Steelers vs. Browns Takeaways: Things Are Getting Really Bad

CLEVELAND -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-2 following a 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The team remains winless against division opponents on the road on Thursday Night Football. And while this one looks bad in the history books, it looked way worse on the field.

After the opening defensive and offensive drives for the Steelers, everything changed. This team went up 7-0, only to completely fall apart and struggle to find any momentum on either side of the football.

Leaving Cleveland, there's cause for concern for the Steelers. Enough to really think about what this season could turn out to be for the black and gold.

Let's dive into the takeaways.

Jaylen Warren is Close to Top 5

The Steelers might have a top-five running back in the National Football League. We're at the point where it's impossible to deny how good Jaylen Warren is and what he does for this offense. Last week, his 127 rushing yards put him on the map as an elite rusher. This week, he put a stamp on a top-10 runner, with top five written all over him.

What makes Warren so good is not just his ability to make people miss or create something out of nothing. He's as well-rounded as they come. He can pass-block against anyone who challenges him, catch the football out of the backfield and make plays, and no matter what the running situation is, he's a capable back.

Warren finished the game with 17 carries for 93 yards, and was seemingly the only good part of the Steelers offense from start to finish.

Yes, he's up there with Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kenneth Walker and Saquan Barkley. Yes, he can do everything they can. And yes, he's quickly approaching the top-five mark amongst active running backs.

Steelers Need DeShon Elliott Back

The Steelers desperately need to figure out their safety room. Jaquan Brisker is great. Reliable, a play-maker and a leader within the defense. Rayshawn Jenkins is anything but.

Through four games, Jenkins has seemingly gotten worse by the week. He's missing multiple tackles per game, isn't keeping up with players in coverage and has cost the Steelers with miscommunication and being out of place when dropping into zone.

Whether it's Elliott returning or the Steelers testing a player like Jalen Ramsey at safety, they need to do something. The defense is going to struggle with a weak link this alarming, and offenses are starting to attack the side of the field he's on.

They're already thin in the secondary and are counting on Asante Samuel Jr. and Jamel Dean to make it look like they don't need Joey Porter Jr. They can't have Jenkins pulling down the group any more than it already has been.

By the end of the game, Robert Spears-Jennings was taking reps at safety next to Brisker. That may need to continue. But sooner rather than later, Elliott needs to be back on the field.

Time to Start Talking About Chris Boswell?

At what point do the Steelers become concerned with Chris Boswell? The serial killer has missed a field goal attempt in three of four games this season, with a miss in Cleveland coming on a 48-yard attempt with just over five minutes left in the first half.

Boswell is not happy. Believes that he got bumped into during that missed FG
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) October 2, 2026

Boswell is one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL, until he's not. Right now, it's a weird spot where you want to trust a player who's been so reliable over the years, but he's not performing as well as he should be.

It needs to improve, otherwise the Steelers have another hole they need to fix. One they can't without Boswell simply just playing better.

Aaron Rodgers is Real Hit or Miss

Some plays, only Aaron Rodgers can make a throw or decision on a pass. Some plays, you wonder if Mason Rudolph would be a better option for the Steelers. It's been all four games where he's been back-and-forth, but against the Browns, it felt like he was a pretty big detriment to the offense.

After nearly a 10-minute drive to open the game, Rodgers threw an interception on the team's second offensive drive of the game. Leading 7-0 at the time, it was a poor throw and an even worse decision. And it felt like momentum totally flipped when it happened.

The Steelers' offense never regained momentum after that play and Rodgers' play continued to get worse.

Whether it's stepping into sacks, not being mobile enough to avoid them or overthrowing players, Rodgers is causing issues for the offense pretty consistently. His reads are even getting late, with one play standing out - a pass across the middle intended for DK Metcalf that would've likely resulted in a first down if thrown on time. Instead, Rodgers was a good second or two late and a defender got to Metcalf before the ball did. The Steelers punted.

If the Steelers have any hopes of competing for a playoff spot this season, Rodgers needs to be the driving force. Right now, he's more of a problem than he is a solution.

Steelers Defense Looks BAD

Outside of T.J. Watt's 119th career sack and a forced fumble that led to a punt for the Steelers' offense, their defense was terrible against the Browns.

The group can't tackle. We should start there. Hopefully, for their sake, it was a one-game mishap, but this group might have missed 20-plus tackles in Cleveland. Players were bouncing off ball-carriers left and right, and getting pushed back from the line of scrimmage on nearly every play.

Then, there were moments when miscommunication led to easy completions for Deshaun Watson, and multiple times when the Browns' offensive line got the best of the Steelers' defensive line and allowed the running backs to create big plays.

Some players really stood out as poor performers. Patrick Queen, Rayshawn Jenkins, and Daylen Everette all had spotlights on them for their rough evenings. And, truthfully, there are many more to be named.

This defense looked way too good the first two weeks of the season to fall off the way that they have. If this team has any chance of turning things around, it's going to be because of this unit. But if the group can't figure it out, things are going to get uglier and uglier as the season goes on.

Steelers Offense Line is Bad Again

Well, it was a fun week of talking about the Steelers' offensive line improving. Despite keeping Max Iheanachor and Brock Hoffman in the lineup, the group went back to their ways in Weeks 1 and 2, stopping very little and causing a lot of problems for their quarterback.

Sometimes, Rodgers got himself into trouble. Sometimes, the offensive line looked like this:

Aaron Rodgers gets blasted again! #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/KPoh7wt521
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) October 2, 2026

This group needs to be better. They have two first-round tackles, a second-round center and two young guards. It's a recipe for success and yet they're doing very little of it. And this is going to be a long season for their 42-year-old quarterback and their fanbase if they don't turn it around.

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