Positional Grades: Steelers vs. Browns

Well, that was a mess.

Things got off to a bad start for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns. Then things picked up midway through the fourth quarter. Until they weren’t.

Just like that, in a tough AFC North game on the road in a blizzard on a short week, the Steelers dropped a winnable game, snapped a five-game winning streak and fell to 8-3 on the season. It was undoubtedly a frustrating loss, but the sky is not falling and this is not an indication of what lies ahead for the Steelers in the coming weeks.

It’s the type of loss you flush out and move on from – and quickly – so that’s what I’m going to try to do here. Let’s get to some grades and get into the mini bye week.

QB – B

For the most part, I thought Russell Wilson played a pretty strong game. Wilson completed 21-of-28 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown in the loss. He had a bad fumble with poor ball security in the pocket while trying to move around, which led to a Browns field goal. But overall, Wilson was sharp.

He connected on a handful of shots downfield, tossed a dime to Calvin Austin III for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and looked really good in the poor conditions. He also moved around quite well and showed his mobility.

Wilson hit some big throws down the field, hitting the likes of Austin, Van Jefferson and George Pickens on 30+ yard gains. He also made some play scripts and made smart decisions with the football, rarely putting it in harm’s way.

However, he was sacked four times in the first half, and the Steelers weren’t that sharp in the red zone either. That fumble was also big as it led to Brown’s score.

But overall a good game from Wilson, who showed that the conditions were not going to hinder him as a passer. At least it is positive.

It was nice to see Justin Fields get some looks in the game. He had a nice 30-yard run down the right sideline that gave the Steelers a spark, but he was blown up on a short-yardage play that was doomed from the start. He also had a shaky pass downfield to George Pickens on a key 3rd and 4 that was confusing to watch.

Fortunately, Fields drew a roughing the passer call on the play that extended a touchdown drive for the Black and Gold.

RB – C

A very blah performance from Najee Harris on Thursday night. The wintry conditions should have been perfect for the descent. Instead, he was bottled up and had very little impact and often seemed to work slowly downhill. Granted, he didn’t get much help from his offensive line, especially in short-yardage situations, but it was just a tough game for Harris.

He finished with just 16 carries for 41 yards and added two receptions for 13 yards. He also had a fumble recovered by Russell Wilson. He just didn’t have a lot of juice, and it didn’t work against the Browns’ penetrating defensive line.

Jaylen Warren had a little more success against Cleveland, rushing 11 times for 45 yards and a touchdown while adding three receptions for 19 yards. He attacked much quicker downhill and was able to knife through Cleveland’s defense to take advantage of penetration upfield.

The mistakes in short yardage were crazy.

WR – B

A nice day for Calvin Austin III, who continues to be the playmaker with Wilson under center. Austin finished with three receptions or 78 yards and a touchdown, hauling in a 46-yard pass from Wilson in the first half and then making a spectacular contested catch in the end zone for the go-ahead score of the game.

He develops great chemistry with Wilson.

George Pickens had a decent night with four passes for 48 yards. However, one of his catches went for 31 yards. He also had a great catch on a third-and-short in the first half, winning on a slant and making a diving catch through contact. But he was involved in a postgame dust-up in the end zone after the failed Hail Mary and later had some interesting comments about the Browns.

Van Jefferson caught a 35-yard pass from Wilson in the third quarter to spark the offense after the Steelers fell behind 18-6. He only had two receptions on the day, but one was a big play.

The use of Mike Williams is confusing and makes no sense. Williams played just 16 snaps and didn’t see a single target. It’s back-to-back games he’s gone without a goal. He is up to 50 snaps on the season with the Steelers with just one target, which went for a TD against Washington. Get him more involved.

TE — B-

Great performance by Pat Freiermuth, who had a bigger role in the passing game Thursday night. Freiermuth hauled in four passes for 59 yards and was exploited in the middle of the field a few times. It was amazing to see. He had a nice 22-yard reception on third down in the first quarter and later added some clutch catches with the Steelers in comeback mode.

Darnell Washington had three receptions for 14 yards and continues to get more work in the passing game. Connor Heyward had a great block on Fields’ 30-yard run, taking two defenders to jump Fields. But he had some bad blocks in short yardage and also had two pre-snap penalties.

