Balanced Browns Attack Produces Multiple Standout Performances

The Cleveland Browns offense featured standout performances across the board against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the defense got some key contributions from unlikely sources.

With a debilitated quarterback, a compromised offensive and a number of injuries and issues with their skill players in 2021, much of the focus on Kevin Stefanski was whether or not he should call plays. In three games with predictability in his lineup, Stefanski and the Browns play calling operation has been outstanding.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were better at matching pre-snap shifts and motions than either the Carolina Panthers or the New York Jets, but the Browns were still able to create some numbers advantages both with their run blocking as well as with receiving threats that often allowed the offense to play downhill.

Stefanski's staff was able to take advantage of rules the Steelers defense employs to create favorable matchups including on the touchdown pass to Amari Cooper when he was manned up by safety Tremaine Edmunds.

Although the Steelers were able to get some stops early in the game against Chubb and the running game, the Browns were getting the looks they wanted on offense. As an example, the Browns had overloaded the right side of the line of scrimmage, leaving a gap on the left side of the line the Browns intended to exploit. Unfortunately, Alex Highsmith was able to get penetration into the backfield and close the hole before Chubb could get there.

Last season, there were multiple games where Stefanski's staff came up with a good game plan, but they couldn't execute or simply lacked the players necessary to get it done due to injuries. Whatever questions anyone has with Stefanski, his acumen when it comes to designing an offense shouldn't be among them.

Standouts

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Jacoby Brissett, Quarterback

After playing poorly in the opener against the Carolina Panthers, Jacoby Brissett has rallied with efficient performances in back to back games. Brissett is occasionally late on throws and will miss some reads, but his accuracy and velocity have been on point.

Perhaps the most positive development for Brissett is that he's not giving up on plays as quickly and keeping his eyes up, which enabled him to make a few throws down the field. Unfortunately, a 56-yard pass to Cooper was for not because he had stepped out of bounds, but that was a throw Brissett doesn't make in the first two games. He still has room to grow and improve.

He also made three plays with his legs in short yardage situations. The battleship sized quarterback gets behind his pads and drives his legs, making and-1 situations look routine. In fact, he almost broke through on one in the red zone that had a decent chance to score.

190 of the Browns receiving yards were between Cooper and tight end David Njoku. That's good that they were able to get game changing production out of those two, including a touchdown to each. However, one thing to watch as this season continues is how much Brissett passes over other open receivers in favor of getting them the ball.

On 4th-and-2, Brissett passed over an open Harrison Bryant who flashed immediately in favor of a contested throw to Cooper. The ball was low but catchable and Cooper didn't hold on, but Brissett should have gone to Bryant immediately. Should he be able to do that and hit guys like Bryant and Donovan Peoples-Jones even when their number aren't necessarily called, the offense gets more diverse and problematic for defenses.

Nevertheless, if Cooper and Njoku present this much of a problem for defenses, they are not going to be able to sit on the run like the first two weeks of the season. That triumvirate is going to force opponents to be more honest to the passing game which should create more running lanes for Nick Chubb, who is three games into a special season.

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Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver

Cooper fits this offense in a way that previous wide receivers simply could not. He's strong enough to overpower smaller defensive backs while being nimble enough to beat larger fare with his route running. He's consistently where the quarterback expects him to be when delivering the ball and the results have been outstanding.

Cooper caught seven passes for 101 yards a week after catching nine passes for 101 yards. Had he avoided stepping out of bounds early in the game or being unprepared for a missile to hit him in the face, he might have had 200 yards on the night. Whether it's been key plays to extend drives of explosive plays, Cooper has been everything the Browns have hoped for through three games.

Cooper, like Brissett, has an even keel approach, which has been helpful for this Browns team with so much youth on it. Given the melt down the team suffered against the Jets, it's important they have cooler heads in the locker room to understand what has to be done without meaningless bluster, both in resisting to get too high after wins and being able to move on after losses.

The Dallas Cowboys moved on from Cooper over money and questions regarding his effort in the postseason. To this point, Browns fans couldn't be more grateful and it only cost the team a fifth-round draft pick.

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David Njoku, Tight End

It was slightly strange to see Njoku get questions as to whether this was the best game of his career, because it wasn't. It was yeoman's work for the tight end who the Browns are paying to be a franchise player. Njoku caught nine of ten passes thrown his way, but most of them simply involved finding space in the defense and Brissett hitting him. Most of the passes were less than 10 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Where Njoku shined was when he had the ball in his hands. In two different instances, he caught the ball short of the sticks, drove his knees and finished runs past the line to gain. He was also able to get a big play on a nicely set up screen pass early in the game, his longest play of the night at 19 yards.

In terms of spectacular plays, Njoku's best in recent memory was against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021. There, he caught seven passes on seven targets for 149 yards, including a 71-yard catch and run for a touchdown. All too often, games like that were the rarity. In fact, those 149 yards made up 31.3 percent of his season total.

The Steelers game could be important because Njoku wasn't doing anything spectacular. He was making the plays he's supposed to make look routine. If he can consistently do that, he will not only rack up yardage, but get more opportunities to produce game changing plays.

