Pittsburgh are in pole position – for now.
After a thrilling victory on Sunday against the Ravens the Steelers now are sitting in first place in the AFC West.
They have another division match-up in Week 12, this time against the Cleveland Browns.
While no road division game is easy in the AFC North, the Browns will certainly finish with the worst record left on the Steelers schedule.
Capitalising on this poor Browns season is a must to help secure a playoff spot and potential division title.
Under the hood
Since Jameis Winston came into the line-up, the Browns have looked much better offensively. His 7-3 touchdown to interception ratio is indicative of this.
However after a closer look, you see that 21% of his attempted passes have qualified as bad throws per profootballreference.com – which is fourth in the league behind such names as Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson.
Given this, it is imperative that Pittsburgh shut down the running game of Cleveland. This way, the Steelers will force obvious passing situations, and the ‘Black and Gold’ defense is averaging over an interception a game.
On offense the key will be getting the running game going and reaping the rewards that come with this.
Utilising the young offensive line and the contrasting styles of running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren will help keep the defense off balance.
A successful rushing offense also accentuates Russell Wilson’s excellent play-action skills and – perhaps more importantly – his deep ball off of this.
Prior to Sundays game against the Ravens, Wilson averaged the most air yards on play-action throws in the league, which was evident in the amount of deep passes completed.
Perhaps the most underrated part of a successful running game is winning the time of possession battle. This allows the defense to stay fresh physically and mentally while simultaneously tiring out the opposition.
No warm welcome expected
Cleveland’s home fans – otherwise known as the ‘Dawg Pound’ – will accept no less than 100% effort. Given the hatred that exists between both teams this will not be the easy victory for Pittsburgh it may appear on paper.
With Kevin Stefanski coaching for his job on the Cleveland sideline, as well as the players playing for their futures, there will be no extra motivation needed for Cleveland.
Considering a top seed is within Pittsburgh’s grasp though, and a division title to go along with it, the Steelers would be barking mad to not bring their top form with them this Thursday night.
