Steelers - Browns Preview & Prediction

Story by Yinzer Crazy Featured Steelers Writer Adam Davidson. Follow him on Twitter @Adam_J_Davidson

It’s rare when a Steelers offense can overshadow a defense this good, but Mitch Trubisky and company are managing to pull it off for all the wrong reasons.

“Throw the ball there,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada has said of quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s difficulty finding receivers in the passing game.

“Call concepts to get receivers there,” Trubisky has said of the second-year play-caller Canada.

Is it the quarterback? Is it the offensive coordinator? Is it the strength of the opponent? No matter what the excuse, Mike Tomlin’s isn’t having it. Instead, he’s exercising “appropriate patience” in dealing with the obvious lack of offensive output, knowing that things must change even if the names and faces stay the same. For now.

In a quick turnaround from week two to week three, the Steelers will travel north to Cleveland to face a Browns organization that lives for manufacturing excuses. Whether it’s The Drive or The Fumble, or bringing in a new quarterback facing multiple accusations, the Browns are well-accustomed to misfortune and have learned to harness the power of a good excuse. With Deshaun Watson suspended for the team’s first 11 games, Cleveland turns to well-travelled veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett to hold the fort and provide just enough to win, or risk being the team's next good excuse. So far, it’s yielded mixed results, with a close victory in Carolina followed by a loss to Joe Flacco and the Jets leaving the team at 1-1. Through two weeks however, Brissett has done enough for his team to keep them afloat in a disappointing start to the year for the AFC North.

To his credit, Brissett brings a unique combination of mobility and size to the table for Cleveland, something The Browns lacked for four seasons with Baker Mayfield. It’s even caught the attention of Cam Heyward.

“He’s a strong runner in and of itself, so if he does run, you’ve got to put your full body weight on a guy like that,” Heyward told reports Tuesday via a transcript on Steelers.com. “If you don’t tackle him, he’s gonna shrug you off.”

To some, Brissett resembles a more-mobile version of Big Ben - minus the prestige. In his seventh year, Brissett has seen the ups and downs usually reserved for twenty-year vets.

A starter in his rookie year of 2016 for the Patriots, Brissett now finds himself on his fourth different team, starting again due to unforeseen circumstances. This Thursday, he’ll be performing in the spotlight of primetime with the likes of Nick Chubb - a frequent thorn in the side for the Steelers defense - and offseason acquisition Amari Cooper. Cooper will be looking to pick up where New England receivers left off: high-pointing the football in one-one coverage and using his athleticism to make the Steelers defensive backfield pay.

This past Sunday, Patriots receivers Nelson Agholor and Jakobi Meyers combined for over 200 yards, and highlighted an aspect of the Steelers’ defense that must be addressed - defending the deep ball. But as is often the case on gameday, once you plug a hole, another one pops up. Into the fourth quarter, as the Patriots favored the run over the pass to hold their lead, running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris were often left untouched for three or four yards, converting third downs and running out the clock until victory was apparent.

Prior to the fourth, the preceding three quarters were a case study of just how valuable TJ Watt is to Pittsburgh, proving the Steelers unable to generate pressure, even with Cam Heyward on rookie Cole Strange and exotic blitzes thrown in for good measure. The Patriots were able to do what they wanted, even with Mac Jones throwing a pick.

On Thursday, it’s incumbent upon the Steelers offense to convert turnovers into points and to stop pointing fingers when the defense gifts them opportunities. Despite a turnover margin of +4 this year, second-best in the league, the Steelers have scored just two touchdowns in nine quarters, redefining the term “unexceptable” for a team that has experienced poor offensive output in recent years. Still, the talent is there, and against a team that finds itself in the middle of the pack league-wide in points per game, opportunities will be presented. Especially with both Myles Garrett (neck) and Jadeveon Clowney (ankle) on the injury report.

While the Browns pride themselves on a solid run defense that’s near the top of the league, Najee Harris and the Steelers offensive line ought to be looking forward to this matchup. After all, Najee enjoyed the bulk of his success running the ball in his rookie year in games against Cleveland, whether it came by running out the clock in Cleveland, or establishing a career-long run in Big Ben’s final home game. Najee should find his groove against The Browns this Thursday night and provide some welcome relief to a Steelers unit still working out the kinks.

Indeed, despite preseason football being long left in the dust, the Matt Canada offense with Mitch Trubisky is running very “vanilla” looks against defenses, with the Bengals and Patriots often knowing where the ball was going before the Steelers did.

Gone are the days when we would look forward to the motion and versatility a Canada offense would feature if they just had a mobile QB. That day’s already here, and it’s time for Canada and company to execute more designed quarterback runs, more bootlegs and, yes, the occasional jet sweep and screen pass for an easy completion. An equal distribution of new and familiar plays is the remedy for a team on a short week.

However, there may be no appropriate remedy for what the Steelers are experiencing both on the field and perhaps in the locker room. There’s likely more drama than meets the eye for this team, and poor on-field performances may cost some prominent Steelers their jobs. If Mitch Trubisky underperforms again Thursday night, he won’t have an excuse to lean on with the chants for “Ken-ny, Ken-ny” growing louder and louder. And though the Steelers are known for exercising “appropriate patience” with their coaching staff, Matt Canada will be feeling the pressure too.

Though I anticipate a somewhat close, competitive game in Cleveland, the team that does the better job overcoming their deficiencies on offense will be the one to walk away victorious. So far through two weeks, Cleveland has appeared to be the more confident, more cohesive and more resilient team, following the example of their head coach Kevin Stefanski and embracing an “us against the world” mentality. I don’t expect that to end for the Browns at home in the Dawg House.

Prediction: Browns 24, Steelers 16