5 Studs and duds from Cleveland Browns loss to Steelers in Week 6
By Greg Newland
Dud: Offensive Line
The Browns offensive line has been the strong point all season, but man, did they miss right guard Wyatt Teller on Sunday. Truthfully, Chris Hubbard did a nice job in pass protection, but he’s just not the same in the run game. That isn’t saying Hubbard isn’t decent, but Teller is just that good.
The shock today was how bad Joel Bitonio (left guard) and Jack Conklin (right tackle) looked. Yes, Bitonio was going against Cam Hayward and Conklin vs. T.J. Watt, but Andrew Berry shelled out the dough this offseason to slow those guys down.
As bad as the offense was on Sunday, many of the issues started upfront with no holes to run through, and no time for Mayfield to throw. Clearly, the Steelers knew that Mayfield was dinged up coming into the game, but after such strong performances the last four weeks, fans just expected better.
The good news is, it isn’t time to panic yet for the line. They can take this beat down to the film room and try to get better moving forward. With the return of Teller (hopefully next week), the Browns should be in a strong situation for a bounce-back game next Sunday vs. the Bengals.
Don’t get me wrong, no one was good on Sunday, but the offensive line certainly had their worst outing of the 2020 season. For this team to have a chance they must be able to run the football to make play action effective. While it’s unfortunate, the Browns will have to face this front again, and if they can’t make adjustments, the ending could be similar once again.