An Old School Battle Is On The Horizon

By Brien Hanley on November 17, 2023

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The “rivalry” between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers has been one-sided for years. To put things in perspective Ben Roethlisberger’s record versus the Browns was 26-2-1.

Things are different this year. Even with the Browns losing Deshaun Watson to a season ending injury and starting Doriann Thompson-Robinson, there is no reason to expect Sunday to be anything different than an all out dogfight. Both teams will feature stingy defenses that sometimes win games by themselves and Kenny Pickett has been the definition of inconsistent.

Fortunately for Steelers fans, winning ugly has been the Black and Gold’s specialty this season. Sunday will be no different.  Let’s take a look at some of the keys to a Pittsburgh victory

Kenny Pickett Must Step Forward

It’s time for Pickett to take the next step. There hasn’t been a game in his short career where you can undeniably argue that he has played great. 

Does his entire future rest on this game, of course not. But I think it’s fair to start asking the question of when he will grab a hold of the position. His inconsistency this season has clearly held back what the Steelers are trying to accomplish. Take last week versus the Packers. The ground game was cooking. It was Pickett that had the offense sputtering. Not Matt Canada. Not the offensive line.

The Browns defense will present a very difficult challenge. They stop the run. They rush the passer with one of the best in football in Myles Garrett. They can also defend the pass. Picketts accuracy and decision making can’t be in question if Pittsburgh. wants to take control of this one. 

Defensive Dawgs Must Play Like Dawgs

Look no further than the first match in week. Defense ruled the day and literally won the game for the Steelers. Scoring two touchdowns and stopping the Browns to end the game doesn’t even tell the whole story. They constantly harassed Watson from the edge and got a huge push up the middle from Larry Ogunjobi and DeMarvin Leal. With a rookie quarterback starting, it will be imperative to continue to get that up front push.

TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith were virtually unblockable the first go around. So dropping back 40 times again may not be the best strategy for the Browns. Especially when they actually had success running the football. Even after Nick Chubb’s gruesome injury, Cleveland found success on the ground. Expect a huge dose of Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt.

Cam Heyward missed the initial contest and is starting to round back into form. With the Steelers down another middle linebacker for the season due to injury, a strong interior push at the point of attack will be key. 

Keeping the Browns off schedule on the early downs will help to eliminate their play action. Landon Ronberts is an outstanding run stuffer. But he struggles against the run. As we saw last week against Green Bay, he was chasing an awful lot in coverage. The Browns are going to look to exploit those match ups.  The more the Steelers can keep Cleveland in 3rd and long the better.

Offensive Line Must Continue Their Momentum

55 yards is all Pittsburgh could muster on the ground in week 2. No push at the point of attack and a bad plan of trying to run wide versus a speedy defense were problematic. 

Some of those issues seem to have been fixed as the running game has found life over the last 3 weeks, culminating in a 205 yard outburst last Sunday against the Packers. Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris both had their best games of the season. They ran with purpose and great vision. It’s the type of effort that will be required for any success on the ground against the Browns.

Broderick Jones’ insertion into the starting line up can’t be understated. His athletic ability has allowed offensive coordinator Matt Canada to expand his playbook. Using him to pull and be the lead blocker has maximizes the ability of the entire offensive line.

Watch Broderick Jones move. So athletic. Huge block. Thank God Chuks ran his mouth. pic.twitter.com/WeqrZMtpSi

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) November 12, 2023

Keeping Garrett under control is a different animal. Watt and Garrett are looked at in many circles as equals. Watt dominated the game and scored the game winning touchdown when the teams met in September. Garrett finished with 1 tackle. No question he will be out to leave a more lasting impression in this contest. Play action and chipping will help slow him down. Look for rookie Darnell Washington to battle Garrett on run downs as well.

With slow paced offense an hard hitting, game breaking defenses, this game is shaping up to be everything fans want in this rivalry. If the Steelers are ready for the fight they have the opportunity to take a huge step towards the postseason.

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