The Cleveland Browns suffered a painful 27-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, effectively handing sole possession of the AFC North division lead back to their rivals. In a game where the offense failed to reach the end zone and the defense slowly buckled under Pittsburgh's rushing attack, Cleveland dropped to 5-3 on the season.
While a couple of individual performers continued to deliver at a high level, systemic failures in protection and edge containment torpedoed any chance of a road comeback.
Here are the studs and duds from Week 8.
Studs
CB Denzel Ward
With Myles Garrett no longer anchoring the front line, Ward has fully assumed the mantle of superstar and leader of this defense.
Even as the overall unit labored through a rough afternoon,
Ward maintained his standard of elite shutdown play. He snagged another interception in the third quarter, bringing his season tally to three through eight games.
That total already ties his single-season career high, a mark he previously hit in 2018, 2021, and 2022. In a game where little went right, Ward proved once again why he remains one of the premier corners in football.
TE Harold Fannin Jr.
An opening-minute fumble by Fannin undeniably wiped out early offensive momentum, but what the rookie tight end did over the remaining four quarters made a definitive statement: the ball belongs in his hands. Fannin put the offense on his back, hauling in 10 receptions for 154 yards. Both marks represent new career highs and served as the engine for Cleveland's passing attack.
He repeatedly fought through contact and made contested catches, proving that his early mistake was merely a blip on an otherwise stellar afternoon.
Duds
LT Spencer Fano
Welcome to the NFL, rookie.
Fano has endured the expected ups and downs of a first-year offensive tackle, but Sunday’s outing in Pittsburgh was an absolute nightmare from start to finish.
He was repeatedly beaten off the edge in pass protection, giving up immediate pressure into the pocket and failing to generate any push in the ground game. It was a baptism by fire that exposed just how far the 21-year-old still has to go.
EDGE Jared Verse
One pressure, zero tackles, and a week of bulletin-board quotes given to the Steelers. That is the extent of what the highly regarded pass-rusher produced in Week 8.
It marks Verse’s second consecutive game without registering a single tackle on the stat sheet. Coming into the year, it was largely assumed the front office would pick up his fifth-year option without hesitation; now, his complete lack of finishing production is raising serious questions about his future with the franchise.
RB Quinshon Judkins
The rollercoaster sophomore campaign hit another valley on Sunday. Judkins was completely neutralized by Pittsburgh's defensive front, failing to find vision or create yards after contact behind an already struggling line.
His breakout 104-yard performance in Tennessee is looking increasingly like an outlier rather than a turning point for a backfield that desperately needs consistency.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Studs and Duds from the Browns' Week 8 loss to the Steelers
