Can Steelers continue home dominance against Browns?
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT
Browns 27, Steelers 24
Oct. 5, 1986 at Three Rivers Stadium
The Cleveland Browns come to Pittsburgh today looking to break a 14-game Steelers win streak at Heinz Field. It’s the longest home win streak against the Browns since the Steelers held a 14-game winning streak going into the 1986 game. The Browns that year were on their way to a 12-4 record and a doomed AFC title loss courtesy of “The Drive.” But here, 32 years ago, rookie Webster Slaughter caught his first NFL TD pass from Bernie Kosar for a 7-0 Browns lead. Steelers QB Mark Malone cut the lead to 10-7 with a TD sneak, and then threw a 5-yard TD pass to Rich Erenberg for a 14-10 lead. But Gerald “Ice Cube” McNeil returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a 17-14 Browns lead at halftime. Malone hit Louis Lipps to regain the lead in the third, and with a 24-20 fourth-quarter lead Browns kicker Matt Bahr missed a 43-yard field goal. However, Rick Woods roughed Bahr and the Browns turned it into the winning TD, a 4-yard run by Ernest Byner. The Steelers drove to the Cleveland 35 but Malone fumbled with 1:30 left and the Steelers, on their way to 6-10, fell to 1-4.
TALE OF THE TAPE
“I find Baker Mayfield to be a fascinating type of character. He’s got a little bit of Bubby Brister in him, in two ways. One is in his mentality, his ability to marshall his resources around the guys. He’s got a little bit of brashness, he’s got a lot of confidence, and he’s got that ability to make others want to jump up and believe and be alongside of him. Also, when he throws the ball, he’s a full-body thrower. He whips around his body and gets all behind it. In watching him throw, it’s interesting because as a quarterback accuracy is so important and when he comes to the line of scrimmage, he’s in shotgun and he looks over and you can tell when he’s getting a read and knows where he’s going with the ball. He’s very accurate. But when he’s got to come off and goes through his progressions, his accuracy drops way down. Given the fact he, a rookie, has a lot of rookies around him, long fields make him have to really read. Disguising blitzes will come into play.” — Steelers Radio analyst Craig Wolfley.
TOP QUESTION
Can the Steelers regain their pre-bye rhythm and momentum?
The Steelers are 7-4 after a bye under Mike Tomlin but 1-3 the last four years, and the lone win was an uninspired 20-17 win over a 3-6 Indianapolis team last season with Jacoby Brissett at QB instead of Andrew Luck. The Steelers, of course, understand the importance of winning a divisional game at home, and they have genuine respect for the 2-4-1 Browns, but the question is whether they can they into a rhythm early to prevent the possibility of a late shocker.
THREE QUESTIONS:
With TE VANCE MCDONALD
Q: Who were the tight ends you looked up to when you were growing up?
VM: “Jason Witten. I loved watching Jason Witten. I was a big Cowboys fan growing up. But as far as really watching guys and how they play the game and in trying to use some of their moves and adapt my game with some of the success they’ve had it’s Gronk and Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz. I’ve watched a lot of tape on those guys.”
Q: The Rob Gronkowski of my day was Mark Bavaro. Do you remember him?
VM: “I do remember Mark Bavaro. I didn’t watch a lot of him until Eric Mangini was my tight ends coach out in San Francisco and he brought him up, so I did a little research on him and had like a contest in the tight ends room. Yeah, he was an animal.
Q: And going back before my time was Mike Ditka, who wore the same number you do and the pictures are so similar. Have you seen any tape of him by chance?
VM: “Just whenever I was a rookie, Coach (Jim) Harbaugh was trying to kind of steer me down that path, so, yeah, I watched a little Ditka tape. I didn’t feel any pressure from that, though. I’ll always be honest and say the pressure on me came from coming in and trying to fill the shoes of Delaney Walker. I would never deny that.”
GAME BREAKDOWN
What to look for from the Steelers this afternoon at Heinz Field:
ON OFFENSE
The Browns may be the 26th-ranked pass defense, but the Steelers know better than to trust the yards-per-game statistic. The Browns stand first in the NFL in defensive passer rating (75.0) and are tied for first with 11 interceptions. They can also get after the quarterback with Myles Garrett (7 sacks). And with Marcus Gilbert out at right tackle with his problematic knee, Matt Feiler will be asked to block Emmanuel Ogbah, an underrated pass-rusher with 1.5 sacks this season. Feiler’s capable, but so is Ogbah. The Browns’ secondary still has one shutdown cornerback in rookie Denzel Ward (3 interceptions), but they lost Terrance Mitchell to injured reserve three games ago. Mitchell’s replacement, E.J. Gaines, has been ruled out of this game with a concussion. The Browns last week moved FS Damarious Randall to corner, (along with nickel back T.J. Carrie) with Brien Boddy Calhoun filling in at safety. Also out is Steelers-killing middle linebacker Joe Schobert. Rookie Genard Avery steps in at will backer with veteran Christian Kirksey moving inside.
