5 things we learned: Larry Ogunjobi steps up for Steelers to help replace Cam Heyward

Five things we learned from Steelers 26, Browns 22:

1. Hello, Larry

Larry Ogunjobi didn’t take it upon himself to singlehandedly replace Cam Heyward in the Steelers’ first game without their defensive captain.

It just looked that way.

While playing nearly 60% of the defensive snaps, Ogunjobi had four tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery while trying to plug the interior of the defense in Heyward’s absence. Heyward will miss about two months after undergoing surgery on his groin.

Ogunjobi set the tone on Cleveland’s second drive. Trailing 7-3, the Browns had just intercepted Kenny Pickett and had a first down at the Steelers 19 when Ogunjobi brought down Deshaun Watson for a 7-yard loss. Ogunjobi also provided pressure on a third-down pass that was incomplete, and Dustin Hopkins pushed a 43-yard field goal attempt wide left.

Late in the quarter, Ogunjobi recovered a fumble when Montravius Adams dislodged the ball from Watson’s grasp on a fourth-and-1 run. Watson initially was credited with the first down only to have the fumble acknowledged after a lengthy replay review.

Ogunjobi smiled and politely deferred a question about his motivation facing the Browns, who selected him in the third round of the 2017 draft. Whether he was inspired against his former team, Ogunjobi provided a veteran presence on a defensive line that needed it in the wake of Heyward’s injury.

Now if the Steelers can only figure out how to stop the run after giving up 188 and 198 yards on the ground in successive weeks.

2. Stopping Myles

Kenny Pickett was sacked twice and hit seven other times by the Browns, whose pressure led to an uneven performance for the second-year quarterback.

Still, Pickett didn’t spend much time avoiding Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, who wasn’t much of a factor in the game. Garrett hit Pickett once and finished with one tackle. It came a week after Garrett had one sack and was a disruptive force against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Garrett has faced the Steelers on 11 occasions in his career. His sacks total remains on hold at seven. He hasn’t recorded two sacks against the Steelers since 2018.

3. Short night

Gunner Olszewski made two impressions in his first game action of the season, neither of them positive.

Debuting as the team’s kickoff returner because of Anthony McFarland’s knee injury, Olszewski decided to field Dustin Hopkins’ kickoff after the Browns had scored to pull within 7-3 in the opening quarter.

Hopkins’ kicked appeared to be headed out of bounds, which would have given the Steelers advantageous field position, when Olszewski inexplicably raised his arms and caught it.

Perhaps Olszewski was thinking he could take advantage of the new fair-catch rule. If so, it didn’t work. Olszewski went out of bounds immediately after he caught the ball, and the Steelers were forced to start the drive at their 9.

Olszewski also fumbled on the only offensive snap he played. He left the game and did not return because of a concussion. The Browns took advantage of this turnover by scoring a touchdown to take an 11-7 lead early in the second quarter.

4. Booting up

In his first game since being chastised by coach Mike Tomlin, punter Pressley Harvin had perhaps the best game of his three-year career.

Although he did place two punts in the end zone for touchbacks, Harvin also dropped four attempts inside the 20. Late in the third quarter and into the fourth the Browns began drives at the 1 and 6, respectively.

In the first half, Harvin pinned the Browns at the 5 and 9 with his booming punts. Harvin averaged 45.7 yards on his seven punts, with a 40-yard net average.

5. Rundown on the run

Not counting a kneel down on the final play of the half, the Steelers totaled 2 rushing yards on seven carries in the opening 30 minutes. Najee Harris had 4 yards on six attempts, and Jaylen Warren lost a yard on his only carry.

The running game that lacked rhythm in the season opener against San Francisco improved in the second half. When the Steelers got the ball back with 3:59 left in the third quarter and trailing by three points, Harris broke off a 21-yard run on the first play. He got the ball again and ripped off 17 yards to provide a first down at the Browns 42.

For that brief time, the Steelers’ running game gave a glimpse of what it looked like in the second half of last season. Warren also had an 8-yard run in the fourth quarter that could have helped the Steelers run down the clock, if not for a third-and-1 call that went awry and resulted in a 3-yard loss by Pickett.