Steelers at Browns: Keys to victory in Week 12

The Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2) will be on the road to face the Cleveland Browns (2-8) in Week 12 of the 2024 NFL regular season for Thursday Night Football at Huntington Bank Field on November 21, at 8:15 p.m. EST. While Pittsburgh has surged over the last few weeks, Cleveland has struggled to compete. Still, this rivalry is alive and well in the AFC North, making it a game that can’t be overlooked.

That’s the special thing about this group is you don’t really have to (tell guys not to overlook an opponent)… We all understand.” – T.J. Watt.

We look at the key things that must be addressed if the Steelers hope to escape a short week of prep in order to secure a victory over the Browns.

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Offense needs to put points on the scoreboard

The Steelers, with Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback, have had back-to-back games that has seen two different sides to their offense. Against the Washington Commanders, things seemed to be clicking while, against the Baltimore Ravens, the offense stalled out short of the end zone.

The Browns defense is ranked near the bottom of the league in nearly every statistical category. Heading into Week 12, they are 19th in yards allowed per game (342.70), 24th in points allowed (24.8), 16th in passing yards allowed (211), and 24th in rushing yards allowed (131.70). Cleveland has logged 2 interceptions and 28 sacks.

A balanced offense, built off of the run, can get the Steelers back on track offensively this week.

It will require that the offensive line stay feisty and secure gaps. Wilson was heavily pressured in Week 11, and that led to disrupted rhythm in the first half of that game.

Cleveland’s defensive front is formidable, and have made most of the difference-making plays this season. Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith, at the defensive end positions, have cumulatively recorded 12.0 sacks. The Browns elevated Sam Kamara (DT) and Elerson Smith (DE) to the active roster from the practice squad after moving Mike Hall Jr. (DT) to injured/reserve this week.

Run-pass option plays should help create targets in the open field for Wilson to hit. Once the Browns’ second line of defense is breached, teams have found success against them offensively. The Browns linebackers – especially Owusu Koramoah – have defensed passes this season, so crossing routes will have to be sharp. Getting George Pickens and Mike Williams involved early on the outside will allow Pittsburgh to move the ball down the field and convert critical downs.

“They’re doing a nice job utilizing (Pickens) in a bunch of different ways… he’s obviously a down the field threat, as everybody knows, and he can go down on those 50/50 balls one-on-one. But he can catch quick game, they can run jailbreak screens to him. There’s really a bunch of different things that they’re doing with him.” – Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski

The Steelers can’t sustain their dominance by relying on the leg of placekicker Chris Boswell; they’ve got to get their offense into scoring range and capitalize on mismatches, motion, and wearing the Browns defense down to get into the end zone.

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Defense should exploit Browns weaknesses

The Steelers defense is playing at a high level, and that’s something the Browns are wary, and aware, of. Cleveland’s offense is ranked 20th in passing yards (202.8), 29th in rushing yards (88.5), 27th in total offensive yards (291.3), 31st in points scored (16.2) per game. Pittsburgh has a way of sniffing out weaknesses, and the Browns have many.

The Browns want to get the ball out of their quarterback’s hand faster. Against the Saints, Jameis Winston held on to the ball for an average of 2.76 seconds per passing play and it led to 395 passing yards and a 106.7 passer rating. Pressure from Watt, Nick Herbig, Cameron Heyward, and the Steelers defensive line can disrupt that, but it will require the Steelers interior linebackers and corners to be sharper in coverage.

The Browns have utilized seven different rushers in their offense this season, not including quarterbacks. Although the Steelers can’t give up on run defense, they’re not facing the same challenge they did with Derrick Henry in Week 11. They can be fundamentally strong while shifting some focus to preventing quarterback draws and keepers for big gains.

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Win the turnover battle

The Steelers enter the game with a plus-11 turnover margin and are tied for fourth-most takeaways in the NFL. Although they statistically outmatch Cleveland, Pittsburgh will need to continue to utilize good ball security offensively while looking for opportunities to create turnovers on defense.

 

Steelers at Browns: Keys to victory in Week 12 appeared first on Steel City Underground.

5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s win against the Ravens

Our SCU staff and contributors pick the “surprises” from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ latest matchup each week. Check out more below to see which plays and situations surprised us the most!

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their eighth win of the 2024 season with an 18-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The victory gives the Steelers a 1.5 game lead in the AFC North over the Baltimore Ravens.

Here are some surprises from that game.

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Ravens’ offense held in check

The Ravens were one of three teams in NFL history to score at least 20 points and record 375-or-more yards of offense in each of its first 10 games of a season, joining the legendary 2013 Denver Broncos and 2000 St. Louis Rams offenses. The Ravens were first in points scored and rushing yards, and third in passing offense heading into the weekend.

