Still Curtain
FanSided

Answers to Steelers burning Questions in Thursday night brawl vs. the Browns

By Edward Hunt

CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 14: Quarterback Mason Rudolph #2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers fights with defensive end Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Steelers 21-7. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 14: Quarterback Mason Rudolph #2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers fights with defensive end Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Steelers 21-7. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
CLEVELAND, OHIO – NOVEMBER 14: Running back James Conner #30 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is tackled by the defense of linebacker Mack Wilson #51 of the Cleveland Browns during the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – NOVEMBER 14: Running back James Conner #30 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is tackled by the defense of linebacker Mack Wilson #51 of the Cleveland Browns during the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 14, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Will James Conner play this week?

It looked like the Steelers were going to get Conner back this week as he dressed for the game. He even played a bit at the beginning of the game. The problem is that his shoulder flared up, and that caused him to have to leave the game.

The Steelers missed James Conner this week as they had trouble moving the ball at all. The Steelers only scored seven points, and that is the main reason this team lost this game. Mason Rudolph has difficulty moving the ball when he doesn’t have a running game.

Something that surprised me was that the Steelers used Trey Edmunds a lot in the game. I thought they would rely more on Jaylen Samuels to be the #2 back since Conner was out. Edmunds has flashed as a runner, but I was disappointed with him in pass protection.

One thing that really hurt the running game was the ineffectiveness of the passing game. Things became complicated when Juju Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson had to leave the game with concussions.

The Steelers were left with their backup running backs and only three healthy receivers. Those three receivers were James Washington, a special teams player and a receiver from the practice squad. I’m not saying Mason Rudolph had a good game, but the Steelers did not have the playmakers to do anything on offense.

Home/Steelers News