Entering Week 6, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the best team in the AFC North, and the Cleveland Browns were the worst. That remains the case, and it was evident when the two teams shared the field on Sunday. The Steelers defeated the Browns 23-9 in the Week 6 matchup, and it was clear from the start that Cleveland wouldn’t be a serious threat to Pittsburgh.
Something else that was clear in the game was which team had the better head coach. Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin thoroughly outcoached Browns' head coach Kevin Stefanski. That story can be told by one specific stat: Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel dropping back to throw 58 times.
Dillon Gabriel’s 58 drop-backs in Week 6 show the coaching difference between Pittsburgh Steelers and Browns
On Sunday, in his second career start, Gabriel attempted 52 passes and was sacked another six times. Football fans don’t need much context to know it’s a bad idea to have a rookie quarterback throw the ball nearly 60 times. However, that’s what the Browns did, and Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski, who’s also the offensive play caller, has to answer for that.
While that’s likely not the plan the Browns entered the game with, it is exactly what the Steelers wanted. During the game, the broadcast crew discussed Tomlin’s record against rookie quarterbacks — now 27-6. When speaking with Tomlin about that record before the game, the head coach explained that a lot of the success comes from knowing how offenses want to play with a rookie under center.
Tomlin told the CBS crew that offenses typically want to run the ball and complete a lot of short passes, so the defense just has to stop the run and come up and tackle to take care of business. Sure enough, the Steelers held Cleveland to 65 rushing yards (3.8 per attempt), forcing Gabriel to drop back nearly 60 times, with a 4.3 yards per attempt average.
Stefanski played right into Tomlin’s hands, abandoning the run and leaving his rookie quarterback out to dry. While the talent difference on the field was clear, it was also an obvious difference between the leaders on the sidelines.