However, on Sunday, the Ravens were limited to their fewest total yards of offense on the season. Pittsburgh held Baltimore to 329 yards, fewer than their average of 375 and substantially less than their next-lowest output of 383 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2.

Ravens RB Derrick Henry was held to his second-lowest rushing totals of the year (65 yards) which is the fewest since Baltimore’s Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Henry also fumbled for the first time in nearly 500 carries. The Ravens offense, which averaged a league-high 31.8 points per game was held to 16 points total.

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Lamar Jackson “un-MVP-like”

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been a frontrunner to repeat as the league MVP but hit a roadblock on Sunday. Coming into the game against the Steelers, Jackson led the NFL with a 123.2 rating, and was tied for first with 24 touchdown passes and second with 2,669 passing yards this season.

Jackson became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to record a passer rating of 100-or-higher in eight consecutive games within a season, joining names such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers as the others to accomplish this feat.

The Steelers defense was prepared to stymie Jackson, who fell to his fourth-straight loss against Pittsburgh and a 1-4 record in his career against the Black and Gold. Jackson would finish the day with 207 yards, a touchdown and an interception, but his 48.5% completion percentage (season low) dropped his quarterback rating down to 66.1 on the day.

Jackson was also limited to 46 yards rushing and would fail to convert a game-tying two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, which sealed his team’s fate.

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Payton Wilson INT

With the Steelers up 15-10 in the fourth quarter, Russell Wilson led his side on a ten-play, 63-yard drive that stalled at the Baltimore five-yard-line when the quarterback committed his first and only interception of the game.

Who knew that the equalizer would be rookie linebacker Payton Wilson (no relation!) who would come down with an errant Lamar Jackson throw three plays later.

Wilson would strip the ball in mid-air from would be receiver Justice Hill, regaining possession for the Steelers on their 36-yard-line.

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Kicking Battle

We were promised a kicking battle between NFL greats Justin Tucker and Chris Boswell, but it ended as a lopsided victory for the latter.

Tucker would attempt, and miss, his first two field goal attempts of the afternoon from 47 and 50 yards before making a 54-yarder, his only successful attempt, in the third quarter.

Boswell, on the other hand, would score all of the Steelers 18 points, converting six total field goals in a game for the second time this season. Boz was successful from distances of 32, 52, 32, 57, 27, and 50 on the day.

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WR Snaps

Following the eyebrow raising trade for former Chargers and Jets WR Mike Williams, the star would be expected to contribute more in his second game with the Steelers after catching the game-winning touchdown one week earlier.

Despite playing 25 snaps (32% of the game) Williams would leave Sunday without a catch or so much a target. The Steelers would play Van Jefferson for 43 plays (55%), Calvin Austin 26 (33%) and even practice squad call up Ben Skowronek would see the field for 20 plays (26%) too.

George Pickens would out-snap all other receivers with 69 plays (88%) while tight ends Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth each saw 58% of the plays.

Pickens exits Week 11 with the league’s fourth-most receiving yards (728). His 48 receptions leads all Steelers.

5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s win against the Ravens appeared first on Steel City Underground.

Steelers Bring Back S Eric Rowe

Eric Rowe is on his way back to Pittsburgh. The veteran safety has signed to the Steelers’ practice squad, per a team announcement.

Almost exactly one year ago, Rowe joined the Steelers en route to playing a key role for the team down the stretch and into the postseason. The 32-year-old recently visited Pittsburgh as a free agent, as noted by KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. He was joined in that regard by Marquise Blair, but to little surprise the Steelers have elected to go with the familiar option.

Rowe started all three of his regular season appearances for Pittsburgh last year, remaining a first-team presence during the team’s wild-card loss. He was not re-signed in the offseason, however, and no agreement was reached with any other suitors on the open market. Having remained a free agent well into the campaign, he will aim to join Pittsburgh’s active roster in short order. The Utah product will be an option for a gameday elevation up to three times, and succeeding in that regard could land him on the active roster.

The Steelers’ defense has been among the league’s best in a number of areas, but there is room for improvement against the pass. Pittsburgh sits 18th in terms of passing yards allowed per game (215), and Rowe could step into at least a depth role in a bid to help in that department. The former second-rounder has recorded six interceptions and 43 pass deflections in 103 games, and some of that ball production came during his brief 2023 period as a Steeler.

Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott have operated as safety starters for Pittsburgh in 2024. Provided they remain healthy, that will likely be the case through the rest of the season. As the 8-2 Steelers look to remain atop the AFC North, they will have an additional option in the secondary for the second half of the campaign.

