Welcome back to the “One random Steelers play” series. For the full details, feel free to check out this article. But for the TL;DR: We’re using a random number generator to pick a Steelers play from the 2025 season to analyze.
Today, Google’s random number generator chose Week 17, and play No. 139 of the Steelers’ 13-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, one of Pittsburgh’s lowest moments in the 2025 season.
Let’s take a look:
The context: Pittsburgh has the ball. It’s first and 10 with the ball on the Browns’
21-yard line. There are 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Steelers are down 13-6.
Here’s the play:
As always, we start by pausing before the snap:
Here, the Steelers are in desperate need of a tying touchdown in the final minute of the game, and to make matters worse, they’re out of timeouts. After a 29-yard catch and run from Pat Freiermuth on the prior play, Pittsburgh is in no-huddle.
This is also a nice snapshot of how rough the Steelers receiver room was at times last season. This was the first week of DK Metcalf’s suspension following his Week 16 incident with a Lions fan, while Calvin Austin III was out of the lineup with a hamstring injury.
But despite being active, Roman Wilson barely broke into the rotation against the Browns, logging single-digit snaps and no catches. Instead, on the field in a game-deciding drive are midseason veteran signings Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, as well as Scotty Miller. Still, Pittsburgh does have strong receiving weapons at tight end and running back on the field, with Pat Freiermuth and Kenneth Gainwell in the game.
The Browns, recognizing it’s a pass-heavy situation, are in their dime package (six defensive backs) on defense, with three safeties, three cornerbacks, and just one linebacker. They’re in a two-high shell, making sure to keep everything in front of them — just don’t give up a touchdown, and it’s a win for Cleveland.
Pittsburgh’s play call is an RPO here: a run-pass option where Rodgers can choose to hand the ball to Kenneth Gainwell on the weak side zone run, or attempt a pass. The route concepts Rodgers has to choose from are a fade from Miller at the X, a bubble screen to Thielen from the slot with MVS blocking, and a seam/spot route to Pat Freiermuth.
It has to be a quick throw from the quarterback. With the offensive line run blocking (watch how far left guard Spencer Anderson climbs to the second level of the defense), an illegal man downfield penalty is a big risk.
There’s not a vertical option here besides a low-percentage throw to Miller, but it’s a great play call as the Browns are giving up a lot of space near the line of scrimmage. Whether Rodgers chooses Freiermuth, Thielen, or a handoff to Gainwell, there’s a good shot at a solid gain.
Rodgers makes up his mind quickly, taking just over a second from snap to throw, faking the handoff and hitting Freiermuth in a gap in the coverage as the two closest defenders are a tick slow to react.
It’s not a great throw, but considering Rodgers has no time to even step into it, it’s good enough. Freiermuth has to make a full 360 to grab the ball and continue upfield, but he does so smoothly — despite making the catch at the 16-yard line, he’s able to turn and drag himself past the 10-yard line to set the Steelers up for first and goal.
The play took 21 seconds of the Steelers’ remaining 53, but the Steelers were still able to get four more plays out of the game. However, the deficiencies in the team’s passing game showed up in a big way: After completing a quick out to Thielen, three successive end zone shots to Valdes-Scantling fell incomplete, and the Steelers lost. And to make it even more painful, Rodgers and MVS only looked like they were on the same page on one of those throws.
The Browns would take over on downs, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders kneeling out the clock to secure the Cleveland win.
What are your takeaways from this play? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments.
