Browns vs. Steelers: Pittsburgh Grades, Notes and Quotes
The level of emotions changed from ecstatic to concerned once quarterback Landry Jones went down with a leg injury in the first quarter, but Ben Roethlisberger was able to overcome a foot injury of his own to come on in relief and lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a resounding 30-9 win over the hapless Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Coming on in relief for just the second time in his career, Roethlisberger was outstanding through the air, throwing for 379 yards and three touchdowns on just 22 completions.
Antonio Brown hauled in 10 catches for 139 yards and two scores, capping off the resounding win with a 56-yard catch-and-run that ended with a perfect 10.0 front flip into the end zone.
Martavis Bryant caught six passes for 178 yards and one touchdown, including a 64-yard bomb that looked like the Bryant deep threat from 2014.
While Roethlisberger was able to hook up with Brown and Bryant often enough to put up huge numbers, what was supposed to be a lucrative day on the ground for DeAngelo Williams turned out to be his worst performance of the year.
Williams mustered just 54 rushing yards on 17 carries against the worst run defense in the NFL. At the half, Williams had just three yards on seven carries.
Thankfully, Big Ben and his weapons were able to pick up the slack and beat the Browns through the air, taking pressure off of Williams and the offensive line, which struggled to open up holes all day for the veteran running back.
As Roethlisberger, Brown and Bryant torched the Browns secondary, the Steelers defense forced three turnovers on the day, picking off Johnny Manziel once, and forced the Browns offense to be one-dimensional, holding Cleveland to just 15 rushing yards on 14 carries in the win.
Sunday's win over Cleveland was much-needed as the Steelers head into their bye week riding high at 6-4. The week off should give the banged up Steelers plenty of time to relax and recover before hitting the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 29.
Position Grades for Pittsburgh
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Position Grades:
| Position | Grade |
| QB | A |
| RB | C- |
| WR | A+ |
| TE | B |
| OL | B- |
| DL | A |
| LB | B+ |
| DB | B- |
| Special Teams | D |
| Coaching | B |
Roethlisberger was absolutely terrific coming on in relief of the injured Jones, completing 66 percent of his passes while throwing for nearly 400 yards and three scores—all of which came on a bum left foot that didn't seem to hamper him at all.
Williams struggled to find running room against the worst run defense in the league, finishing with just 54 yards on 17 carries (3.2 yards per carry). It wasn't the game many were thinking he was going to have, but thanks to Roethlisberger and his receivers, the Steelers didn't need a big game from the veteran running back.
Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant showed why they are considered one of the top receiving duos in all of football, combining for 16 catches, 317 yards and three scores in the win over the Browns. Cleveland had a tough time trying to stop the two receivers, as each had one catch go for more than 55 yards against a depleted Browns secondary.
For the fifth week in a row, Markus Wheaton was a complete non-factor, hauling in just two catches for 18 yards on two targets. It's safe to say his role has greatly diminished.
Heath Miller once again was outstanding in the middle of the field for the Steelers, hauling in four passes for 40 yards on seven targets, forcing the Browns to cover him in the middle of the field, which opened up the rest of the field for Brown and Bryant to go to work.
Along the offensive line, Pittsburgh struggled to open up running lanes for Williams, but the depleted unit was able to keep Big Ben upright for much of the day, allowing just one sack in the win. However, Marcus Gilbert stepped on Jones' ankle, forcing him from the game.
Gilbert's error (if you can even call it that) was one of few on the day for the Pittsburgh offensive line.
Defensively, the Steelers flew around and made big plays against the Browns offense, which allowed six second-half sacks, allowing the Steelers defense to close out the win and send the team into a much-needed bye week with an important win against a division rival.
Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt came up with one sack each, while Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones had half a sack each. The Steelers recorded one team sack as well in the win over the Browns.
With the front seven applying plenty of pressure against Manziel, Will Allen and Mike Mitchell once again made big play after big play in the secondary, as Mitchell hauled in his third interception of the season with the Browns in the red zone, and Allen forced an early fumble on Andrew Hawkins.
Allen led the Steelers with 11 stops against Cleveland, proving week after week that he has emerged as one of the most important defenders for Pittsburgh.
Chris Boswell nailed all three field-goal attempts on the day, but he did miss one extra point. However, Boswell is not the reason for the poor special teams grade. Jacoby Jones looked like a complete waste on kickoff returns, struggling to catch the ball cleanly.
Where art thou, Dri Archer?
Steelers Run Defense Dominates
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It's no secret that the Cleveland Browns struggle to run the ball, but what happened against the Steelers on Sunday had more to do with a dominating performance by the Pittsburgh front seven than it did with the continued struggles of the Browns defense.
By holding the Browns to just 15 yards on 14 carries (1.1 YPC), the Steelers made franchise history, marking the second-lowest rushing yards allowed in team history.
On Sept. 12, 1999, the Steelers held the Browns (ironically) to just nine rushing yards in a 43-0 win, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com and Steelers public relations/media manager Dom Rinelli.
Brown Makes NFL History...Again
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It seems like week after week Antonio Brown is making some sort of history with his numbers.
Against Cleveland, nothing changed.
By catching 10 passes for 139 yards and two scores, Brown became the fourth player in NFL history to haul in 27 or more passes in a two-game span of a single season, per Rinelli.
With Roethlisberger back and relatively healthy, there's no telling what these two could do down the stretch as the Steelers fight for a playoff spot.
One thing we do know, though—without question—is that Antonio Brown is the best receiver in the NFL. It's not even close.
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Roethlisberger Credits Players Around Him for Win
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Much like any great quarterback does in press conferences, Ben Roethlisberger deflected the attention away from himself following the win over the Browns.
Landry Jones was supposed to play the full game against Cleveland, especially with the Steelers heading into a bye week, which would have allowed Roethlisberger two full weeks of rest to recover from a left foot injury.
Unfortunately, Big Ben was pressed into action after Jones had to leave with a leg injury in the first quarter.
Although Roethlisberger is a veteran quarterback who knows the Steelers offense inside and out, it was tough for him to prepare to play against Cleveland without getting the physical reps all week, as he said during his postgame interview: "In that situation, you just need to get as many mental reps as you can, and then count on the guys around you. That was the best part; I thought the guys around me played great."
Brown: Ben Is a 'Tremendous Warrior'
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If anyone knows how important Ben Roethlisberger is to the success of the Steelers, it's Antonio Brown, who has begun to look like the dominating AB with Big Ben under center.
Following the win over Cleveland, Brown gave his thoughts on Roethlisberger's toughness to ESPN's Britt McHenry: "[He's a] tremendous warrior. He was on crutches on Monday, but we expect the unexpected. But any time he's in there we know what he's capable of doing, and he's unstoppable."
Well said, AB. Well said.
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