The Steelers have their first real test this week against the Browns, and here are the reasons to be concerned heading into the week six matchup
While the Steelers had their fair share of struggles against the Eagles last week, they still put together a solid win altogether. The offense was electric behind Chase Claypool’s monster performance while the defense was solid against the run outsides of Miles Sanders 74-yard score early in the game. The biggest issue, and an unfortunate growing theme, was the struggles of the secondary, as the Eagles stayed competitive in their matchup partially due to their extended success throwing the football.
Heading into week six, the path gets less easy for the Steelers, as tougher teams begin to rear their heads for this stretch. Starting this week with the Browns, who have been on quite the hot streak, the schedule suddenly gets a bit tenser. It isn’t anything that should completely alter the Steelers game plan, but it is worth noting that the team will need to fix its problems if they want to have a chance at remaining unbeaten.
Going into this matchup, the Browns are presenting a ferocious pass rush on defense and a great rushing attack, and an inconsistent passing attack on offense. It seems like the Browns offense rotates between making incredible plays and simple mistakes, which has allowed for high scoring games both for them and their opponents. The Steelers can’t take this game lightly or else they could face a steep deficit early. All of this said, here are the four biggest causes for concern for the Steelers week six matchup against the Browns.
Hunt breaks one
While the Browns offense is without its top runner in Nick Chubb, they have more than an adequate replacement in Kareem Hunt. Hunt, who has scored six times this season, has been a force to take down and is a threat to score from all over the field. He will be going up against an elite run-stopping defense, one that has held Saquon Barkley to under 10 rushing yards and has overall prevented runners from gaining much traction against them.
All of this said, a blunder last week proved to be disastrous. Despite completely shutting Sanders down, his long rushing score provided a spark for a dormant Eagles offense. If the Steelers allow for a similar big play from Hunt, it could lead to a vital change in tempo. Considering this game is likely to be high scoring, allowing a huge play like this could prove to be a major error.
While I don’t expect Hunt to find constant success on Sunday, a big play or two could be just enough to beat the Steelers in what should be a close game. These don’t even have to be scores either, as a third and long conversion on the ground can keep drives alive and keep the Browns in the game. While stopping Hunt should be easy enough with this run defense, making sure he doesn’t home run with will be a different story.
The passing defense
As stated earlier, the Steelers pass defense has struggled through the early part of this year. Big plays and deep passes have shown up regularly in each game, and it has left some people wondering if there isn’t a regression of the starters going on right now. While struggling in the secondary hasn’t proved fatal against lackluster offenses, it could prove to be the Steelers doom in week six.
While Baker Mayfield is about as inconsistent as they come, he is far and away the best quarterback the Steelers will face so far. While the Browns have allowed for the running game to dictate the offense, so Mayfield’s interceptions are less often, he has still flashed the arm talent that got him drafted with the first pick in the draft. Given the ailing secondary, Mayfield may be able to get past his usual turnovers by tossing three or more scores.
While potentially not having Odell Beckham Jr. will be a help, the Browns still have a plethora of talented options to throw too. It is almost expected that Mayfield will have a few bad passes in every game, but if he can counter those by beating a Steelers secondary that has struggled to stop the pass, it could lead to the team’s first loss. The Steelers need to commit to stopping the pass and forcing mistakes if they want to remain unbeaten.
Myles Garrett
Even before the year began Myles Garrett would have likely made a list like this. The former first overall pick has always found a way to beat Alejandro Villanueva. Garrett has always found a way to get sacks and pressures regularly against the Steelers. That, on top of the on the field incident that occurred last year when Garret swung a helmet onto the exposed head of Mason Rudolph, should lead to a high degree of intensity in this matchup.
Then, Garrett decided to begin the year as a dominant force. While he has always been a good pass rusher, he has really turned it on this year and has been a major disruption for the opposing offenses. While Ben Roethlisberger has stayed mostly upright this year, he will certainly see more pressure than he typically does in a game. This makes his job harder and increases the odds of turnovers, something the Steelers may not be able to afford.
This game seems sure to be competitive. Mix that in with what could be a long day for Roethlisberger due to constant pressure from Garrett could lead to his worst performance of the season. While completely stopping Garrett isn’t likely, doing their best to limit his impact will be key in securing a victory this Sunday.
The game becoming a shootout
While it is likely to be a high scoring game this Sunday, the Steelers have to make sure that the game doesn’t turn into a shootout. If both defenses fail early and suddenly both offenses are tasked with scoring every drive, it’s hard to imagine the Steelers winning on Sunday. This isn’t because the Steelers have an inherently worse offense, but it will be because Roethlisberger may not be able to match pace.
Now, to be fair, Roethlisberger has looked incredible since returning from his elbow injury. Despite some long ball issues, he has made smart decisions with the ball in his hand and has helped guide the Steelers offense to a strong start to the season. That said, he has benefited from a defense that has given him some short fields and key turnovers en route to these victories.
If that goes out the window and suddenly it becomes offense vs. offense, Roethlisberger will shoulder almost all of the load. He won’t be able to throw the ball 50 plus times and expect similar results as he has seen earlier in the season. The Steelers will need their defense to make a couple of key stops and hold the Browns in check in order to win. If every offensive possession suddenly requires a score from the Steelers, Sunday could end in a bitter loss.
While there should be plenty of hope that the Steelers beat the Browns this week, there is far less certainty in this matchup than in the previous weeks. While neither team seems like a lock to win if any of the concerns above materialize, then the odds could tip in the Browns favor and the end result could be a Steelers loss.