The Cleveland Browns had a golden opportunity on Sunday — not only to beat the Steelers on the road for the first time in more than 20 years, but also to take a commanding lead in the AFC North.
Their loss proved costly. They've now been leapfrogged by the Steelers and the Bengals after Cincinnati was able to squeak one out in overtime against the Tennessee Titans.
It certainly stings, particularly after how Cleveland was able to control their first matchup with Pittsburgh. Alas, the Steelers crafted an effective offensive game plan, and the Browns' lacking offense was unable to keep up in what has been a recurring theme this season. Such is life in the NFL.
As Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts (for now) once famously said: "You take you a deuce, you don't sit there and look at it. You flush it and move on."
The Browns are going to need to flush this one and get ready for a matchup with the New Orleans Saints. Thankfully, Cleveland has a team chock-full of rookies who are too young and naive to wallow in one loss. They know one way, and one way only: Onward.
Browns' offensive rookies are paying the price for veteran struggles
Left tackle Spencer Fano
Fano played all 70 snaps against the Steelers and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the Browns' 11th-best performer on offense out of 19 qualifiers with a 56.0 overall grade. He had a rough day at the office, as is to be expected against Pittsburgh's lethal troika of pass rushers: T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig.
Fano allowed an eye-popping eight pressures, including one sack, leading to him being named the worst-graded pass blocker on the Browns' offensive line. He graded out better as a run blocker with an above-average grade (66.5) in that department. He was also penalized three times, though only one of them was accepted.
Fano has been, and will be, much better. As we referenced in the opening, he should be one of the first to hit the lever on the porcelain throne and flush this one from memory.
Verdict: Stock down, but not worth fretting over
Wide receiver KC Concepcion
A week after his breakout performance, Concepcion was held in check by the Pittsburgh defense. He was targeted four times, hauling in three of them for 37 scoreless yards. He had 12 of those yards after the catch. Concepcion was nonetheless able to notch the best punt return of his career, taking one for 21 yards. He definitely has some juice.
It's somewhat surprising that quarterback Deshaun Watson eclipsed 300 yards passing (including plenty in garbage time) without targeting his first-round rookie wideout more often. In any case, Concepcion finished the day graded as the Browns' 12th-best performer, with a 55.9 overall grade.
His false start on the last play of the game ended the dreary contest. If the game had been in reach, that blunder would likely be the talk of the league this week.
Verdict: Stock down after the highest high of his season
Wide receiver Denzel Boston
Boston's hot streak has run cold as of late. It's now been a month since he surpassed 50 yards receiving in a game. Boston was targeted 11 times on Sunday, second only to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. He turned those targets into six receptions for just 37 yards.
Finishing with the same yardage total as his fellow rookie receiver is a strange coincidence. PFF rated Boston as the sixth-best player on offense with a 61.1 overall grade. An important note as well: He wasn't docked for a drop on the day. That can be interpreted to mean that Watson's passes weren't exactly "on target."
It's also promising that Boston brought down two of three contested catch attempts. He continues to display a great ability for outmuscling defensive backs for the ball.
Verdict: Stock is down — likely due to factors other than Boston himself
Browns' rookie class still has bright spots despite Steelers loss
Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
EMW logged a start on Sunday as the Browns opened up with three safeties on the field. Ultimately, he remains behind starters Ronnie Hickman and Grant Delpit on the depth chart, but the Browns' coaching staff has done a nice job integrating him. He played 31 snaps and was extremely active, notching nine combined tackles.
McNeil-Warren was targeted just once in coverage and allowed the pass to be completed for 12 yards. For the game, he finished as the Browns' eighth-ranked defender overall out of 20 participants on defense. Perhaps notably, he finished above both Hickman and Delpit.
Verdict: Stock remains steady
Right guard Austin Barber
Barber had one of his best games of the season despite the Steelers' supremely talented interior defensive line, led by eventual Hall of Famer Cam Heyward. Interestingly enough, he handled the Steelers well in the first game between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Barber played all 70 snaps and allowed just three pressures with no sacks on 50 pass plays in this matchup.
Pro Football Focus also graded him slightly above average in the run game. When all was said and done, Barber was the Browns' fifth-ranked player on offense with a 65.6 overall grade.
Taking into account the draft capital used, Austin Barber has probably been the Browns' steal of the draft so far this season. Between him and Spencer Fano, the Browns may have unearthed two keepers. Fingers crossed, of course.
Verdict: Stock continues to rise
Tight end Carsen Ryan
Ryan was released as a result of the Browns activating quarterback Dillon Gabriel from injured reserve. He was nonetheless added to the practice squad after clearing waivers, with the Browns opting to use one of his call-ups to have him available. He didn't log any offensive snaps, though he got some action with 12 snaps on special teams. Unfortunately, his 50.5 overall grade in that phase ranked 34th out of 36 participants.
As we've covered in this space, Cleveland's lack of a blocking tight end plays at least some part in their run-game futility. Some self-scouting should lead Todd Monken and Co. to get Ryan (or an outside addition) more reps to see if something changes.
At a time when NFL offenses are increasing tight-end usage, the Browns have yet to run a single play this season in 13-personnel (one running back, three tight ends). It's worth noting that the league-average deployment of this personnel is 9.31%, according to SumerSports. As for 12-personnel (one running back, two tight ends) — utilized 22.43% of the time on average — the Browns rank 27th in its deployment.
If it's not Carsen Ryan, the Browns need to find someone to help in this role. If not, losses like Sunday's against the Steelers are going to continue to pile up fast.
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