Two AFC North teams with quarterback quandaries collide at Heinz Field this coming Sunday, as the reeling Cleveland Browns take on the Ben Roethlisberger-less Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns, who hasn’t won in Pittsburgh since 2003, will be looking to give the Steelers’ chances of making the playoffs a punch to the gut. Cleveland is technically still alive and kicking, but they’re going the stars to align for them to reach the postseason.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Johnny Manziel showed glimpses of vintage Johnny Football in his second start of the season, but whether he’d be under center again against Pittsburgh is something that remains a question to be answered. In the Browns’ 31-10 Thursday loss to Cincinnati, Manziel made quite an impression, passing for 168 yards and a touchdown on 15 of 33 completions.
While those numbers are not something to marvel at, it should be taken inside the context of Cleveland not having Andrew Hawkins and Brian Hartline in that game due to injuries. Instead, Manziel had to work with Duke Johnson, Gary Barnidge, and some dude named Dwayne Bowe.
Regardless if it’s Josh McCown or Manziel, who’ll start against Pittsburgh, Cleveland’s offensive line would still have to find a fix to its bad quarterback protection. Manziel was took down three times by the Bengals, pushing the Browns’ total to 30 sacks allowed, second most in the NFL. That and Pittsburgh’s aggressive pass rush that has 22.0 sacks on the season doesn’t provide a positive outlook for the Browns, who are 19th in the league in scoring (19.7) and 26th in total offense (335.1 yards per game).
Cleveland’s offense isn’t alone in its bleakness. The Browns’ stop unit is also a hot mess, most recently exposed by Andy Dalton and Tyler Eifert, who hooked up for three touchdowns. If there’s anything going in their defense’s favor against Pittsburgh, it’s that the Browns won’t have to deal with Ben Roethlisberger, who is reportedly out for a “few weeks” because of a foot injury.
The Steelers got avoided losing three-straight contests on Sunday, as they staved off Oakland for a 38-35 win. The win, however, was a costly one as the Steelers saw Ben Roethlisberger go down with a foot injury, one that is reportedly going to sideline the quarterback for quite some time.
Roethlisberger had a decent game going against Oakland before going out midway in the fourth quarter, as he passed for 334 yards and two touchdowns with an interception on 24 of 44 throws. With Big Ben out of the picture for the meantime, backup Jarvis Landry will have to step into the limelight once again. Landry was somehow effective in lieu of Roethlisberger on Sunday, passing for 79 yards on just four of six completions. In three appearances this season, Landry has accumulated 377 passing yards and three touchdowns with two picks for a 45.1 total quarterback rating.
The presence of Landry, however, would likely diminish the potential of Antonio Brown, who currently leads the NFL with 1,002 receiving yards to go along with three touchdowns. Hopefully for the Steelers. Cleveland’s tattered passing defense would allow Brown and company to go off. One receiver to watch out for the Steelers is tight end Heath Miller, who must be licking his chops after seeing Tyler Eifert abuse the Browns in Week 9. Miller has 137 receiving yards on 13 receptions over the last two weeks.
Pittsburgh’s backfield, meanwhile, should be able to make a big difference despite losing Le’Veon Bell to injury. DeAngelo Williams could look like a superstar this coming Sunday against Cleveland’s defense that surrenders 147.6 rushing yards per game, the worst mark in the NFL.
Pittsburgh is 11-0 SU in its last 11 home games against the Browns.
