Steelers look to keep momentum rolling in Cleveland
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT
Browns 13, Steelers 6
Dec. 10, 2009, at Cleveland Browns Stadium
Joe Haden said that anything under 20 degrees is too cold, but 10 years ago these teams played a Thursday night game in 15-degree weather with the winds blowing off the lake across the street at 25-48 m.p.h. for a wind-chill of -6. No wonder Ben Roethlisberger didn’t want to go out for warm-ups. It was the Steelers’ fourth game in 19 days, and the loss, the fourth of the four, and fifth in a row, effectively finished the Steelers’ championship reign. The Steelers punted on their first five possessions, kicked two field goals out of their next five (with three punts), and on the final possession couldn’t convert a fourth-and-6 from the Cleveland 39. It made the Steelers 6-7. They ended 9-7, and didn’t make the playoffs for the only time in Mike Tomlin’s first five seasons.
TALE OF THE TAPE
“The thing that jumps out at me is the Browns’ run game. They run a lot of wide stuff. They pull both guards, pull one guard, then the counter trap with a guard and an H-back pulling. I’m impressed with Nick Chubb. He’s strong, compact, has good balance, is quick to the hole, has a great jump cut. He’s really hard to bring down, and he is a real cutback guy. Great vision. He’s got over 900 yards and 6 touchdowns. I’m very, very impressed with him. Their offensive line, they run block well. They use Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the same backfield at times, a pony backfield.” — Steelers Radio analyst Tunch Ilkin.
TOP QUESTION
Can the Steelers bring enough emotion to win their fourth game in 18 days?
Only twice in franchise history have the Steelers played so many games in so few days. In 2008, they beat the Bengals 27-10 to complete a 3-1 run, and in the only road instance, on Thanksgiving Day, 1998, the Steelers lost to the Lions in overtime to complete a 2-2 run. This chance to run the 4-game table will find staunch emotional opposition against the 3-6 Browns, who will treat this game as their Super Bowl.
“I don’t care if it’s their Super Bowl,” countered Cameron Heyward. “It’s our Super Bowl. Every week we’re trying to claw back and the job’s not done. Just because we’re over .500, it means nothing.”
THREE QUESTIONS: WITH CB JOE HADEN
Q: Is going to Cleveland to play the Browns still special for you?
JH: “It’s always going to be a little special because I spent seven years there. That’s not going to go away. I just want to win a little more. I don’t know if that’s possible but I want to go out there and have a good performance.”
Q: Was last Sunday your best game?
JH: “That was for sure my best game as a Steeler — one thousand percent. I was just in it, man. I was able to make plays. The film study we were doing came to fruition and we were talking. Very communicative the whole time. And what we studied was what we saw in the game, so it made it a lot easier.”
Q: Physically, is this the best you’ve felt in the last few years?
JH: “Yeah. Definitely. For sure. I’m feeling a hundred percent. On the field, I’m ready to go. And that (last game) was just from what we see on film, talking to my guys, knowing Minkah’s behind, knowing Terrell’s there, so you can take chances and be a little tighter on guys. And then with the rush being what it is, it’s just all working together.”
GAME BREAKDOWN
What to look for from the Steelers tonight at FirstEnergy Stadium
ON OFFENSE:
The Steelers need to block Myles Garrett, who’s tied for third in the NFL with 10 sacks. The Steelers get a break in that Olivier Vernon, their best interior rusher, has been ruled out. But if Garrett is blocked, the Steelers can attack a secondary that’s allowing a QB passer rating of 99.4 (22nd) for the season, and has allowed 11.6 yards per completion in their last five games. The Steelers’ offense should be healthy with the return of left guard Ramon Foster and running back James Conner, who no doubt wants to make amends for his big fourth-quarter fumble in last year’s tie in Cleveland.
ON DEFENSE:
The Steelers must do a better job stopping the run against Chubbs, and that means T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree must set the edge and everyone else must play with gap discipline. If they stop the run, the rush can collapse the pocket against a below-average group of pass-protectors and a quarterback in Baker Mayfield who’s short and flashes “happy feet” at the first sign of trouble. The Steelers are third in the league in sacks and the Browns are 19th in protection. The Steelers are also healthy on defense, with the possible exception of Haden, who was a late add to the injury list with an illness.
