Football Footnotes: 5 key points where Steelers can improve against Browns
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Plenty of things went wrong when the Pittsburgh Steelers visited Cleveland and lost 24-19 on Nov. 21. It’s the team’s only defeat in the past seven outings. After the game, most folks were blaming the coaching staff.
Rightfully so. It was a lousy performance. Every 50-50 decision Mike Tomlin and his assistants had to make that night went the wrong way. That happens sometimes. Also, the weather was rotten, and the officiating was dubious at best.
But the players could’ve done a better job too. Let’s not leave them off the hook.
So, for this Friday’s “Football Footnotes,” here are five key areas where the players themselves need to improve during Sunday’s Round 2 of Steelers-Browns at Acrisure Stadium.
Clamp down on Jerry Jeudy
Heading into the first game, a lot of questions were fired at defensive players about how the Browns were compensating for the absence of Amari Cooper, who had been traded to Buffalo a few weeks earlier. Most of the answers were about Cedric Tillman.
That was for good reason. Over the previous four games, Tillman had been targeted 40 times for 24 catches, three touchdowns and 301 yards.
But Tillman suffered a concussion during the Steelers game. He didn’t play Monday night in Denver and hasn’t practiced yet this week.
Meanwhile, Jerry Jeudy has emerged as Jameis Winston’s top target. With Tillman out, Jeudy was targeted 13 times for nine catches, 235 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos. Over his past five games, Jeudy has 33 catches for 714 yards and two scores.
He caught all six targets he got against the Steelers two weeks ago to the tune of 85 yards.
I do not know how Jameis Winston perfectly placed this ball in between three Steelers defenders to Jerry Jeudy.
Let alone in these wild conditions… pic.twitter.com/T2YPFhrDj7
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) November 22, 2024
“Jeudy is a very talented guy,” cornerback Donte Jackson said. “He is one of the best route runners you see on a week-to-week basis. Jameis really, really trusts that guy to get in and out of his breaks very precisely, very accurately. If you see him get the ball in space, you expect him to make a lot of guys miss and go for a home run.”
During the first seven games of this season, Jeudy topped 35 yards receiving just once with Deshaun Watson as the quarterback.
Get the pass rush going
T.J. Watt had four tackles but was shut out in the sack department during Game 1 between the teams. Nick Herbig’s strip-sack of Winston was the only sack of the game for the Steelers.
Nick Herbig with the strip sack! @Steelers ball!#PITvsCLE on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/2GbNlOxeS2— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2024
That has to improve, especially if the Browns’ defense gets as much pressure as it did on their side of the ball. Moving T.J. Watt around a little bit could aid the cause.
Getting Alex Highsmith back from an ankle injury should also be a big factor. Hopefully, we’ll see all three of those linebackers on the field at the same time on more than a few occasions this week.
“It’s pretty exciting, isn’t it? Let’s see where the roads lead. We’ve got a week of prep,” Mike Tomlin said of his linebackers on Tuesday. “You can’t run out of rushmen. I’m so excited about the potential of getting Alex Highsmith back, and the development of Herbig, the acclimation of Preston (Smith).”
When Cleveland came to Pittsburgh last year, Watson was sacked six times. In 2022, it was seven times.
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On offense, win more often up front
Especially early in the game.
For as bad as things were in the first half against Cleveland along the offensive line, they got better after halftime — and they were quite good in Cincinnati.
All four of Cleveland’s sacks — including all three of Myles Garrett’s — were in the first half.
Myles Garrett sends the game to halftime with his THIRD sack!#PITvsCLE on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0sP0TxKk62— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2024
“We want to be able to slow (Garrett) down. I think that we responded really well (after halftime),” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “It wasn’t some new technique or anything like that. It’s just (that) we were able to lock down and do what we do really well. And I think Dan (Moore) did a really good job of that, especially in the second half.”
It wasn’t just about pass protection, either. On the ground, the Steelers had 82 yards rushing. They only had 38 before halftime.
“There were a lot of things going on, which led to some of those negative plays in the first half,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said Thursday. “Sometimes you’ve just got to bow up and execute. Obviously, those guys — credit to them in the second half. Everybody involved gave us a chance to win that game when it didn’t start the way we wanted it to.”
Meanwhile, against the Bengals, the line plowed the way for 520 yards of offense on 7.9 yards per play. Wilson was only sacked twice in 41 dropbacks. At left tackle, Moore helped to blank NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson, who had 11.5 coming into the game.
Pick up where you left off in the backfield
Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren only had five receptions and 32 receiving yards in Cleveland. They combined for 10 catches and 109 yards against the Bengals.
Obviously, that had a lot to do with exploiting the middle of the Bengals’ defense, especially with linebacker Logan Wilson absent. But there is more to be had from the backs in the passing game against the Browns.
“When we’re able to facilitate the ball to different guys, and everybody touches the football, it makes the game fun. It just makes it tough on the defense. They don’t know who to cover, where to cover,” Wilson said.
Warren had 66 receiving yards when the two teams met in Pittsburgh last year.
Rediscover the special teams edge
The game in Cleveland was the first time this year the Steelers lost the special teams battle.
Corliss Waitman had a rare, very costly bad punt in the fourth quarter. Chris Boswell actually missed a field goal (from 58 yards in bad weather). The Browns had a slight advantage in the return game as well.
With the weather expected to be better this week and somewhat of a return to normalcy last week against the Bengals, anticipate that the special teams will be back in Pittsburgh’s favor.
However, one point of emphasis should be kick return coverage. Cincinnati managed to return five of Boswell’s kicks for an average of 29 yards and a long of 38.