The Pittsburgh Steelers have a good record, currently 3-1-0. They lead the AFC North Division, which isn’t saying much since all of the other ballclubs are not doing well this year.
The Cincinnati Bengals
were supposed to be good this year, but ultimately stink after they lost their starting quarterback, Joe Burrow, and their backup, Jake Browning, has played awful. Their offensive line has been ranked towards the bottom, and they can’t cover a pass. Maybe former Browns signal-caller Joe Flacco can spark their offense.
RELATED: BROWNS VS. STEELERS NEED TO KNOW
What in the heck is wrong with the Baltimore Ravens? A ton of media outlets had them competing with either the Kansas City Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game this year. But Holy Caramba Batman, how did this group become such a mess?
And of course, this school project we call the Cleveland Browns. Great punter, great defense, great rookie class, and a sprinkling of good to mediocre players on offense.
The Browns’ offense simply stinks. They cannot move the ball and finish drives. Punter Corey Bojorquez is so far this group’s MVP.
One of the big factors has been the inability to keep their offensive tackles healthy, without any dependable backup help. RT Jack Conklin has missed 36 games since coming to Cleveland in 2020. This is LT Dawand Jones’ third season, and he has been hurt how many times? Three. So, if he plays 20 years in this league, he will become injured 20 times – is that how the math works?
And by the offense using three to five plays on drives, this does not allow the defense to get any adequate rest on the sideline. So, come the fourth quarter, they are spent and can’t be depended upon to have the energy to stop their opponents from driving down the field and get in field goal range.
The current AFC North Division standings:
Steelers 3-1-0, division 0-0
- Bengals 2-3-0, division 1-0
- Ravens 1-4-0, division 1-0
- Browns 1-4-0, division 0-2
Before the season began, basically, nobody was talking about the Steelers other than the team media and fan pages. They were perceived to be a middle-of-the-road franchise and win somewhere around seven to nine games. After QB Aaron Rodgers was signed, FOX Sports set an over/under win total at 8.5 victories. Others offered a more cautious approach, with a “wide range of outcomes” being the consensus.
And now, right out of the gate, they are 3-1. But let’s look at their record a bit.
Week 1: Defeated the New York Jets 34-32. The Jets are now 0-5-0 and have been beaten by good, average, and bad teams. At one point, New York was winning 19-10 in the first half and 26-17 going into the final quarter, and outscored their opponent 17-6 in the final stanza. Rodgers was sacked four times. 53 yards rushing.
Week 2: Lost to the Seattle Seahawks 31-17 at home. Seahawks are now 3-2-0. Rodgers was sacked three times. Only 72 yards rushing. Had a 14-7 lead at the half, was outscored 24-3 in the final two quarters.
Week 3: Beat the New England Patriots 21-14. New England’s record is now 3-2-0. 139 total passing yards with 64 rushing.
Week 4: Came out of Dublin with a 24-21 win. Vikings had 350 passing yards. Rodgers was sacked twice.
Other stats:
- First downs: 19, 13, 17, 19
- Third down efficiency: 4-10; 5-15; 4-9; 4-10
- Offensive turnovers: 0, 2, 1, 0
- Red Zone (made/attempts): 3-3; 1-2; 3-3; 2-5
Now let’s examine team stats and see what the numbers say.
Pittsburgh Offense
The Steelers are ranked dead last in total passing yards with 798. They rank #31 in rushing yards with 320.
They can’t throw, and they can’t run. This offense cannot move the ball whatsoever. They have the second fewest rushing attempts and are dead last in passing attempts.
Meanwhile, the Browns’ defense is ranked #7 against the pass, although they have allowed 10 TD passes so far, which is not good. Cleveland is tied for the third most sacks (14). This group is ranked #3 against the run, allowing an average of just 3.0 yards per carry, which is ranked #1, and 378 total yards.
This means teams can’t run on Cleveland’s defense and struggle against it with the passing game.
A horrible Steelers offense that can’t run or pass, against a superior Browns’ defense that stops both.
However, where the Browns are really bad defensively is when their opponents get into the Red Zone. In this category, Cleveland is ranked dead last in the league. They allow a scoring conversion rate of 78.6%. Granted, the vast majority of these points scored have originated in the fourth quarter when the defense is pretty tired.
Overall, Cleveland’s defense is ranked #2. But this is their Achilles heel.
Pittsburgh Defense
The Steelers are ranked #15 against the run and have allowed a very low four rushing touchdowns. Cleveland is just now beginning to get a running game going. For one, rookie RB Quinshon Judkins is showing why he was selected early in the second round of this year’s NFL draft and improves each week.
Every game, his carries have increased, and so has his overall production. In his first contest, he had 10 attempts for 61 yards with three receptions for 10 yards. This past Sunday against the Vikings, Q had 23 carries for 110 yards and one 18-yard reception. He is also a good blocker when held in.
Will the Browns be able to run against the Steelers? Depends. RT Jack Conklin has returned, which helps tremendously. Left tackle remains unsolved as KT Leveston and the new guy, Cam Robinson, appear to tag-team this position. Neither is doing well. The only solution on the roster is Cornelius Lucas, who did not play well when he was inserted into Conklin’s spot for a few games.
Now, onto the passing game. Pittsburgh’s pass defense. This is the Steelers’ best attribute so far, and they are good in certain areas. They are ranked #14 against the pass, allowing 1,131 yards, seven passing TDs (ranked #16), 69.6% completion ratio (#26), 96 completions (#9), five interceptions (#8), and 14 pass completions of 20+ yards (#19).
While the Steelers’ pass defense excels at the elimination of the long ball, they are excellent at eliminating the intermediate throws as well. Where they are at risk goes back to that 69.6% completion ratio, which is a fairly high number.
This defense does not defend covering the tight end very well. This is their weak spot.
Cleveland needs to play both David Njoku and rookie Harold Fannin a lot and exploit this aspect of their defense. Target both players repeatedly, even if it is for minimal gain. This alone sets up the run.
Neither Njoku nor Fannin is being used much in games. Against the Detroit Lions, Njoku had just three targets with two catches. How is that utilizing his talents? Fannin is not terrorizing the league because he isn’t getting enough targets. He had four targets with four catches in the Vikings game for 13 yards. Four targets against Green Bay and five in the Baltimore Ravens’ loss.
Fannin has a grand total of 173 yards, of which 85 yards are YAC (yards after contact) production. Njoku has only 195 yards with his YAC number at 105. These are high YAC numbers for these two players, who will move and shove for extra yardage.
Both Njoku and Fannin are athletic and have freakish leaping abilities. Why aren’t they being used? Play these two on offense a ton against the Steelers and throw it to them all game long.
Pittsburgh might be leading the AFC North but they are a very beatable team heading into Week 6 against Cleveland.