Olympics – D

I thought the offensive line was a lot better in pass protection than it gets credit for considering the Browns had four sacks, all of which came in the first half. But overall the linemen held up well and gave Wilson plenty of time.

More often than not, the sacks were a result of Cleveland’s coverage on the back end, and nobody got open for Pittsburgh.

During the game, however, the offensive line was a disaster, especially in close quarters. It was pushed around by Cleveland’s defensive front and had no answers in those weighty moments.

All-22 won’t be pretty.

DL — C-

The Browns didn’t have a ton of success running the football, finishing with just 85 yards on 27 carries, but Cleveland got three rushing touchdowns and was able to run the football when needed with Nick Chubb.

The defensive line wasn’t as much of a force as I expected coming into a game against a struggling offensive line.

Cameron Heyward played some great football again, recording six tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups. He did a good job of getting his hands on pitches when he couldn’t get home on the rush, and he often controlled the point of attack against the run.

He didn’t get much help from others.

Larry Ogunjobi had three tackles, but he was unable to get to Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter on Winston’s scramble and throw to Jerry Jeudy for a big gain. Keeanu Benton was invisible for stretches, and Isaiahh Loudermilk and Dean Lowry weren’t as effective as they were last Sunday against the Ravens.

LB – C

Nick Herbig had a good night against the Browns, recording a sack, a forced fumble, four pressures, five tackles and three run stops on his 23rd birthday. He also had what appeared to be the game-changing game in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t last.

TJ Watt was seemingly invisible all night. I know the Browns chipped him quite a bit, but he only faced three true double teams, according to Next Gen Stats, and didn’t generate much pressure. He finished with four tackles and had a tackle for loss against the run, but he needs to be more impactful rushing the pass and the Steelers need to move him around more.

Preston Smith had four tackles and also made a nice play in space in coverage.

Inside, Patrick Queen was all over the place again, registering seven tackles and a pass breakup. He also generated a key pressure on third down, getting to Jameis Winston on what should have been ruled an intentional grounding but was, oddly enough, just an illegal touch penalty.

Elandon Roberts also had early pressure on a blitz, but he missed a short tackle that allowed the Browns to convert on a big play and later left the game with an injury.

Payton Wilson had six tackles and was flying around in his first matchup with the Browns. But the six tackles felt kind of empty.

DB — C-

Just a few days after being dominant against the Ravens, Joey Porter Jr. a step back in bad conditions.

Cleveland went straight to him early and often, and Porter never really adjusted. He finished with six tackles, but he gave up too much space in the passing game. He also had some miscommunication on a big play on third down in the fourth quarter with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, which led to a completion moving the chains.

Donte Jackson had a fourth-quarter interception that seemingly sealed the game for the Steelers, but he also gave up a catch to practice team-high tight end Blake Whiteheart down the field for an explosive play. Beanie Bishop Jr. nearly had an interception in the second half, but also had a tough five-yard delay of game penalty on a play that very clearly looked like WR Jerry Jeudy wasn’t touched down, Bishop made the right call to try to beat. the ball out.

DeShon Elliott was a rock for the Steelers, recording six tackles, breaking up a pass and just being all over the place. He has been a great addition. However, Minkah Fitzpatrick was pretty quiet with just three tackles. He was hit in a key spot late in the game on a Browns third-down conversion.

Special Teams — D-

Tough night for the Steelers’ special teams.

Chris Boswell missed a 58-yard field goal, though he finished 2-for-3 on the night. His march toward NFL history continues, so there’s that.

Corliss Waitman had a bad snap in the second half and ran it 15 yards, giving the Browns the ball in Steelers’ territory. That led to the game-winning points. It was also his only point of the night.

In the return game, the Steelers just generate nothing on kickoff returns. Cordarrelle Patterson looks like he’s running on sand and managed just 24 yards on two returns. Warren had a 26-yard punt return. Meanwhile, for the Browns, Jerome Ford had a 27-yard punt return to pull past Cleveland 30.

Damontae Kazee had a horrible penalty in the first quarter that blocked Mike Ford Jr. out of bounds and then didn’t stop, adding 15 yards to what was only a 12-yard punt from Cleveland’s Corey Bojorquez. Poor situational football.