PREDICTION
Hate the spot for the Steelers (fourth game in 18 days) and I give the Browns the edge in motivation and emotion, since they’re behind the Steelers in the standings and are playing at home. And if the Browns play it right, Chubb can exploit a Steelers run defense that’s allowed 4.5 yards per carry in the last five games. Of course, the Steelers are better coached, have a smart, patient and improving quarterback, and we can expect the receivers to clean up a bunch from Sunday’s messy performance. The Steelers are also MUCH more efficient (yards per point) on offense and defense. The game’s worrisome for several reasons, but I’m looking for a few more turnovers from Mayfield and finally a solid showing from the Steelers’ skill players … Steelers, 23-20.
BY THE NUMBERS
3: Consecutive games in which the Steelers have turned the ball over on their opening drive. The Dolphins and Colts scored touchdowns, the Rams kicked a field goal.
5: Passes defensed last Sunday by Haden matches the number of passes defensed all season by the Browns’ leader in PDs, Denzel Ward.
16: Field goal conversions in 16 attempts for Browns rookie kicker Austin Siebert, who has missed three extra points. Chris Boswell has missed only a 54-yard field goal attempt for the Steelers.
26: Takeaways by the Steelers this season. It’s the most through nine games for the team since they forced forced 28 turnovers in the first nine games of the 1987 season.
116: Yards rushing by Chubb last Sunday against Buffalo. It gave him nine consecutive games with at least 75 scrimmage yards, the longest active streak in the NFL.
DOWNLOADS
n Joe Schobert has been a Steelers killer since he entered the league in 2016. He was a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, where he mentored a young man named T.J. Watt after the tight end moved to OLB. “Joe’s the nicest guy in the world, man. He’s a super nice guy,” said Watt. “He’s kind of like me, where off the field he’s nice and friendly and everything, and then he finds the switch. He’s playing his best football right now and it’s a testament to hard work and his film study. I’m happy to see him playing well.” Schobert, the Browns’ middle linebacker, leads the team and is fifth in the NFL with 82 tackles.
n Mason Rudolph, according to OC Randy Fichtner, is coming off his best game, but Rudolph’s also immersed in the first short week of his NFL playing career. Of course, the young QB who has an unquenchable thirst for improvement said he took advantage of last year’s short week. “I had a good experience last year with the flow of the week, how fast it goes, how you’ve got to really supplement mental reps for physical and take advantage of all the meeting time with your coaches, and when you go home you can review. Had a dry run at it last year. I was in a different position, but I feel good about it. I feel our guys are going to turn around real quick and play well.” Rudolph’s seven-game streak of at least an 81.4 passer rating is the third-longest active streak in the league.
n Minkah Fitzpatrick is the first Steeler with four interceptions in the first nine weeks of the season since OLB Joey Porter in 2002. He’s also the first Steeler to have four or more interceptions and a forced fumble in his first or second NFL season since SS Troy Polamalu in 2004.
n Fitzpatrick might be the big name in Pittsburgh, in terms of Defensive Player of the Year candidate (The Fitz That Saved Pittsburgh?), but don’t count Watt out. His 22 QB hits are first in the league and he’s either first or second on the Steelers in sacks (9.5), tackles-for-loss (8), forced fumbles (4) and fumble recoveries (3). His 11 career forced fumbles are tied for the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2017. Tonight he’ll square off against former teammate Chris Hubbard.
n The Steelers joined elite company by allowing the Rams only 1 first-down conversion in 14 third-down attempts Sunday. The only other Pittsburgh defense to allow so few conversions in 14 attempts was the 1994 “Blitzburgh” unit, which allowed 1-for-14 against the Giants. Others with similarly low percentages were the 1995 defense vs. Jacksonville (2-for-14) and Houston (2-for-16), and the 2005 defense vs. Cleveland (2-for-16). Those three previous defenses advanced to at least the AFC Championship Game.
PARTING SHOT
“It’s huge. They just keep getting more and more important. That’s why you like it, especially this time of year. It’s a huge game for us. Extremely huge game for both of us at this time of the season.” — Steelers RG David DeCastro.