3 things to know about Steelers Week 6 matchup vs. Browns
A lot of people will talk about Myles Garrett hitting Mason Rudolph in the head with his own helmet in 2019, but he’s still a terrific player.
Don’t let this weird occurrence take away from the fact that Myles Garrett is one of the most dominant players in the league today. He is currently ranked 2nd in the league in sacks. He is the 3rd highest graded edge defender in the NFL, per PFF. That comes with being the highest graded pass rusher as an edge defender, and tied for the highest grade out of all positions as a pass rusher. He isn’t the strongest in the league against the run, but he is as good as anyone in the league at getting after the quarterback, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have to be mindful of it.
The Pittsburgh Steelers still have the highest amount of sacks per game. Cleveland is ranked 14th. However, if both Olivier Vernon and Larry Ogunjobi are healthy, this pass rush will be fierce. Larry Ogunjobi is the 3rd-highest-graded run defender from the defensive interior. He has been playing limited snaps due to injury this season, however he has obtained 5.5 sacks in each of his last two seasons. As he gets healthier, he will become more of a factor in this pass rush and that will make this group elite.
Olivier Vernon has also dealt with some injuries, and has missed a few games this season as a result. That being said he is a good pass rusher who has never tallied less than 6.5 sacks with at least 11 starts in a season. Injuries have been a factor for him in the past as he only played in 10 games for Cleveland last year, resulting in only 3.5 sacks in 2019. If he can get his body right, he will pair very well with Myles Garrett and it will result in a very rough duo to have to defend against.
With the health of Pittsburgh’s offensive line seriously in question, we will have to see how well Pittsburgh can hold off this pass rush for Cleveland. If they continue to get the ball out of Ben Roethlisberger’s hands quickly, as they did against Philadelphia, then they should be able to keep him relatively clean.
light. Must Read. 5 Steelers that need to see more playing time going forward
This will be an interesting game. The Browns will likely have to throw the ball to their ultra-talented pass catchers with Pittsburgh’s defense being so effective against the run. Meanwhile, the Cleveland pass rush, spearheaded by Myles Garrett, will look to get Ben Roethlisberger on the ground early and often.