The Cleveland Browns somehow defeated the Steelers on Sunday, resulting in the Black and Gold losing 13-10 in what was yet another bad game this season. As always, there are many takeaways to be found.
1. No surprises
As much as I want to say that the Steelers are disappointed against the Browns, I’m not exactly surprised by their poor performance.
Despite coming off two straight wins, the Steelers looked very similar to how they had played in their previous wins this season.
The only difference was the glaring absence of the fourth-quarter heroics that accounted for all six wins this year.
As they showed all season, the Steelers had a solid (and sometimes brilliant) defense, a thriving running game, and a passing attack that will make you regret wasting your afternoon watching the game against the Browns.
In short, it was the same on Sunday – but this time there was no victory.
That’s what the Steelers are this year: not entirely bad, but light years away from being good.
It’s vindication for critics of the Steelers this year, who said Pittsburgh needed a more sustainable formula to succeed.
Even though the Steelers have had a history of pulling out last-minute wins out of nowhere this season, true playoff contenders don’t need to “come alive” in the fourth quarter to win every game. They stay alive all the time.
2. The Steelers need to revamp their passing attack
Another week, another disappointing performance from Kenny Pickett. Against Cleveland, Pickett went 15/28 for just 106 yards and no touchdowns.
While Browns rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was also disappointing (24/43 for 165 yards and an interception), the latter ultimately outperformed the former when it came to crunch time.
What’s even worse is that the Steelers defense gave Pickett plenty of opportunities to take control of the game in the fourth quarter, but the Steelers quarterback simply couldn’t get it done.
Yes, the lack of turnovers in Pickett’s game is a legitimate strength of his, but otherwise he doesn’t do it close enough.
There are still seven games left in the regular season to turn things around, but this game should be the final nail in the coffin for Pickett’s chances of becoming the Steelers’ future quarterback.
Of course, offensive coordinator Matt Canada also did some serious damage to Pittsburgh’s offense.
After playing solid the last few weeks, his style of play against the Browns was terrible: short, ineffective runs and passes and a refusal to use the middle of the field.
But I’m tired of pretending that it’s a matter of choice between Canada and Pickett. It’s both. As bad as Canada is, he’s not the type to miss open receivers and take pressure. It’s pretty simple:
The Steelers need to overhaul their passing attack – both quarterback and offensive coordinator – before the first week of next season. 3. …But don’t bench Kenny Pickett
This may seem to contradict the previous point, but it really doesn’t. The Steelers need to replace Kenny Pickett next year, but it doesn’t benefit the team to take the plunge and bench him this late in the 2023 season.
Pickett is a leader on offense, and we’ve already seen Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph at center for the Steelers, and the results aren’t pretty.
Trubisky or Rudolph aren’t going to make this team better as the season goes on, and their play in the past has resulted in offenses as inept as the one the Steelers currently field.
Additionally, the Steelers owe Pickett a full year as a starter before officially making the decision whether to move on, although I believe the decision should already be made by now.
As far as I’m concerned the Steelers are Kenny Pickett’s team in 2023, even if they shouldn’t be in 2024.
The Steelers can’t do better than Kenny Pickett at this point in the season, but they can do better than Matt Canada. Or at least, they can’t do any worse.
While I believe the Steelers should stick with Pickett in 2023, nothing should stop them from moving on from their offensive coordinator mid-season, just like the Bills did last week. 4. Jaylen Warren is the best player on the Steelers offense
Is this a hot shot at this point? The one player on Pittsburgh’s offense that has consistently provided a spark at this point is Jaylen Warren.
He ran just nine times on Sunday, but had 129 rushing yards and a touchdown on those limited touches.
His speed, quickness, and north-south running style are well documented, but he is also a very powerful running back despite his height of 5’10”.
Since Warren is a consistent playmaker, the Steelers need to give him the ball more.
He doesn’t need all the carries – Najee Harris is a good player in his own right and running backs are a thing of the past – but he certainly deserves more than nine. Jaylen Warren is playing like the best player in the Steelers offense right now, and his usage should reflect that.
5. Cam Heyward is still very good
34-year-old Cam Heyward recorded five tackles on Sunday, consistently clogging up running lanes and proving he’s still one of the most important players on the Steelers’ defense.
Whether it’s his ability to stuff the run or non-stop hustle, Heyward was the main reason the Steelers defense was able to hold a strong Cleveland running game under 100 yards.
Heyward’s understudy, rookie Keeanu Benton, is doing well, but make no mistake: the Steelers will have a tough time replacing Heyward’s presence on the defensive line once he finally hangs up his cleats.
6. A surprisingly strong cornerback duo
Do you know who has been playing really well in recent weeks? Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson.
After a very difficult start to the 2023 season, the veteran cornerback’s name is mentioned less and less in the media and he has even made some spectacular plays.
On the other side of the field, rookie Joey Porter Jr. struggled with penalties and crafty route runners like Amari Cooper, but held his own for the most part.
Sure, the Steelers weren’t exactly facing one of the strongest quarterbacks or wide receivers in the NFL on Sunday, but it was still a promising performance.
With the Steelers’ safety margin so thin right now, good cornerback play couldn’t be more important to Pittsburgh’s defensive success.
7. Little things
The Steelers fielded a number of reserve players on defense Sunday, ranging from players like Mykal Walker at linebacker to Trenton Thompson at safety. Overall, the understaffed unit performed very well.
This was another tough game from punter Pressley Harvin. The Steelers may have both a franchise punter problem and a franchise quarterback problem. At least it seems like a simpler solution.
The Steelers won’t be able to use Dan Moore Jr. as a blocker next year. From a fairly obvious safety that never got called to a Browns touchdown that never clearly crossed the goal line, it was a tough day for the officials in Cleveland.
And these are just some of the enigmatic calls that permeate the game.
Only one sack by TJ Watt and the Steelers defense, despite two tackles to spare. There’s more that matters than just sacks (their defense was good), but you hope to see better numbers from a very talented (and expensive) pass rush.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team run as poorly as the Steelers. Elandon Roberts had a really good game against the Browns.
Hopefully, that’s a trend that continues, as the Steelers need all the help they can get in a very tight linebacker room.
The Steelers’ above-average play looks set to last. If they can find success against Cleveland, they can compete against anyone.
If there was one thing to laugh about in Pittsburgh’s sad loss, it’s this interaction between Myles Garrett and Broderick Jones involving a loose Steelers helmet.
Jones wasn’t even on the Steelers when the first Garrett/Steelers helmet incident occurred, but he clearly watched the tape and was prepared.
