What to Watch for in Browns at Steelers

The Cleveland Browns are coming off an impressive defensive performance in their season opening win against the Bengals. The Steelers on the other hand, would like to forget their performance against the 49ers last Sunday.

The Steelers are coming into Monday night with questions surrounding multiple key players after already answering that Cam Heyward and Diontae Johnson are out for this one against the Browns. These are the things that I will be paying close attention to when the game kicks off on Monday night.

Can Kenny Pickett get the ball out quickly or get outside the pocket on roll-outs?

Okay, there is a ton to unpack here but I will try to be as succinct as possible. The Steelers are scrambling for answers on the offensive line after being dominated by the 49ers and with what could be a just as good if not better Browns group. Left tackle Dan Moore struggled badly in week 1 and right tackle Chuks Okorafor hasn't cleared the concussion protocol after suffering a concussion. His status is up in the air for the game Monday night.

I expect the Steelers to allow Pickett to try to get the ball out with the quick-game despite Johnson being out. George Pickens and Allen Robinson aren't ideal targets in this scenario, so I wouldn't expect a high amount of targets for either receiver.

Instead look for Najee Harris out of the backfield and slot receiver Calvin Austin to try to pickup the slack. I expect to see Greg Newsome blanket him in coverage but it will be interesting to see how much the Steelers put Austin in motion.

They will also attempt to move the pocket and allow Pickett to get on the move especially rolling right. Look for a number of 50-50 balls launched in the direction of Pickens on the outside. It may also provide an opportunity for M.J. Emerson to come away with his first interception of his career.

Can our offensive tackles hold up against Watt and Highsmith?

While everything starts with Nick Chubb and the ground game, I expect the Steelers to attempt to limit his impact and invite Watson to beat them from the pocket. The Steelers are banged-up on the defensive line and might prefer to see Watson check out of runs against stacked boxes.

Rookie right tackle Dawand Jones will make his first NFL start after the Browns lost Jack Conklin to a season ending injury. For Jones the assignment doesn’t get any tougher than All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt.

On the other side it will be Jed Wills matched against Alex Highsmith on the edge. Wills has struggled throughout the preseason and during the first game against the Bengals. He needs to turn in a better performance if the Browns want to allow Watson to get in rhythm.

If things go the way I think they could, it should be a big night passing for the Browns. If Watson is unable to capitalize you may hear a lot from the ‘just run the damn ball’ crowd during the game.