Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo grades each aspect of the Steelers’ 26-22 victory against the Browns.
Quarterback: The Steelers won this game, but it’s fair to wonder how many more they can win with Pickett playing the way he is. Other than a couple of throws to George Pickens, including a 71-yard touchdown, there wasn’t much to like about his performance. He completed just 50% of his passes (15 for 30) for 222 yards with one touchdown and one interception. In addition to his inaccuracy, he’s making bad decisions. The Browns dropped another interception on the first play of the second half. And he refuses to take easy yards on scrambles when none of his receivers are open. This was a game the Steelers should have won by three touchdowns, but they had to eke out a four-point win because Pickett played poorly again.
Grade: F
Running backs: It might be time for Jaylen Warren to play more than Najee Harris. At the very least, Warren deserves more playing time and more touches. Warren had 86 scrimmage yards compared to Harris’ 44. Warren did most of his damage in the passing game, catching four passes for 66 yards. Harris had two nice runs in the second half, but he was quiet otherwise. Warren makes plays when nothing is there and deserves to have a bigger role in the offense.
Grade: C+
Receivers: George Pickens had four catches for 127 yards, including the only touchdown the offense produced. All other receivers and tight ends accounted for six catches for a grand total of 29 yards. Gunner Olszewski suffered a concussion on a play when he fumbled in his own territory, and that wasn’t even his worst play of the game. He caught a kickoff neat the sidelines and cost the Steelers 30 yards in field position in the first quarter. With Diontae Johnson out for at least the next three weeks, the Steelers need much more from the rest of the supporting cast.
Grade: C
Offensive line: The running game was almost nonexistent for the second week in a row. There is no push up front, and no one is getting to the second level to block linebackers. The pass protection wasn’t perfect, but Pickett was only sacked twice and the second appeared to be a missed assignment by running back Jaylen Warren. The bottom line is the line looks like it did early last season. That’s not good.
Grade: D
Defensive line: The Browns rushed for 198 yards, and they gained most of it after star running back Nick Chubb left the game with a knee injury. Jerome Ford had 106 yards on 16 carries. In two games this season, the Steelers have surrendered 386 rushing yards. They better figure that out quickly because teams with competent quarterbacks will expose that weakness in the weeks to come. On the bright side, Larry Ogunjobi was a force in the middle, finishing with four tackles and a sack.
Grade: C
Linebackers: The Steelers invested $70 million over the offseason on a long-term contract for Alex Highsmith, and he showed why he earned such a big deal on Monday night. Highsmith returned an interception for a touchdown on the first play of the game and then forced a Deshaun Watson fumble that resulted in a T.J. Watt 17-yard return for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Oh, by the way, Watt set the franchise record for most career sacks in the first half. He passed James Harrison and now has 81.5 sacks.
Grade: A+
Secondary: The defensive backs had some bad missed tackles that allowed the Browns to get some big plays, most notably Levi Wallace allowing Jerome Ford to break contain and race for a 69-yard run that set up a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. The coverage of Browns receivers was much better as Watson managed only 235 passing yards and a touchdown.
Grade: B-
Special teams: Pressley Harvin III pinned the Browns deep twice with precision kicks inside the 5-yard line. He had a much-needed bounce-back performance after a rough outing in the opener. Chris Boswell booted field goals of 52 and 50 yards, which were huge in a close game.
Grade: A
Coaching: I’m not sure the coaching staff deserves much credit for this victory. Highsmith and Watt basically willed the team to win. Head coach Mike Tomlin has some critical decisions to make before the Raiders game. Does he continue to trust Matt Canada to be his offensive coordinator? Does Kenny Pickett keep his job as starting quarterback? As poorly as Pickett played, Canada’s decision to call a quarterback read option from shotgun on 3rd-and-1 with 3:02 left might go down as one of the worst play calls in team history. So much for the front office’s desire for the Steelers to impose their will on the opposition. The play lost 3 yards, and the Steelers had to punt the ball back to the Browns. He was lucky the defense bailed him out, but the call and his unwillingness to embrace a downhill running game will linger until the offense shows some signs of life.
Grade: F
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: September 19, 2023, 4:50 a.m.
Updated: September 19, 2023, 4:02 p.m.
