Browns and Steelers Games Determined at the Line of Scrimmage

The two matchups between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers were decided by line play on both sides of the ball. The Browns dominated the first game and while they started the second well at least in the first quarter, the Steelers seized control the remainder of the game and the Browns simply couldn't match their physicality.

The biggest factor that changed between the two games was the presence of Myles Garrett. Life for the Browns without him on defense is bleak. They suffer in all aspects on that side of the ball and allow the opponent to dictate the game. Once they got a sense of what the Browns were doing, the Steelers offensive line was able to give Devlin Hodges all the time he could ask for in the pocket and he was able to punish a struggling secondary that also happened to be playing shorthanded.

Perhaps the Browns could have survived that if Olivier Vernon was fully healthy, but he was still dealing with a sprained knee that slowed him down. He then aggravated it, leaving the Browns with no one on the edge. From that point, the Steelers simply controlled the defensive interior of the Browns while the tackles were able to single block the defensive ends without any real trouble.

The offensive line, which had a functional Greg Robinson in the first matchup, was able to move the Steelers front off of the ball in Cleveland. Bud Dupree didn't really do anything and the Browns interior was able to minimize the impact of players like Javon Hargrave and Cam Heyward. T.J. Watt made some plays, but he wasn't hugely impactful in the first game.

In the second game, Robinson was out and Justin McCray often played as if the Browns didn't have anyone at left tackle. It's not entirely his fault. He's not really built to be a tackle, more suited to play guard if he's anything. Kendall Lamm seemingly should be out there instead, but McCray was their choice. He was getting beat off the line of scrimmage so badly, he started turning his hips immediately to try to protect up the field, an extremely risky proposition. It makes it virtually impossible to deal with a bull rush or inside move.

Chris Hubbard did his best Desmond Harrison impression in the second game. Pre-snap penalties, post-snap penalties, missed blocks, bad angles and he might have had more success stopping T.J. Watt if he tried him asking nicely to kindly stop killing Baker Mayfield.

As a result, the Browns were often playing with three offensive linemen. J.C. Tretter hurt his right leg during the game, so he wasn't as good as he might be. Then Wyatt Teller got beat for a couple of sacks in the second half from Javon Hargrave. It just wasn't a good performance by the offensive line and there's only so much that can be blamed on these particular players anymore.

It didn't help that the Browns became too one-dimensional in the second half of the game. Nevertheless, the Browns pushed the Steelers around in the first game and the Steelers returned the favor in the second. Injury and suspension accounted for a few of the changes, particularly on the Browns defensive line, but the issues at tackle have been there for two seasons now. Hubbard simply can't do it. He's barely adequate in most games, but he was helpless against Watt.

There are always going to be issues in terms of scheme and playcalling that can be pointed out and like with the one-dimensional nature of the Browns offense in the second half, there is room for criticism. All the schemes and creative play calling don't address one team consistently moving the opponent off the ball.

Garrett returns next season from suspension. Vernon's knee will recover as will whatever Tretter hurt during the game. The problem is the number of players the Browns simply don't have. Unless the team believes Drew Forbes, inactive in this game, is going to be a tackle, they have to replace both starters this offseason. The defensive line depth was shredded throughout the season by trades and the Browns were reduced to pair of street free agents at times during this game.

It'd be great if either Porter Gustin or Bryan Cox Jr. can develop into a player worth keeping, but for a team that was allegedly competing for a playoff spot, this can't be who the team has to roll out in a must-win game in December.

Teams can't afford to lose superstars like Myles Garrett and most teams can't afford to lose their starting left tackle, but in the second game against the Steelers, they became a team that was incapable of competing. And that is the charge of the organization heading into this offseason.

That is what the Steelers get right every year that keep them viable despite losing quarterbacks and all kinds of skill players on both sides of the ball. They consistently compete up front. And if the Browns want to beat the Steelers on a regular basis as well as be a team that can sustain over the course of a season and into the playoffs, that is where they have to be better.