Watch: Payton Wilson grabs freak INT against Ravens

Steel City Underground will pick an exceptional play of the game as a highlight each week of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 NFL regular season. Stay tuned as we hand-select the very best from the Black and Gold!

The NFL Week 11 division rivalry game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens was yet another close match. The Steelers won, 18-16, but it wasn’t the offenses that really stood out as much as the defenses of both teams.

There were several plays we could have chosen to highlight; T.J. Watt‘s or Dean Lowry‘s sacks of Lamar Jackson, Nick Herbig‘s early strip of the ball from Derrick Henry, Patrick Queen‘s forced fumble and recovery, or Joey Porter Jr’s stop on the 2-point attempt that would have allowed the Ravens to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.

Instead, we focused on the freakish play that resulted in Steelers rookie linebacker Payton Wilson‘s interception.

Pittsburgh had marched down the field in the 4th to get inside the red zone only to have a connection between Russell Wilson and Darnell Washington end up in the hands of a Ravens defender for a pick in the end zone. That put the Steelers right back on the field with their defense.

Jackson kept the ball on 1st & 10 at the Baltimore 20 for a 25-yard gain. On 1st & 10 at the 45, Jackson dumped the ball off to Henry for a 15-yard gain, but the Ravens were penalized for an ineligible player downfield on the pass.

After an official time out, the Ravens lined up on 1st & 15 and Jackson took the snap from shotgun. He threw the ball deep, targeting Justice Hill. Payton Wilson shadowed the running back and was able to get an arm inside Hill’s as the ball arrived. As the pair went to the ground, that arm was able to knock the ball loose and Wilson was able to secure it for the takeaway. Wilson attempted to hand the ball off to Minkah Fitzpatrick to keep the play alive, but officials whistled the play dead.

It was Wilson’s first NFL career interception and helped set up Chris Boswell‘s sixth successful field goal kick. The Steelers defense, as a unit, held Jackson to his lowest overall grade and lowest passing grade so far this season, per PFF.

 

Watch: Payton Wilson grabs freak INT against Ravens appeared first on Steel City Underground.

Takeaways: Steelers 8-2 after ugly win over Ravens

Steel City Underground offers post-game takeaways for every 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers NFL regular season game, focusing on the black and gold, just for members of Steelers Nation.

On Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 18-16, at Acrisure Stadium to move to 8-2 on the season and take full control of the AFC North. There was little doubt that the division rivalry game would be a close, physical one, but fans know these two teams are unpredictable when they face each other. We present our top takeaways from the Week 11 battle.

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Steelers offense was shaky

In our keys to a victory, before the game, we stated that the offense would need to get off to a quicker start and test the Ravens’ defensive backfield. The offense got off to a shaky start and, despite several positive plays, had trouble converting key downs and never did get into the end zone. Their third-down conversion efficiency was 4-16 with a 0-1 fourth down efficiency. Their red zone efficiency was 0-4.

Typically, those numbers indicate a disastrous performance and equate into a loss in the NFL. This week, though, the Ravens didn’t do much better offensively in what quickly turned into a battle of defenses.

Russell Wilson had his first subpar performance as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback, taking four big sacks and nullifying potential points on the scoreboard when he threw an interception in the end zone on a pass meant for tight end Darnell Washington who didn’t make an attempt on the ball. Still, the veteran remained calm under near-constant pressure to complete 23-of-36 passes for 205 yards. He just couldn’t lead the offense into the end zone.

Wilson did test the Ravens defensive backfield, but they looked better than they have in weeks. Nearly every catch was contested, including eight that George Pickens reeled in. That led Wilson to adjusting to more quick-passes and shorter attempts in the second half to keep the offense balanced and moving downfield.

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The wizard was perfect

The Steelers need to thank their lucky stars that Chris Boswell is on their roster. While Ravens kicker Justin Tucker missed 2-of-3 field goals, Pittsburgh’s wizard was a perfect 6-of-6, putting the only points on the scoreboard for Pittsburgh.

It’s not the first time in Steelers history that Boswell has been the goat, but counting on him to be the sole scorer isn’t tenable if Pittsburgh wants to remain a contender in the NFL this season.

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Defense came through

The Steelers were certainly challenged on defense by Lamar Jackson and company. Early, though, Nick Herbig – starting in place of injured outside linebacker Alex Highsmith – was able to strip the ball from bruising rusher Derrick Henry that the Steelers recovered. Whether that play had an effect on Henry or not, Pittsburgh limited him to just 65 yards on 13 carries. Henry did punch in a goalline run for a touchdown.

T.J. Watt and Dean Lowry did earn a sack apiece, but the pressure on Jackson was more of a contain situation, keeping the quarterback from gouging them with designed plays utilizing his legs.

