5 takeaways from Steelers vs. Browns Thursday night slug-fest

The Pittsburgh Steelers were defeated by Browns on Thursday night. Here are my takeaways from their ugly performance in Cleveland.

It was an ugly performance by the Steelers on Thursday night that was ultimately capped off with a slug-fest quite unlike anything we have seen in recent years. Pittsburgh trailed the entire game but still were just a touchdown away from things up in the fourth quarter before Mason Rudolph threw his 3rd and 4th interceptions of the game.

Chaos ensued during the finals seconds as Mason Rudolph, and Myles Garrett got chippy. Eventually, Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and used it as a weapon against him.

While Pittsburgh’s defense performed well, this is a game Steelers fans are going to want to forget. Here are my takeaways from the Steelers loss to the Browns:

Neither team emerged victorious

Though the Browns are now a win richer than they were before Thursday night, neither team emerged victorious after this contest. The Steelers were devastated with injuries, and the Browns lost their best player, Myles Garrett, for the remainder of the season due to suspension. Both teams must now find ways to overcome their losses suffered in Week 11.

Injuries continue to mount, limit offense

The list of injuries just got more prominent after Thursday night. The Steelers already struggling offense could be in for some of their worst football yet after JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, and Diontae Johnson each went down with injuries this week. I won’t have very high expectations for this group next week.

Depth severely lacking on offense

Because of the injuries mentioned above to Steelers skill players, other guys were forced to step up. However, things went from bad to worse Pittsburgh’s offense. Receiver Johnny Holton drew a pass interference call but was otherwise useless against the Browns. He caught just 1 of 7 targets thrown his direction.

Likewise, former practice squad receiver, Tevin Jones, was forced into action but did little to help this unit, while Jaylen Samuels and Trey Edmunds continue to be ineffective in the absence of James Conner and Benny Snell.

The defense continues to shine

Despite all of the offensive woes the Steelers have been faced with this season, the defense somehow continues to shine. Mason Rudolph continually put Keith Butler’s squad in unfavorable positions on defense because of turnovers, but Pittsburgh managed to overcome. They were able to hold Baker Mayfield to just 193 passing yards and shut down Nick Chubb and the run game to only 3.0 yards per carry.

Minkah Fitzpatrick is human after all

Fans couldn’t get enough of Minkah Fitzpatrick since being traded to the Steelers after week two, but the phenomenal free safety finally came back down to earth on Thursday night. Minkah’s name was hardly mentioned as he was involved in just two tackles and no pass defenses on the evening. We knew he was due for one of these games