Steelers at Browns: 3 Things To Keep an Eye On

By: CJ Lester, @CJLester58

SteelerNation.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 28-24 last Sunday afternoon to improve to 12-3 on the year. Currently, the Steelers are the 3 seed in AFC Playoff picture. With 9:23 left in the 3^rd quarter the Colts tacked on a field goal to extend their lead to 24-7. The lead seemed insurmountable, especially with how the offense had played leading up to that point. Something clicked and a different Steelers’ offense took the field from that point on. QB Ben Roethlisberger finished the game completing 34 of 49 passes for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns. WR Juju Smith-Schuster led the team in receiving with 9 receptions for 96 yards and 1 touchdown. On the defensive side of things, ILB Avery Williamson led the defense in tackles with 14 (9 solos). Defensive Player of the Year front runner, TJ Watt finished with 3 tackles (all solos), 2 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. The Steelers travel to take on the Cleveland Browns tomorrow afternoon to close out the regular season. With very little at stake, the Steelers are reportedly resting quite a few starters in this week’s matchup. Before we take a deeper look into the regular season finale against the Browns, let’s review last week’s matchup against the Colts.

Last week in review

The three things I noted that we should keep an eye on last week were:

1. Bounce Back Performance for Roethlisberger

After watching the struggles of the first half, I wasn’t sure Roethlisberger was going to have a bounce back performance like I expected prior to kickoff. In the first half, the only successful drive the Steelers’ offense had was when the defense gifted them a possession at the Colts’ 3-yard line. All other drives ended with the Steelers’ punting. The second half was a completely different story. The Steelers’ first possession in the 2^nd half ended with the offense turning the ball over on downs at the Colts’ 2-yard line after a brilliant 78-yard drive. After that possession the Steelers’ offense scored 3 straight touchdowns on as many possessions to take the lead. On those three drives alone, Roethlisberger completed 11 of 16 passes for 137 yards and 3 Touchdowns. He was fooling defenders with pump fakes and throwing dimes.

2. Vince is Back!

After missing several weeks due to being placed on the COVID/Reserve list, ILB Vince Williams made his return to the starting lineup. Williams finished with 5 tackles (all solos), but more importantly his leadership and knowledge are unquestioned and this defense plays better when he is on the field. He is always there to ensure players are in the right position pre-snap and his communication skills have been praised countless times over the years.

3. 3^rd down efficiency

I mentioned last week that in order for the Steelers to win, they had to be more efficient on 3^rd down. The Steelers’ offense converted 4 of 11 3rd downs against the Colts. Certainly, that number is a little improvement compared to 4 of 16 the week prior against the Cincinnati Bengals. In their very efficient 2^nd half performance, the Steelers were only in a 3^rd down situation 4 times in which they converted 2 of those. Looking ahead, the Steelers still need to improve in that area, especially on 3^rd and short situations.

Let’s take a look at 3 things we should watch for in Week 17 against the Browns:

1. Mason Rudolph's Progress

With the Steelers resting quite a few starters, Roethlisberger will sit and QB2 Mason Rudolph will start against the Browns tomorrow afternoon. In 2019, Rudolph was 5-3 as a starter, completing 62% of his passes for 13 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Rudolph gets a chance to show his progression tomorrow afternoon. A couple of areas of Rudolph’s performance I need to see improvement in are his pocket awareness and his ability to throw the ball deeper than he did last season. Rudolph just averaged 5.7 air yards per passing attempt a season ago. A year has passed since he really played any meaningful snaps. Against a very hungry Browns’ team, this will give the Steelers a chance to assess Rudolph’s ability to play QB in the NFL. Rudolph’s teammates and coaches have preached about their confidence in the QB all week.

2. Rushing Offense Success against the Browns’ Defense

One of the very few decent rushing performance the Steelers’ offense have had this season came in Week 6 in their first matchup against the Browns. The Steelers ran the ball 37 times for 129 yards. James Conner led the team with 20 carries and 101 yards on the ground that week. Can the Steelers’ offense duplicate that performance? The Steelers will want to help Rudolph as much as they can by running the football. The Browns’ defense is a middle of the pack team against the run this season. They give up on average 112 yards rushing per game. Look for the Steelers’ offense to try to get the run game going tomorrow afternoon.

3. A Look at Depth Pieces

With several starters expected to rest a week before the playoffs, this gives Steeler’ fans a chance to take a look at depth pieces that have had limited snaps this season. The Steelers are expected to rest Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, TJ Watt, and Cam Heyward. Other players ruled out due to injury are Terrell Edmunds and Chris Boswell. News broke this morning that the Steelers will also be without Joe Haden due to testing positive for COVID-19. There will be a lot of next men up tomorrow afternoon and I will be excited to see how they perform against the “starving for the playoffs” Browns team. Intriguing players to watch include Rudolph, Sean Davis, Ola Adeniyi, Cassius Marsh Sr., Justin Layne, and Carlos Davis. I expect Adeniyi and Marsh to split time filling in for Watt at outside linebacker.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? What should we watch for in Week 17 against the Browns? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!