Browns Pound Steelers: Three Game Balls
The Cleveland Browns dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns were not perfect in pounding their division rivals but a 31 – 10 victory was a huge win for the team. The Browns lost Armonty Bryant and Alex Mack during the game, both carted off the field, which could cause for long-term concern.
Here are our three game balls for the Browns victory:
Offensive Line
The Browns ran for over 150 yards with a 4.4 yards per carry average. The Browns were able to dominate by running the ball over 35 times, keeping the ball away from Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense. Brian Hoyer was only sacked one time and had time to make plays in the passing game. Hoyer completed very few passes but made huge plays based on the line’s protection.
The performance was especially impressive following the loss of Alex Mack. Mack may be the best lineman on the team and calls the protections. Without him John Greco moved over to center and Paul McQuistan came in. The Browns continued to run to both sides of the line, not protecting McQuistan from important blocking. The line still dominated.
Jim O’Neil & Mike Pettine
The Browns defense has been much maligned all season and had a ton of injuries even coming into the game. In the game the Browns lost Armonty Bryant to a possibly big injury as well. Yet with all of that the Browns defense was able to hold down the Steelers after the 1st quarter.
Pettine and O’Neil were attacked for the poor defense to start the season so they deserve credit for today. The Steelers ran for over 130 yards but were held in check from dominating the game. The Steelers threw the ball over 40 times but Big Ben only averaged just over 5 yards an attempt. The Browns defense sacked Big Ben two times and intercepted him once, off a tip ball. The Browns are coming together on defense but the Steelers are also not playing great.
Kyle Shanahan
The Browns offense was great due to the offensive line but Shanny’s play calling was impressive. He put players in position to be successful and kept the Steelers off-balance. The Browns used three tight end sets to setup big pass plays and three wide receiver sets to setup big run plays.
The Browns zone blocking scheme has been huge this season to take advantage of the strengths on the line and the skills of the skilled position guys. With the small, quick receivers Hoyer and play action has been perfect for the offense. Shanahan has some limitations but has seemed to learn from his past issues in Washington and Houston.
Besides hiring Pettine and sticking with Hoyer, Shanahan may be the biggest decision the Browns made this off-season.
Who gets your game balls?