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After a slow first half saw only a combined 6 points, 3-3, both teams got cooking to start the second half with back-to-back scoring drives. Cleveland went 8 plays for 86 yards in just over 4 minutes when sudden sensation D’Ernest Johnson cashed in a touchdown run from 10 yards out to make it 10-3 Cleveland with the games first touchdown.
Pittsburgh wasted no time responding on their next drive as they went 68 yards on 12 plays in 5:52 for their first touchdown as Najee Harris took it in from 8 yards out. They were forced to go for two on the extra point as their placekicker Chris Boswell was knocked out of the game earlier from a botched fake field goal attempt as he took a hit he couldn’t recover from.
The Browns couldn’t answer and the Steelers wasted no time going right back to work. This time, compiling a 13 play 83 yard drive in 5:38 to take the lead on a Roethlisberger touchdown pass to Freiermuth in the corner of the endzone. It came on a fourth and goal, and it appeared that he juggled it as he was going out of bounds, the refs saw it differently, and the Steelers led 15-10 after another failed two-point attempt.
A Browns attempt at a comeback drive looked promising for a bit as they advanced deep into Pittsburgh territory until a Jarvis Landry catch was stripped by TJ Watt and fumbled the ball back to the Steelers with a little over 5 minutes to play. This would give the Steelers a chance to salt the game away with a couple of first downs, but they couldn’t and were forced to punt the ball back to Cleveland with 4:22 left to play.
The Browns tried yet again but simply couldn’t threaten to score as a combination of dropped passes by Landry and OBJ along with poor decision making by Baker Mayfield spelled doom for Cleveland.
The Browns now fall to last place in division, and Big Ben has defeated Cleveland 24 times in his Hall of Fame Career. We have 3 red flags that stick out from this game that should cause serious concern for Browns fans. You can read about them starting on page two.
Red Flag One
Lack of scoring
In the last 3 weeks, the Browns have scored a total of 41 points. That is an average of 13 points a game. That is a recipe to a losing season and a far cry from that explosive offense we were all promised. Also, when you factor in that 7 of those points came on a freak luck Hail Mary touchdown against Arizona, that rounds out to be 34 points in the last 3 games. In the last 8 quarters with Baker Mayfield as a starter, they have only scored 24 points. Where is the offense at?
Red Flag Two
Where is OBJ?
Time and time again, OBJ is wide open and the ball is not coming his way. Time and time again, when Baker does throw him the ball it bounces off his chest and hands. When is it enough already? I have no idea what the Browns could get in a trade for OBJ right now, I really don’t. But when you look at what he has done through 8 games this season, including a 1 catch for 6-yard performance today, on a whopping 2 targets what are you really giving up at this point?
Unless you throw a quick screen or slant to OBJ, how is he even a part of the plan? Through today he has 16 catches on only 33 targets for 226 yards and 0 touchdowns this season. It is do or die time for OBJ on this roster.
Red Flag 3
You’re now in last place in the AFC North
All those Browns fans just loved teasing Big Ben with the crying memes and calling him washed up. Why? As of today, he just beat you for the 24th time and the Browns sit at 4-4, in last place in the AFC North.
Now, listen, the Bengals just lost to the Jet’s, so they are far from perfect and I still feel that the Browns are the second-best team in this division behind Baltimore.
The problem is, they can’t stop teams late and get their defense off the field. Losses to the Chiefs, Chargers and today prove that point. When your defense can’t stop anyone in crunch time, and your quarterback cannot lead a two minute drive, you have a lot of problems that need immediate fixing.
