Watch: Big Ben pump fakes Browns secondary into Washington’s wide-open TD

by Christina "Tina" Rivers (3Rivers_Writer) and Joe Kuzma (joe_kuzma) on October 21, 2020

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The Pittsburgh Steelers were finding all kinds of ways to manhandle the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. On both sides of the ball, the Steelers were making big plays. Just four plays after Cameron Sutton jumped a Baker Mayfield-to-Rashard Higgins pass for the second Pittsburgh interception of the game (the first made by Minkah Fitzpatrick), the man who ‘owns’ the Browns hit the hard pump fake to give yet another of his many talented receivers a perfect pass for a touchdown.

Ben Roethlisberger has long been touted for having one of the most effective pump fakes in the NFL. With nearly six minutes left in the first half, Roethlisberger used the hard pump to completely oversell a play while allowing James Washington to make a double move against the Browns secondary. Denzel Ward completely bit, giving Washington an easy lane away from Kevin Johnson for the touchdown that gave the Steelers a 24-0 lead.

Last week, in a pregame article that focused on five Steelers to watch in this game, we wrote,

“Expect Roethlisberger to look for openings where his talented receiving corps have opportunities against a Browns defensive backfield minus cornerback Greedy Williams (IR/shoulder) and safety Ronnie Harrison (concussion protocol).”

In his bold predictions ahead of the game, SCU’s Joe Kuzma wrote, while noting the injuries in the Cleveland defensive backfield,

“This could leave the Browns, giving up 29.8 points-per-game and ranked 30th in team pass defense, in serious jeopardy after watching Roethlisberger turn rookie WR Chase Claypool into an overnight sensation.”

Roethlisberger has shown that he’s willing to spread the ball around, sharing a little pass-to-catch love with his teammates and not focusing on individual statistics. “I feel like we have so many weapons, you never know who is going to have a day,” Washington said following the game. “With as many mouths to feed on offense that we have, you can’t just keep one guy, or two guys, because I feel like everyone is capable of having a good game.” This pump fake led to the lone touchdown pass from Roethlisberger in the win over the Browns. Washington finished the day with four receptions for 68 yards and the score.