ON DEFENSE
Unlike the Browns, the Steelers are completely healthy on defense as they welcome back dime linebackers Morgan Burnett and L.J. Fort. The Steelers can now use all of the nuanced sub-packages on which they worked throughout the offseason. However, Tomlin wasn’t letting up this week. His worries about running back Duke Johnson and tight end David Njoku on third downs had him stopping practice for several minutes to chew out a rookie for blowing an assignment. The Browns will miss the traded Josh Gordon and Carlos Hyde, and will lean heavily on Jarvis Landry and second-round rookie back Nick Chubb.
PREDICTION
The Steelers aren’t approaching this game like a team that’s coming off a bye and a two-week winning streak. They’re healthy and taking the Browns seriously. As they should, with Mayfield replacing Tyrod Taylor under center. But the Browns are 0-3 on the road, and are relying on rookies at QB, RB, WR, LT, CB and WLB to beat a hungry and revenge-minded Steelers team at Heinz Field. I do expect some hiccups from the Steelers early, and perhaps a missed field goal from the Browns’ replacement at kicker, Greg Joseph, but look for the Steelers to pull away and then hold off Mayfield down the stretch. … Steelers, 24-17.
BY THE NUMBERS
4: Quarterbacks with an undefeated record in 10 or more home games against against any one opponent since 1970: Roethlisberger (10-0 vs. Browns); Terry Bradshaw (11-0 vs. Browns); Troy Aikman (10-0 vs. Cardinals); Brett Favre (18-0 vs. Lions).
22: Receiving yards needed for JuJu Smith-Schuster to set a Steelers record for fewest games to gain 1,500 yards.
80: Rushing yards by Chubb, the Browns’ new starting running back, in his first career start last week.
453: Rushing yards by James Conner ranks fifth in the NFL.
2,033: Passing yards by Roethlisberger ranks first in the NFL.
DOWNLOADS
n Tomlin said at his weekly press conference that it seemed as if Chubb played at Georgia for eight years. That’s the perception of four-year backs who compile 4,769 yards. Chubb averaged 6.3 yards per carry, but that’s been topped in the NFL. His current 7.4-per carry average was bolstered by a 63-yard touchdown run against the Raiders that no doubt had a hand in the Browns trading Hyde. Both backs weigh in the 227-230 range, but Chubb is a bit faster (4.52 vs. 4.66) and a lot stronger (29 reps to 19 reps). Both were second-round draft picks; Chubb this year and Hyde in 2014.
“I thought Hyde did a good job,” said Steelers DT Cameron Heyward. “Maybe they’re looking for that home run hitter type. I know they’re both downhill (runners) but Chubb will stretch that edge and then hit that corner and go, so maybe that’s what they’re looking for.”
n Steelers guard David DeCastro insists the Steelers are a better team than the one that left Cleveland with a 21-21 tie on opening day. “I don’t know what it is with this team. We seem to start a little slow when it’s warm out, and then football weather kind of hits and everything starts clicking. We’ve got to keep it going.”
n The Steelers are tied for second in the NFL with 22 sacks while the Browns have given up the most sacks in the league, 31. T.J. Watt leads the Steelers with six, but it’s variety that’s worked best as 10 different players have gotten to opposing QBs this season. Does coordinator Keith Butler sense a big opportunity today?
“I hope we have an opportunity to win. Whatever it takes to win,” said Butler. “If we get sacks that’s fine. If we don’t, let’s get interceptions and fumbles. That would help, too. We are going to do our best and see what happens.”
n Jon Bostic has taken the ILB sacks lead away from Vince Williams, who had eight last season. Williams has only one this season while Bostic has 2.5. The two are flopped at the top of the tackles board, with Williams at 38 and Bostic at 36. “I don’t know if you remember James Farrior,” Butler said of Bostic. “He’s playing the same position James Farrior played when he was here, and we call it “buck” linebacker, which is our linebacker to the tight end side. That’s how he fits in our defense. … I think he’s done a good job for us.”
n The Steelers came out in the opener with a splash of Run-Pass Option plays that worked well — when they weren’t turning the ball over. The Steelers turned it over a season-high six times against the Browns, but have turned it over only four times since. That may or may not have to do with the lack of RPOs utilized, but offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner credited the Browns. “They made plays,” he said. “But whether they make a spectacular play or not, you’re responsible for the ball. So, our decisions and things like that have to be perfect.”
PARTING SHOT
“Try to start fast. The last couple weeks, we have been doing that. We’ve been playing well offensively, but we can’t take a half to get going. We have to get going early.” — Ben Roethlisberger.