On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed the Cleveland Browns to Acrisure Stadium and exacted some revenge on the Browns for a loss earlier in the season. The 27-6 blowout wasn't as close as the score and it highlighted the gap between the top and bottom of the AFC North. Here are our takeaways from the win.
The four-man edge rotation worked
There was a near-even split between the Steelers four edge rushers and it worked like a charm. The rotation of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer kept fresh legs on the field and amped up the rush rate and time to quarterback in a big way en route to eight sacks.
Jaylen Warren is a legit MVP candidate
I'll continue to say it, there aren't five guys in the NFL playing better football right now than Jaylen Warren. Warren had his fourth 100-yard rushing game
on Sunday and is easily the most explosive player on the Steelers roster. Warren finished with 143 rushing yards and a score.
There's a disconnect in the red zone
The biggest mystery surrounding this team on offense is who is making the calls in the red zone. Some believe head coach Mike McCarthy is calling runs and Aaron Rodgers is checking to passes or that this is coming from the top. Either way, this is the issue the team must focus on during the bye week so this team makes the best use of its red-zone opportunities.
DK Metcalf would be cut if not for his salary
Sorry, but it's true. If the Steelers didn't have so much invested in Metcalf, he wouldn't be on the team. His season has been a nightmare and his eight drops rank as the second-worst in the NFL. At this point, it's in his head and we hope he uses the bye week to get his mind right.
This team can win in the playoffs
If you can impose your will at the line of scrimmage, you can beat anyone and that's what the Steelers did on Sunday and have been doing for a month. Pittsburgh's offensive line is improving and the defensive front is starting to gel under DC Patrick Graham. This is the best team we've seen since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers vs Browns: 5 big takeaways from the blowout win