The Steelers only allowed the Ravens offense a 4-11 third down conversion rate and didn’t stall in keeping the Ravens from converting fourth downs, forcing four Jordan Stout punts in the game and the lone touchdown.

When Baltimore wasn’t shooting themselves in the foot with penalties, they were working to spread the offense to keep themselves in the game after a costly two fumbles (both recovered by Pittsburgh) and a freak contested catch that ended with a Payton Wilson interception.

Jackson was hit six times, disrupting his rhythm, and had three passes batted down – two by Cameron Heyward – before they could reach a targeted receiver. Jackson finished the game with 16-of-33 passes completed.

At 8-2, the Steelers have a hold on the top spot of the AFC North and will travel in Week 12 to face another division rival in the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland lost their Week 11 game to the New Orleans Saints to fall to 2-8 on the season.

Takeaways: Steelers 8-2 after ugly win over Ravens appeared first on Steel City Underground.

SCU Week in Review – November 17th

In case you missed it (or anything) the SCU Week in Review recaps all articles, videos, posts and more, shared via Steel City Underground’s various platforms throughout the week.

Previewing the Ravens game and more

Joe flies solo on this edition of the SCU Podcast to detail the weekend’s biggest game as the 7-2 Pittsburgh Steelers host the 7-3 Baltimore Ravens.

Just how big is this game for the Steelers? Aside from AFC North supremacy, it could tip the scales of balance between the NFL’s top-scoring offense (Ravens) and defense (Steelers).

Hear Joe’s keys to the game, catch up on the injury report, and more in this pregame episode.

View the video below on YouTube or visit our podcast page to find it on all popular audio platforms.

More Steelers-Ravens Coverage

Tina dives into the Steelers Week 11 matchup with this week’s Scouting Report and her 5 Steelers to Watch.

Plus, find out where to watch and listen to the Steelers-Ravens game plus other key facts in this week’s GameDay Cheat Sheet.

Steelers-Commanders Postgame Coverage

Joe and Brian examine the Steelers one-point victory Sunday over the Washington Commanders.

Rookie QB Jayden Daniels and his squad may be the best team the Steelers have faced yet this season. Despite some setbacks, Pittsburgh received contributions for several areas, including players who haven’t been on the team for very long.

Hear what the hosts have to say and stick around for the end where they compare the season thus far to their preseason predictions!

Christina Rivers takes you through her game takeaways while Joe highlights his surprises from the Commanders game. Click below for each article.

Takeaways: Steelers eke out win over Commanders

5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s win against the Commanders

Plays of the Week

SCU brings you all of the highlights from last week’s game against the Washington Commanders. Watch each one below!

Watch: Heyward sacks Daniels, twice, to lead Steelers defense

Watch: Williams scores first touchdown with the Steelers

SCU Week in Review – November 17th appeared first on Steel City Underground.

Steelers Place CB C.J Henderson On IR

C.J Henderson has yet to make his Steelers debut, and that will remain the case for an extended period. The former first-rounder corner was placed on injured reserve, the team announced Saturday.

Henderson joined the Steelers in September, initially inking a practice squad deal. He was promoted to the active roster last month amidst interest from other teams, but he has still yet to make an appearance. A neck injury will now keep Henderson sidelined for at least the next four games as Pittsburgh looks to remain atop the AFC North.

Pittsburgh enters Week 11 with a 7-2 record ahead of a critical matchup with the Ravens. The team’s defense has remained among the league’s best units with both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson at the helm; the Steelers have allowed 16.2 points per games this year, the second-best mark in the NFL. The team’s secondary has not been as strong, as Pittsburgh sits just 19th against the pass.

Henderson’s absence will require the Steelers to continue leaning heavily on Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson as starters at the cornerback spot. The likes of undrafted rookie Beanie Bishop along with Cameron Sutton – recently reinstated from suspension – are in place to handle rotational roles in the secondary. Missed time will further hinder Henderson’s ability to carve out a role with the Steelers.

The 26-year-old entered the league with high expectations but he played only 10 games with the Jaguars before being traded during his second season to the Panthers. Henderson made 22 starts with Carolina, but his struggles in coverage continued during his time with the team. The Florida product took a one-year deal with the Texans in free agency, but he did not survive roster cutdowns. Having yet to make an impact in Pittsburgh, Henderson is no doubt looking at another tepid market this spring.

In a corresponding move, the Steelers signed running back Jonathan Ward to the active roster. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren have handled the bulk of the rushing load in 2024, as expected. Ward, 27, has received only five carries so far this season but he has contributed on special teams. He will feature in that capacity tomorrow provided he is part of the gameday lineup.