Steelers vs. Browns Week 17 film study: Najee Harris was locomotive of Steelers offense
NFL football analyst Matt Williamson will break down each of the Steelers games this season in the Trib’s Steelers Film Study. Here’s what he saw in the Steelers’ Week 17 win over the Browns.
The Cleveland Browns found out Sunday their season would not include the playoffs before their game at Heinz Field ever kicked off, but Pittsburgh was still alive on what was set up to be Ben Roethlisberger’s final game in that stadium. And emotions were high for the meeting Monday night.
Before we dive deep into this game, some things about this recent rivalry just need to be stated as Roethlisberger’s great career nears an end.
• Roethlisberger is now 25-3-1 vs. Cleveland for his career.
• The Browns are now 3-29 in Pittsburgh (including Cleveland’s playoff win last year) in their last 32 visits to the Steel City.
• This was the 18th straight time the Browns have lost in Pittsburgh in the regular season.
• Roethlisberger passed Brett Favre with 99 wins at a specific stadium, which is third all time.
• Roethlisberger has only played in two games in his 18-year career in which Pittsburgh was already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
• The Steelers haven’t lost at Heinz Field since Week 3 and have won 20 straight home games on Monday Night Football. That’s impressive stuff.
Browns questionable decisions
Let’s analyze the Steelers opponent on Monday night, and by no means is this designed to take away from Pittsburgh’s win. But let’s just say that was a questionable game plan by the Browns on numerous levels.
Offensively, the lack of usage of running back Nick Chubb, possibly the best ball carrier in football, is just mindboggling. Multiply that by a million when you factor in how much quarterback Baker Mayfield is struggling, how poorly the Steelers have played the run, and that Cleveland’s excellent, high-priced offensive line is much more geared toward run blocking that pass protection.
Also, the Steelers were without defenders Chris Wormley, Devin Bush and Joe Schobert in this game. Which brings us to the next point here: Jack Conklin is an excellent right tackle, but he is injured, leaving the job to rookie James Hudson. Hudson is a talented young player, but he is a project. And he was just destroyed by linebacker T.J. Watt. The Browns rarely helped Hudson in protection. Again, that is mindboggling.
On defense, there isn’t a lot to criticize, but we must realize that defensive end Myles Garrett is a shell of himself because of a groin injury — and has been for a few weeks now — and the Browns secondary is just destroyed with injuries.
Cleveland also deployed a high percentage of two high safety coverages. And while that worked great for Kansas City last week against the Steelers, the Browns don’t have anything resembling the Chiefs’ offensive firepower and thusly, can’t play that same script.
Not only did the Browns have nothing to play for in this game, but their strategy also didn’t give them the best chance to win. Still, the Steelers were clearly the better team Monday night, and it wasn’t particularly close. This wasn’t the most inspired performance by a weathered Browns team.
Stats show Steelers dominance
When the Steelers went into halftime with a 10-0 lead, here are the key stats to that point.
• Pittsburgh possessed the football for 21:43 of a possible 30 minutes in the first half and ran 49 plays compared to just 26 by the Browns. Cleveland only ran 17 offensive plays before the two-minute warning.
• The Steelers produced 14 first downs compared to just four from Cleveland.
• But the Steelers were generating just 3.3 yards per play at that point and Cleveland gained only 3.5 yards every time they snapped the ball in the first half.
• Roethlisberger had thrown 34 passes and completed 20 of them, but for only 96 yards through the air.
• Mayfield completed only 4 of his 15 passing attempts and had four balls batted back at him in the first half as well as taking two sacks and throwing an interception. Jarvis Landry caught three of those Mayfield completions while Donovan Peoples-Jones also had one first half reception.
• Mayfield completed his second pass of the game at the two minute warning before halftime.
• For some reason, D’Ernest Johnson out snapped Chubb in the first half. Chubb had four carries in the first two quarters of action and gained 35 yards on those rare carries.
• Steelers RB Najee Harris had 13 carries at that point for 71 yards and chipped in another 18 yards through the air on three catches.
When it was all said and done, here are the important final stats to know from this game.
• Roethlisberger attempted 46 passes. He completed 26 of those, but for just 123 yards, good for just 4.7 yards per completion and just 2.7 yards per attempt, a career low.
• Wide receiver Diontae Johnson was targeted 15 times by Roethlisberger and caught eight of those passes with drops again being an issue for Johnson. Still, those eight receptions yielded just 31 yards.
