Of the many problems facing the Steelers against the Browns this Sunday, the biggest will be their ability to get Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to the ground.
Mayfield was only sacked once, and the Steelers forced no turnovers in the first meeting between the clubs this season. That was largely because the Browns quarterback neutralized the Steelers vaunted pass rush with his legs.
What a catch by @Steve_OCarlson!!#PITvsCLE pic.twitter.com/BHtaL2VHe1
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 15, 2019
I know it didn’t feel this way, but Mayfield rushed for only one yard. But he escaped numerous pressure situations that would’ve turned into negative plays. In the end, most of those snaps either turned into positive pass plays or resulted in Mayfield throwing the ball away cleanly to avoid a loss or a pressured turnover.
Most quarterbacks haven’t been so lucky. Mike Tomlin’s defense is second in the NFL in takeaways with 28 and third in sacks with 38.
“I thought Baker did a really awesome job with his legs, first extending plays, then with his arm finding open receivers and delivering the ball accurately,” Tomlin said after the loss to Cleveland last week. “We need to be better minimizing a quarterback in those circumstances. We need to be better with tight coverage in those circumstances.”
Going into the Cincinnati Bengals game last Sunday, a 16-10 win for the Steelers, Tomlin hinted that the mobility of Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley would be another test to see if the Steelers learned their lesson.
The stats suggest they did. Finley was sacked four times, hit seven times, lost a fumble, and was just 12-for-26 for 192 yards. However, Tomlin dialed back any praise of his defense when it came to strides getting after the quarterback.
“I thought we did (do better),” Tomlin said Tuesday. “But it wasn’t nearly the challenge that Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns is going to be.”
In the days after the defeat in Cleveland, Steelers pass rushers talked about where things went wrong against Mayfield and where they need to get better.
“He definitely did some studying on potential rush lanes,” linebacker T.J. Watt said. ‘We’ve got to be better up front. And that starts with me. Trying to be a lot more disciplined. Now we have tape to look at the next time we play them.”
Part of the answer may be making sure that when Mayfield is flushed, he’s pushed to his left. Because he excels at rolling and throwing to his arm side. That would be his right, the defense’s left.
.@bakermayfield to @God_Son80 for six AGAIN!#MIAvsCLE pic.twitter.com/PZJ4Np7jij
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 24, 2019
“We’ve got to continue to close pockets and keep rushing,” defensive lineman Cam Heyward said. “I think with me, sometimes I pick a side too early. Maybe I just need to run them (the opposing offensive lineman) over a little bit more often.”
If Watt is more responsible for containing the edge on the left side of the defense, so as not to allow Mayfield to escape to his arm side, the onus will be on Heyward and Bud Dupree to track down Mayfield from behind.
Or, if the Steelers’ strategy is to overload the pocket on the right side of the Cleveland offensive line, it’ll be up to Dupree and Heyward to pen Mayfield in if Watt and company push him from that direction with his legs, instead of allowing him to scramble to his right with the intent of throwing as we often saw when the teams played in Cleveland.
.@KhaDarel_4 with the 41-yard catch (and run)!#PITvsCLE pic.twitter.com/C1mft2qu2T
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 15, 2019
The Browns are in the middle of the NFL when it comes to allowing sacks. They’ve yielded 27, which is 17th in the league.
That’s better than expected given the perceived lack of pass blocking on that unit. Mayfield’s nimble footwork and ability to throw on the run to avoid negative plays are to be largely credited for that number. It’s not like the Steelers didn’t get pressure on Mayfield two weeks ago. Finishing off the plays was the issue.
Since Oct. 13, Mayfield has only been sacked more than twice in a game one time. That was Oct. 27 against the Patriots when New England’s much heralded defense dropped him five times.
The Steelers may not need that many. But they’ll need more than the lone sack Watt turned in two weeks ago.
