Steelers Elite Defense Was Surprisingly Lacking In Loss To Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Cleveland Browns 24-19, falling to an 8-3 record.

Pittsburgh played on a short week, beating the Baltimore Ravens 18-16 in Week 11 before playing Cleveland in primetime Thursday. Weather conditions made this an unusual game, with snow and wind making an impact. Although Pittsburgh led in total yards, time of possession, and turnovers, they still couldn’t win.

The Steelers’ elite defense was unable to get to the quarterback against the Browns, which was one of the reasons for their loss, according to Steelers.com’s Dale Lolley.

“Where was the pass rush?” Lolley said. Cleveland entered this game having allowed a league-worst 46 sacks. The Browns were forced to start Germain Ifedi at left tackle, a position at which he had played 47 career snaps coming into this game.”

“The Steelers had one sack, that coming from Nick Herbig against Ifedi, a play on which he forced a fumble that set up Wilson’s TD pass to Austin. They had six quarterback hits, but that paled in comparison to the four sacks and nine quarterback hits recorded by the Browns. The Steelers are built to rush the passer. They just didn’t do a great job of it in this game.”

The Steelers have 25 total sacks and 54 tackles for a loss on the season. With the Browns forced to start someone with little experience at left tackle, it’s surprising that the Steelers couldn’t get to the quarterback more. Pittsburgh allows the third-fewest points per game at 16.9, so expect the defense to return to form against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.

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