Browns Defense Built to Dominate Steelers Offense
On paper, the Cleveland Browns' defense has every bit of the advantage to dominate the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense this Sunday.
After a much needed, gritty win against the Denver Broncos, the Cleveland Browns now enter Steelers week after a long ten day break. This was much needed for their battered roster, and as they look to enter another cold weather dogfight against their division rivals.
The Browns are still going to be a wildcard offensively given the health of their offensive tackles, the play of their wide receivers, and the looming shoulder injury of Baker Mayfield. A healthy Nick Chubb and a returning Jack Conklin will give this offense a nice buffer as they work through the passing attack on Sunday.
Defensively, however, this Browns' unit is not only constructed ideally to take on this Pittsburgh offense, but built to dominate this side of the ball.
This is where we shift our focus.
Looking at this Pittsburgh offense, there is little to be impressed with. Starting at quarterback, the decline of Ben Roethlisberger is no surprise to anyone, as he is currently the 19th overall quarterback in the efficiency metric DVOA. For reference, Baker Mayfield (in all of his ups and downs) currently sits 11th.
Where Roethlisberger has always thrived, however, is his ability to get the ball out quickly and not give up unnecessary sacks. That is no different this year, as Roethlisberger finds himself at the top of the list in time-to-throw.
To an extent, it does not matter how good your defensive line is or how bad the opposing offensive line is when your quarterback gets throws off as quickly as Roethlisberger does. On paper, the Browns' defensive line is set to have a field day against a poorly constructed Steelers' offensive line.
However, they will not get home unless the backend of the defense comes up and does their job against the skill players dressed in black and yellow. It is a good thing the Browns went out and made the investment they did in the secondary then.
Even though Denzel Ward is set to miss the game, the Browns will still be able to field Greg Newsome and Greedy Williams, with their free agent addition Troy Hill patrolling the nickel. The Browns still have three good safeties, but they have not collectively played well of a unit over the past few weeks.
With the resurgence of John Johnson III and the steadiness of Ronnie Harrison against Denver, though, this would be a great week for the whole unit with Grant Delpit included to get back to dominance. This unit stacks up well against the receivers in Pittsburgh.
Look for this defense to run predominantly nickel and dime given that Pittsburgh does not play under center a ton with Roethlisberger's aging limbs and next-to-nothing mobility. A week ago, the Browns proved they can stop the run just fine (if not better) in nickel compared to base.
With no Juju Smith-Schuster, the Browns are set to face the trio of Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and James Washington. While the Browns have never matched cornerbacks to specific assignments, this would be a good week to do so.
Johnson stacks up as not only perhaps the best route runner in the division, but as one of the twitchiest movers in the AFC as a whole. Matching your twitchy first rounder in Newsome to Johnson would stack up as a fantastic back-and-forth. This would leave deep threat Chase Claypool with the size and length of Williams, another great matchup on paper.
If the secondary can come up and punch their assignments in the mouth off the line of scrimmage and force Roethlisberger to move his eyes off of his spot and hold the football, then look for the defensive line to feast.
The starting offensive tackles are still up in the air for the Steelers, as former Brown Zach Banner is returning from injury. Will they stick with rookie Dan Moore at left tackle or will they insert Banner into their starting lineup. Regardless, the Browns will face Chukwuma Okorafor opposite one of those tackles.
Even the veteran in Okorafor is struggling, leaving the rookie in Moore or Banner in his first game in over a year with another unfavorable matchup opposite him. Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, and the surprisingly successful Takk McKinley will have plenty of opportunities to make plays.
But again, that is only if the secondary can step up and force Roethlisberger off of his initial spot.
Where the Steelers could attack and find success, however, is in space where the injured and frankly untalented second-level will be forced to make plays in the open field. With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah still on Injured Reserve, and with rookie running back Najee Harris already receiving the second-most touches of any ball carrier out of the backfield, look for the Steelers to get the ball to him out of the backfield of a receiver.
This is the week where Malcolm Smith and Anthony Walker, the two linebackers on the field in nickel alignments, to take good pursuit angles, breakdown and space, and prove to be solid tacklers. Troy Hill will also be forced into one-on-one opportunities in space as well.
Even with a first round running back on their roster, this does not have the makings of a massive battle in the trenches. The Steelers' rush offense is ranked 23rd in DVOA, and are slightly more efficient through the air. The struggles of the Pittsburgh offensive line are a massive reason for this.
The success of this defensive performance falls into the laps of the secondary. On paper, this Browns defense looks poised to dominate the Steelers' offense. It's time for them to come out on the field and prove it.
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