• Mayfield threw the ball 38 times but completed only 16 for just 185 yards. His yards per completion was 11.6, but his yards per attempt was only 4.9.
• Harris was the locomotive of the Steelers offense, and the star rookie runner finished the day with 188 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Chubb ran for just 58 yards.
• The Steelers’ nine sacks, four by Watt, is the stat that stands out most from this game without question. Not to mention, Pittsburgh batted down five of Mayfield’s passes. So, of Mayfield’s 38 dropbacks, 14 of them were sacks or batted passes. Not to mention the two interceptions he threw on top of that.
• As for final team stats, both offenses averaged 3.8 yards or less. Pittsburgh’s offense produced 3.8 yards per play and the Browns an even less remarkable 3.5.
• The Steelers ran 12 more plays than Cleveland and possessed the football for 34.55 of a possible 60 minutes.
• Both of these offenses converted five third down opportunities, but the Browns ran 17 third down plays and Pittsburgh ran 18.
Short passes for Roethlisberger
As for Roethlisberger, his 123 yards through the air is the fewest passing yards in the history of the NFL for a passer who attempted at least 45 throws. His average depth of target was just 6.5 yards downfield, and his longest completion went for only 13 yards.
The Steelers don’t even attempt to throw to the sticks on third downs anymore. His effort and leadership were great in this game, but the production simply wasn’t. It is time for this once-great player to get on with his life’s work.
That being said, the Steelers should strongly consider retiring the No. 7 immediately, even though that isn’t how they have done things of this nature in the past.
DBs step up for Browns
Even with a massively depleted back seven of their defense, Cleveland got some good showings from unlikely defensive backs in MJ Stewart who only missed one snap at cornerback, as well as backup safeties Richard LeCounte and AJ Green.
First-round cornerback Greg Newsome also had a strong game, as did Cleveland’s second round pick, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Newsome and Owusu-Koramoah are two young Browns defenders who Pittsburgh fans need to become familiar with, as both look to have extremely promising futures in this league.
While the Browns had back seven players step up in this game, the Steelers really could have used much more from the combination of Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool.
Drops remain an issue for Johnson and although Claypool was put in several difficult situations, he didn’t come through at the catch point and continues to be off his feet far too much for a wide receiver.
While he did score, only one of Johnson’s receptions netted a Steelers first down. Johnson and Claypool played 72 and 71 of a possible 81 snaps in this game, with Ray Ray McCloud on the field for 53 plays and James Washington for 15.
Say what you want about Johnson and Claypool, but as written every week in this column, having McCloud on the field that much is exactly what every defense the Steelers face wants to see. McCloud ran 36 of a possible 48 routes against the Browns. Again, way too many. McCloud, Washington and JuJu Smith-Schuster are all unrestricted free agents after this year.
Garrett not full strength
Garrett played 65 of a possible 81 defensive snaps for the Browns, but really didn’t look to be close to 100%. He had little explosion because of a lingering groin injury. All that being said, Steelers tackle Dan Moore held up well against Garrett and made a strong case to at least be in the mix for one of the starting offensive tackle spots in 2022.
Garrett was a no show in this game, but fellow end Jadeveon Clowney gave Pittsburgh’s protection problems as a schemed up unblocked pass-rusher several times.
Harris on a mission
Harris was inspired in this game, and it was a rare opportunity to see what he can do with a little bit of running room. One-hundred nine of Harris’ 188 rushing yards came after first contact. That is 85% of his total on the ground.
That isn’t to say that Pittsburgh’s offensive line didn’t play well — it did, especially by their standards — but clearly Harris was on a mission Monday night.
The Steelers handed the ball to Harris against a stacked box seven times, and he produced 8.1 yards per carry on those opportunities. That is a small sample size, but a great sign nonetheless for Harris and all of his blocking.
Best effort from offensive line
This was one of the best games of the year — if not the best — by Pittsburgh’s offensive line. This might have been guard Trai Turner’s best game in a Steelers uniform as a run blocker, although he left this game early and was replaced by Joe Haeg, who didn’t fare as well.
Guard John Leglue’s pass protection really stood out, as did the fact that backup center JC Hassenauer just didn’t hurt the team from the center position. This was the Steelers’ first game without Adrian Klemm as their offensive line coach and, maybe coincidentally, this unit was much more sound with their assignments.
