Pittsburgh Steelers Opponent Profile: A Game Against The Hapless Cleveland Browns May Be Just What Pittsburgh Needs
By Danny Cox
The Steelers are going up against a team in the Cleveland Browns without a single victory after 10 games, and they can approach it one of two ways. They can consider it an easy win, or, they can keep in mind that no victory in the NFL is guaranteed.
Though the Browns are winless, they're not about to just lay down and allow themselves to lose their final six games of the year. At this point, they have nothing to lose, and that's exactly when teams get desperate. Make no mistake: The Browns are willing to do whatever it takes to get that zero out of the win column.
Cleveland Browns Second Record: 0-10
Obviously, 10 losses in a row to start the season is not something that any team wants. Head coach Hue Jackson takes much of the blame for this, and he's hoping the fans don't turn on him or the team as they work hard to do well and get that first win.
Browns On Offense
The quarterback troubles continue for the Browns as they have made their way through five different signal-callers in 2016. Cody Kessler was benched in favor of Josh McCown during last week's game against the Baltimore Ravens and Jackson has not yet decided on the starter for Week 11.
Terrelle Pryor Sr., Gary Barnidge and Andrew Hawkins are all great targets with running back Duke Johnson Jr. coming out of the backfield and playing well in the passing game. But, the Browns don't have a lot of balance on offense; Isaiah Crowell is a strong runner, but he doesn't rack up a lot of yards and Cleveland often abandons the rushing attack because they find themselves falling behind early in games.
Browns On Defense
The Browns are dead last with the 32nd ranked defense in the entire NFL; they give up an average of more than 419 yards-per-game. They've allowed 301 points this season for an average of more than 30 points-per-game.
Cleveland only has 16 sacks as a team in 2016 with outside linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah leading the way with three total on the season. He is quick off the snap and does well in the pass rush, so the Steelers offensive line will need to make sure that he and defensive end Carl Nassib are accounted for at all times.
Browns Players To Watch: WR Terrelle Pryor Sr. and DB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
There's no doubt that Terrelle Pryor Sr. has made the transition from quarterback to wide receiver without much of a problem. He's also been one of the few bright spots on a lackluster Browns offense. He's fast, runs routes perfectly and knows how to get open in a moment's notice. Pryor has 627 yards on 51 receptions this season with four touchdowns.
Defensively, the Browns have been beaten in just about every aspect of the game, but there are a few players who stand out, and one of them is defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun. So far this season he has two interceptions and one sack. Big Ben is going to need to keep an eye on him because before you know it, Boddy-Calhoun could add to his four passes defended in 2016.
Outlook
The Cleveland Browns are not giving up, and there's no doubt that they have talent on their team; they just can't seem to get things all going in one direction. They do get close at times and have seen games where they've been just on the edge of getting that first win. The Steelers have more than enough skill and talent to beat the Browns, but they cannot play down to them because of Cleveland's record, or it could result in a fifth straight loss for Pittsburgh.
