Many people realized that Sunday night’s rematch between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers could be one-sided. Few expected the Browns to be responsible for the defeat. The tone was set from the start in the final Super Wild-Card Weekend showdown, with Ben Roethlisberger failing to corner a rebellious snap on the first scrimmage move and the Browns taking the lead. Cleveland then gained momentum during the first half, taking advantage of Roethlisberger’s three interceptions to build a 28-point lead. The Steelers showed a lot of life in the final stretch, pulling in two points and threatening a lap thanks to Big Ben’s resurgence, but then it was too little, too late, and Cleveland sealed his first playoff victory since 1994 with a 48-37 decision.
The Steelers entered the case on Sunday night with the story on their side; they have been doing business consistently against the Browns at home, including earlier this season with a 38-7 rout of Cleveland. But almost nothing went right at the start of their last confrontation with the Browns, who deflected two passes to picks, neutralized all other pieces of the Steelers’ offensive attack and embraced the chance to let Baker Mayfield play it cool and lean on the double attack of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Even later in the fight, when Roethlisberger definitely raised and started meeting JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool for major gains, much of Pittsburgh’s production seemed tucked away in trash time.
A fourth interception by the Browns at the end of the fourth quarter sealed the deal for Cleveland, who had not made the postseason before Sunday night since 2002, ensuring the Browns a trip to face the Super Bowl Chiefs champion in the Divisional Round – all later disturbing their AFC North rivals without the help of their head coach, the All-Pro’s left guard, the No. 1 wide receiver and the two best cornerbacks. In other words, Sunday night was tremendous for the former residents of the AFC North wineries.
Here is a complete analysis of what happened on Sunday night.
Why the Browns won
The Browns played exceptional complementary football. Their defense forced changes and their attack largely capitalized on them. And after the Browns ‘defense started the fourth period with a punt, Chubb and the Browns’ attack extended their lead. After the Steelers responded with a quick touchdown, the Browns’ attack scored three points before kicking in another field goal after Roethlisberger’s fourth interception in the night.
The Browns’ offensive line played a big role in Cleveland’s first playoff victory in 26 years. A shout out is to Michael Dunn, who replaced Pro Bowler Joel Bitonio admirably. Rookie Jedrick Wills also played exceptional ball in his playoff debut, as he was part of a line that did not allow a single serve from Mayfield. This is significant, considering that the Steelers have led or drawn in the league leadership for four consecutive years.
Why the Steelers lost
Pittsburgh, the team that trained all week, was completely defeated against a Cleveland team that spent most of the week practicing virtually. In the attack, the Steelers made four turns in the first half that the Browns turned into 21 points. Three of those changes were Roethlisberger interceptions, whose fourth interception defined the end points of the night for the Browns. Roethlisberger, in defeat, shot for 501 yards and four touchdowns. Smith-Schuster managed 13 passes for 157 yards and a score, while Diontae Johnson took 11 passes for 117 yards in his playoff debut.
The Pittsburgh defense, a unit that has forced at least one spin in 10 of the first 11 games, has failed to register a turn for the fourth time in the last six games and the second straight game against Cleveland. Without Joe Haden, the Steelers’ secondary was separated by Mayfield, who became the first defender since Vinny Testaverde to lead the Browns to a playoff victory.
Inflection point
With a 35-10 drop in the interval, the Steelers scored two touchdowns and forced three punts in the third quarter. They had a fourth and one on their own 46-yard line at the start of the fourth period. But, instead of going forward, Pittsburgh tried to attract Cleveland’s handicaps before Jordan Berry’s punt went into the end zone. The Browns made the most of the Steelers’ conservative decision. Six moves after Berry’s punt, Cleveland extended his lead to 42-23 after Chubb made Mayfield’s second pass pass 40 yards.
Game play
The Browns have many candidates, but the best play in the game goes to Chubb, whose touchdown reception for a screen pass suppressed Pittsburgh’s momentum, giving his team an advantage of 19 points in less than three minutes of the fourth period.
Quotable
“We had Michael Dunn taking the left goal for Joel Bitonio. And then, Michael got hurt and a guy named Blake [Hance], who literally performed in the locker room before the game intensified in the fourth period. “- Mayfield for NBC Sports when asked about his success behind Cleveland’s revamped offensive line.
What is the next
The Browns are in Kansas City, where they will face Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the title champions. The Browns will have Kevin Stefanski back on the sideline, who enjoyed Sunday night’s game in the comfort of his basement. Pittsburgh will start what can be an interesting off-season, as the Steelers have a number of notable free agents including Smith-Schuster, James Conner and Bud Dupree, among others.