2017 Recall: Steelers backups send Browns home with winless season
Steel City Underground presents our 2017 Recall: a brief look back at Pittsburgh Steelers games from last season.
If preseason football excites you right now, then the Steelers final game of the 2017 regular season was likely high on your priority list!
That’s because, like the preseason, most of Pittsburgh’s starters sat out the season finale against the then 0-15 Cleveland Browns. Would the Browns finally be able to win a game against an opponent made up of mostly backups?
Turns out, the answer was no.
For a second-straight season Steelers backup QB Landry Jones would get the nod, completing 23 of his 27 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown, as well as an interception. His performance would be good enough for a 100.5 QB rating.
Newly added backup running back Stevan Ridley would also have a successful game, rushing for 80 yards and adding a touchdown. However, it was JuJu Smith-Schuster who truly shined, as the newly minted Steelers Rookie of the Year (christened as such during the week leading up to the game) caught 9 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, including a 46- yard long. JuJu would also scorch the Earth on a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The play came right after the Browns threatened to steal victory by tying the game 21-all with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter.
The Steelers would go up 7, by a score of 28-21 on JuJu’s return. They would send the Browns back to Cleveland, winless in 16 games, by a final score of 28-24.
What Stood Out
Landry GOAT
The Steelers backup QB completed 85.2% of his passes for a 100.5 rating: his best regular season game to date.
No Bell? No problem!
Even with Le’Veon Bell on the bench, the newly acquired Stevan Ridley played admirably in his place. In only his second week with the Steelers, Ridley would provide great run support rushing for 80 yards and adding a rushing touchdown.
That JuJu
9 receptions. 143 receiving yards. 2 all-purpose touchdowns.
JuJu Smith-Schuster proved why he was named the team’s Rookie of the Year for the 2017 season.
Watt a season
T.J. Watt ended the 2017 season with the following stats:
52 tackles (39 solo), 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 INT, and 8 passes defensed.
Not too bad for a rookie who only played 15 games!
The secondary
Blah. The defense gave up 314 passing yards, including ten first downs via passing, to the lowly Browns.
Against the run
The Browns would also rush for a combined 102 yards – a prelude to Pittsburgh’s problems in the playoffs. Cleveland would also add six first downs on the ground.
Sackmasters
However, the team set a franchise season record and ended up with an NFL-best 56 sacks for 2017 by getting to Browns QB DeShone Kizer six times in this game.
Play of the Game
Darrius Heyward-Bey is a special teams ace who occasionally makes an appearance on the Steelers offense due to his insane speed.
By “occasionally” I do mean it: DHB played a grand total of three snaps in the Steelers Week 17 win over the Cleveland Browns, including this 29-yard rushing touchdown.
Hey-Bey shows off his jets, and breaks a bunch of tackles, en route to the end zone.
DHB now has a rushing touchdown in consecutive seasons, having torched the Miami Dolphins for a TD in 2016. His versatility as a receiver, runner, and special teams “specialist” make him a heck of a hand to have on deck as the Steelers look to secure another Super Bowl in 2018.
