2017 Recall: Steelers open on the road against the Cleveland Browns
Steel City Underground presents our 2017 Recall: a brief look back at Pittsburgh Steelers games from last season.
It was a sunny day to kick off the NFL season in Cleveland, but at times, the game didn’t always look bright for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh was never in any real danger of losing this game, leading through all four quarters. However, it could’ve been worse than it was.
The game kicked off with a bang against the “new and improved” Browns, who turned the ball over on their very first series. After the Steelers defense forced a three-and-out, Browns punter Britton Colquitt stood in front of his end zone to punt the ball but would be blocked by Pittsburgh’s Tyler Matakevich and recovered for a touchdown by Anthony Chickillo, instantly putting the Steelers up 7-0 in the first sixteen seconds of the game.
After that bit of good news by the Steelers, the rest went pretty slowly. The only players who looked prepared for the offense were Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. In fact, it took the offense nearly the entire half, until 45 seconds remaining in the second quarter, to put up their own points. (That’s why the game felt closer than it was at times.)
Big Ben connected with Jesse James for a four-yard touchdown to put the Steelers up 14-7 at halftime.
The Browns answered five-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter, closing the gap to 14-10, before James would catch his second touchdown of the day to get the Steelers the 21 points required to beat the Browns, who would add eight more in “garbage time” as both teams struggled to maintain supremacy in a 21-18 Pittsburgh win.
What Stood Out
Jesse James
James scored two touchdowns on the day: he would only have one more touchdown reception the entire season. (Note: #JesseCaughtIt would’ve made it four!)
Steel Curtain slams shut on Cleveland
Steelers defenders combined for a total of seven sacks on the Browns.
T.J. Watt had a heck of a debut
Watt had two of those seven sacks, along with six tackles and an interception.
Stephon Tuitt‘s Scare
Fresh off of a new contract the defensive end played two snaps before snapping his own bicep. Luckily the injury didn’t see him miss too much time.
Slow Start
Le’Veon Bell ran the ball 10 times for 32 yards and caught 3 passes for 15. It was far from a good start to the season for Bell, who sat out of all of the Steelers offseason activities during a contract dispute.
Penalty Flags Fly
The Steelers were penalized a game-high 13 times for 144 yards. Wowza!
Play of the Game
Tyler Matakevich gets his hands on this punt by Britton Colquitt. The blocked football is then recovered by Anthony Chickillo for the TD!