They also did a much better job of getting big blockers to the second level of the defense, often off double teams. This was the most rushing yards the Steelers have produced in a game in more than four years. Harris now leads the entire NFL in touches, and this game was the only one this year where a rookie running back eclipsed 200 total yards.
Watt dominant against Browns
Of course, Watt was the star of the show though. After his four sacks in this game, Watt is one sack away from Michael Strahan’s all-time record set back in 2001. While he hasn’t played as many snaps as Garrett and availability has certainly been a problem for Watt this year, Watt now has the NFL’s strongest case for Defensive Player of the Year. Watt also now has nine sacks in primetime games this season.
He also batted down two Mayfield passes. Mayfield has a terrible history of getting balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. It stems from his lack of height and low release point, but also because he is just a moderate athlete and doesn’t quickly move his feet to find throwing lanes like Russell Wilson or Drew Brees, two shorter quarterbacks who have done so well over their careers. Crowded pockets also give Mayfield much angst.
Other defensive standouts
Not be overshadowed by Watt, defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was again terrific in this game and was simply a dominant player. He now has batted away nine passes this year, adding one more aspect to his game.
This also was probably linebacker Alex Highsmith’s best game in the NFL, and the Steelers pass-rushers, most notably the edge guys, didn’t let Mayfield roll outside the pocket, which is where he is most comfortable.
With both starting inside linebackers out, Robert Spillane played 62 snaps, which was far more than any other Steelers second level defender. It was a mixed bag for Spillane, who made some splash plays against the run but was again a liability in coverage. That is who is he is at this point, which makes Spillane a valuable rotational or depth piece, but just not a frontline player.
Mayfield struggles to find rhythm
The Steelers clearly game planned around forcing Mayfield to beat them, especially with throws outside the numbers where he especially struggles. Pittsburgh showed great faith in its cornerbacks and played an extremely high percentage of man coverage, which obviously worked well, although it should be noted that Mayfield’s receivers let him down with drops on several instances. Still, he missed 10 straight throws at one point in this game. You just don’t see that in the NFL.
The Browns have lost their last 25 games in which they got down on the scoreboard by eight points or more. That isn’t a great reflection on the quarterback to say the least. As poor as Mayfield was in this game and has been all year really, he is now scheduled for shoulder surgery and clearly was gutting it out for much of the season. Mayfield won’t play next week as a result.
That being said, Steelers fans still should hope and pray Cleveland locks Mayfield up to a lucrative long-term contract. But what probably happens is that the Browns, who have already picked up Mayfield’s fifth-year option for next year, will run it back in 2022 with Mayfield and maybe a competitor and revisit his contract after next season. Mayfield threw five interceptions in his last six quarters of play to finish off his 2021 season.
Steelers have decisions to make
The Steelers are still alive for the postseason, so it isn’t quite yet time to discuss offseason plans quite yet. However, they might have a few keepers they picked up after training camp broke in DB Ahkello Witherspoon, punter Corliss Waitman and defensive tackle Montravius Adams.
To extend that a little further, Hassenauer and Leglue could have futures with this team in some capacity, and it is clear Pittsburgh has a keeper in defensive linebacker Isaiahh Loudermilk, who played 45 snaps in this game and looks better and better every week. With Wormley out, Heyward was the only defensive lineman to see the field more than the rookie.
Also, the Steelers got fine showings from Derek Tuszka, Tre Norwood, and Ulysees Gilbert who chipped in with 27 snaps played in this game.
Resigning Witherspoon, who played 55 of a possible 71 snaps and allowed just one catch while being targeted six times, is something the Steelers really need to consider and possibly as a starting outside cornerback at Joe Haden’s expense. Witherspoon makes plays and has been the Steelers’ best cornerback since getting an opportunity for regular playing time.
Overall thoughts
The Steelers need help to get into the playoffs with a Jacksonville victory over the heavily-favored Colts. Frankly, the Jaguars are just an embarrassment right now, and Pittsburgh would be better off putting its hopes in any other team in the NFL. We shall see where the chips land, but let’s savor this moment.
When Harris broke free in clock-killing time, it was a pretty sweet moment to finish this thing off. As was Witherspoon’s interception with 10 seconds left on the clock to give Roethlisberger the final kneel down. It was a special night in honor of a special player.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.