3 winners and 2 losers from Steelers 24-22 loss vs. Browns

Losers: The offensive tackles

The line as a whole wasn’t horrible, but it certainly wasn’t pretty for either of the tackles in this game’s matchups. While the Steelers only gave up one sack, the pocket seemed to consistently be collapsing and it led to some struggles in both the rushing and passing offense. The offense overcame these woes, but it was hard to see either tackle get so soundly beat by the Browns pass rushers.

To his defense, Alejandro Villanueva has usually struggled to stop Myles Garrett, but Chukwuma Okorafor had an equally miserable game against Oliver Vernon. This in turn led to little protection along the edges which allowed for more quarterback pressures and a limited running attack. Even after Garrett headed to the bench, Villanueva seemed to struggle to contain the Browns backup pass rushers.

While week 17 was certainly a weak point for the two tackles, both have rebounded before. Luckily, they will likely have to face off against the same rushers next week, so they will have an idea of what to expect. That said, they can’t continue to lose to these rushers like they did this week. It will further limit the offense and make the starting unit struggle to move the ball in the playoffs.