Overtime unnecessary as Steelers scoop up win over Browns
Welcome to “Quick Yinzing”, a fast reaction article where a member of the SCU staff gives their initial post-game impressions without digging into any films, stats, or other analysis. It’s as real as that car ride home or sobering down at the bar following the game!
Coming off of the bye week, the Steelers found themselves in control of the AFC North for the first time this season at 3-2-1. In what became an emotional weekend after the events in Squirrel Hill on Saturday, the Steelers needed to snag a win to keep the ball rolling in their favor in what has become a tight division race with little room for error. While it seemed that the Steelers would give us the same chest pains that have seemed so frequent in recent memory after a slow start, they powered through and came away with a big win over Cleveland to move to 4-2-1.
The Juice isn’t loose in Pittsburgh, but Conner keeps playing strong
It seems with each passing week that James Conner continues to solidify the fact that he belongs in the NFL as a feature back. While there is no denying Le’Veon Bell’s all-world talent as a football player, James Conner has brought a sense of urgency and downhill running that the Steelers haven’t really had in a back since the days of Jerome Bettis. Aside from his powerful, bruising running style, Conner is piling up the stats in bunches, putting up 146 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on just 24 carries (an average of 6.1 YPC) to go along with 5 receptions on 6 targets for 66 receiving yards. This marked the fourth game (and third straight) that Conner has rushed for over 100 receiving yards. To put that into perspective, his season stats are what we in the fantasy football world consider “elite RB1 numbers,” as seen below:
Over the 1st 7 games of the season, James Conner's stats are:
– 599 rushing yards
– 9 rushing TDs
– 323 receiving yardsThat gives him averages of:
– 4.7 yards/carry
– 131.7 yards/game#Steelers— Zach Metkler (@CoachMetkler) October 28, 2018
Clock management: the Steelers unsung hero
If there was a single moment (or in this case, a long string of plays) that changed the momentum of the game, look no further than the Steelers pivotal drive in the 2nd quarter. With 7:20 left in the 2nd quarter and the Steelers up 7-6, Baker Mayfield threw a costly interception to Joe Haden at the Steelers 13 yard line. From this point, the Steelers went on a beautiful, time consuming 16 (!!!) play drive that ate up 7:12 (!!!!!!!!!!!) off of the clock. This play was highlighted by a gutsy 4th down conversion by Mike Tomlin (and a bad ball placement by the refs in favor of the Steelers) that was capped off by an Antonio Brown touchdown that seemed to take the wind out of the Browns’ sails.
While it might not seem like much, that is the type of drive that can completely demoralize a defense and heavily swing momentum for a team. On this cold day in Pittsburgh, it did just that.
It wasn’t all pretty for the Black & Gold, though…
The Steelers have had an issue coming out slowly in games. This continued to be an issue against the Browns, as the Steelers were unable to convert a 1st down on their first three drives of the game and waited until the 2nd quarter to finally move the sticks.
After a forced safety by the defense, the Steelers’ special teams unit had one of the worst lapses in judgement/understanding/communication you’ll likely see in that phase of a game. Up 16-6, a Britton Colquitt safety punt soared deep down the field. On the kick, Roosevelt Nix signaled for a fair catch before promptly standing out of the way, catching Ryan Switzer off guard. Unable to come under the kick cleanly, Switzer also moved out of the way and watched the ball roll down the field, with the Steelers assuming it to be a dead ball and downed by the Browns coverage team.
Wrong.
Because safety punts are treated as normal kickoffs, once the ball has gone 10 yards, it is treated as a live ball and the kicking team is permitted to recover the ball (as they would on an onside kick) but not pick it up and run with it. The Steelers needed to be aware of this and receive the ball and keep momentum in their favor. Instead, the Browns turned the short field into a touchdown and put themselves right back in the game.
While mistakes certainly happen during games, the Steelers continue to rack up the penalties in what has become a flag-happy NFL. The Steelers had eight accepted penalties, with three of them coming on the aforementioned drive after the safety punt debacle. The Steelers need to play cleaner football and giving up yardage that could ultimately kill them.
Parting thoughts
As a whole, the Steelers controlled the last 2/3 of the game even after an incredibly slow start offensively and some seemingly big mistakes in all three phases. The Steelers came away with a needed win to stay in 1st place in the AFC North and at the end of the day, that is what matters. There were plenty of great individual performances on both sides of the ball but when the big games come down the stretch, the Steelers can’t afford to make the same errors that happened today. Scoring early, communicating well, and playing clean, disciplined football will only bode well for a team that has the talent that Pittsburgh has.
And when the Steelers do that, the rest of the NFL better take notice.
