers’ defense has wreaked havoc in their past two games, forcing turnovers and coming up with big plays when needed. Getting all the starters back for a game in which the Steelers offense may struggle is key.
3. THAT WAS GREAT, NOW DO IT AGAIN
The Steelers’ offensive game plan against the Minnesota Vikings was exactly the right one. QB Aaron Rodgers got the ball out in less than 2.2 seconds per drop back. This muted the Vikings defense’s ability to disguise its plays and adjust after the snap.
The Steelers also used a lot of help to get their run game going, adding OT Spencer Anderson and TE Darnell Washington to block. It wasn’t sneaky but it worked, with RB Kenneth Gainwell logging 99 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns.
The Steelers now face one of the best defenses in the league. The Browns are second overall in rushing defense, giving up 75.6 yards per game on the ground. Add one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in Myles Garrett, and the Steelers’ offense has a tremendous challenge.
The offense can’t do the same thing every week and expect to find success over and over again. But what worked against the Vikings is the Steelers’ best bet to move the ball and score against the Browns. Expect to see more of the same Sunday.
4. COULD SOME TRICK PLAYS BE COMING?
The clues are all there, as Dave Bryan pointed out in the Terrible Podcast this week. Head coach Mike Tomlin talking about OT Spencer Anderson’s athletic ability and how Anderson would gladly talk about his past success as a tight end and a basketball player. Aaron Rodgers making a comment about Anderson having good hands and how he would like to throw him a touchdown pass. Anderson himself mentioning this week that “it’s an o-lineman’s dream to catch a big-man touchdown.” The Steelers never managed to pull that off with Zach Banner, the tackle who earned fame and loud cheers from the crowd every time they heard “No. 72 is reporting as eligible”, but OT Alejandro Villaneuva caught a touchdown pass from K Chris Boswell on a fake kick in 2018.
With Anderson lining up as “tackle-eligible,” it is possible that Rodgers could target him to catch the Browns by surprise. The only problem is that, with all the comments made this week, it may not be all that surprising. Then again, this could all just be gamesmanship to keep the Browns guessing and force them to account for this possibility. If that provides even a small cushion for the Steelers’ run blocking, it would be worth dropping all these hints.
5. HEALTH AT THE END IS KEY, TOO
It’s great news that the entire defense will be ready to take the field against the Browns. The team’s health coming out of this game is just as important. With a short week before facing another division rival in the Bengals, any Steelers player who suffers an injury this Sunday is not likely to make the trip to Cincinnati. While the team always plays every game to win, this could impact in-game decisions by the coaching staff.
It won’t be surprising to see any injured player who is questionable to return be kept on the sideline. And if the Steelers are lucky enough to jump out to a big lead and maintain it into the fourth quarter, it might be wise to pull some starters to keep them ready for Thursday Night Football.