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Nick Chubb, Running Back

Especially in the early part of the game, the Steelers often put most of their players on the line of scrimmage, at times putting just their two inside linebackers and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to patrol the second and third levels of the defense. The Steelers were physical at the point of attack and they tackled well throughout the first half, limiting Chubb on some opportunities.

That didn't stop Chubb from finding opportunities to gash the Steelers defense, which started with a 36-yard run in the first quarter. Chubb was able to get through the first line of defense going to his right cutting inside a kickout block from guard Joel Bitonio, leaving just him and Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick slow played it, allowing Chubb ran up the sideline until he cut back across Fitzpatrick's face. Fitzpatrick was successful in slowing him down enough that teammates rallied to make the tackle, but it was a big play that keyed a touchdown drive.

Much like the week before, Chubb found most of his success in the second half as the offensive line started to take control of the line of scrimmage. Chubb never matched the 36-yard run, but he slowly took over the game. Some of the most impressive runs Chubb had were simply avoiding tackles in the backfield and somehow making them into positive gains.

Chubb has 341 yards rushing, 28 yards receiving and four touchdowns so far in September. The Browns as a team have 572 yards rushing, which is the formula they needed if they were going to have success this early in the season.

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Linebackers Jacob Phillips, Sione Takitaki and Tony Fields II

The Browns lost both starting linebackers for the game and potentially Anthony Walker Jr. for much longer. The combination of reserve linebackers was able to step in and make contributions that helped the Browns protect their lead and secure the victory.

Phillips came away with the team's only sack in the contest and made a diving pass break up in the fourth quarter. Takitaki sprinted to the deep middle of the defense,  helping to cause a pass breakup with his back turned to the ball. Fields played one defensive snap and made the tackle.

In the best case scenario, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is able to return in time for the road trip against Atlanta Falcons. Even if that happens, Phillips is going to be the likely starter and should JOK be out, they will need more contributions from Takitaki and Fields.

Duds

Defensive Line

The Steelers were determined to make sure Myles Garrett didn't beat them, often doubling and sometimes tripling the all-world defensive end. He came close to a sack, but was held in check most of the game.

The rest of the defensive line could not generate meaningful pressure on Mitchell Trubisky. The interior was obliterated for the entire first half by the Steelers running game. Heading into the half, the Steelers were averaging over five yards per carry.

Things improved in the second half, but that may have been a product of the score more than anything the Browns were doing. This is an area where the Steelers killed the Browns last year, yielding almost a quarter of Najee Harris's rushing total for the season.

This time, they ended up only giving up 56 yards to Harris on 15 carries. The Browns were without Taven Bryan for much of the second half with a hamstring and had Alex Wright starting in place of Jadeveon Clowney. It was a short week, which isn't good for anyone, but this game forced Browns fans to relive some of the nightmares they had last season on defense and specifically against the Steelers even if the Browns were able to get the job done and win the game.

Tackling

The Browns were horrendous at putting Steelers ball carriers on the ground Thursday night. So much of the Steelers success on offense involved creating a gaping hole at the line of scrimmage and then having Browns defenders bounce off of Harris. Technique was bad as a number of Browns players including notably safety John Johnson III at the goal line were tackling far too high on his body with no meaningful power and were casually discarded.

JOK missed tackles in the hole on Harris that were his to make on back to back plays. The Browns prioritize speed over size at the linebacker position and the Steelers negated any speed advantage by running right at them. The Browns safeties do have some size, but they played small in this game when it came to taking on the Steelers power back.

Perhaps a product of the short week, but the Steelers were far more effective in that capacity when the Browns were on offense early in the game. The Browns were able to rally in the second half.

Special Teams

Another missed extra point, a deflected punt and some other miscues, it was a typical day for the Browns special teams. Injuries are forcing this group to scramble, but it was another losing performance by this group.

Cade York has missed an extra point in back to back games. In this one, it did not end up being problematic, but the Browns were down by a single point heading into the half because of it. He was able to connect on his 34-yard field goal, which keeps him perfect on the season on three-pointers.

Jerome Ford made a ghastly decision to bring out a kick return from the end zone, getting tackled at the 12 by Steelers wide receiver Miles Boykin. Steelers safety Miles Killebrew was able to get penetration on a punt and deflect the ball, resulting in a punt that set the Steelers up in plus territory.

On 4th-and-6, the Steelers were setting up for a 39-yard field goal to reduce the deficit to 23-17, planning to perform an onside kick to try to get the ball back. The Browns had 12 men on the field and were called for the penalty, making it 4th-and-1. The Steelers still went ahead and kicked a 34-yard field goal instead of trying to get the yard and go for the touchdown.

Chester Rogers wasn't anything special on punt return, but he didn't make any mistakes. Corey Bojorquez did execute a coffin corner kick beautifully in the last few seconds of the game forcing the Steelers to start inside their own five with just seconds to go. The Steelers would fumble and Denzel Ward recovered on their last play in the end zone, securing the win simultaneously ripping out the hearts of gamblers who took the Steelers to cover.