Grading Browns offense from Week 14 against Steelers

The process was there for the Cleveland Browns' offense in Week 14 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, there just wasn't a victory to be had.

The 27-14 loss to the Steelers, which landed the Browns at 3-10 and officially eliminated them from the 2025 NFL playoffs, was more of an indictment on the little things players on both sides of the ball keep failing to do - just play a clean game.

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Between Dustin Hopkins' missed field goals that kept the Browns from ever really being able to mount a comeback on the road and Kadarius Toney's blunders on special teams, the Browns left Acrisure Stadium with more questions than answers about themselves. This, at a time when introspection is going to be key leading into 2025, was a huge blow.

For this exercise, we'll just take a look at the offense - the quarterback play, wide receivers, running backs, special teams, and the offensive line - that sunk Cleveland's scoring efforts in Week 14.

Quarterback
Grade: C+

Jameis Winston in Week 14 was not the Winston we saw in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. Going from throwing for 497 yards to just 212 yards in one week was a little jarring, but to be expected considering the turnovers that killed Cleveland's comeback efforts in that Broncos game all came from Winston's gunslinging.

Still, he was clearly hesitant to go with his first read on most plays called for him against the Steelers. He was getting pressured relentlessly by the Steelers' defensive line, and he was scared to throw downfield against Pittsburgh's secondary. He did have a pretty touchdown to Jerry Jeudy and a late game score to David Njoku, but his two picks in the game showed exactly why he was being so coy.

Running backs
Grade: C

It pains anyone who watches or supports the Browns to say this, but Nick Chubb is not back to 100 percent yet and probably should be allowed to reel it back with the team officially out of the postseason. Chubb and Jerome Ford couldn't get anything going against the Steelers in Week 14, and it marked another game where no backs were able to reach 70 or more rushing yards in a game.

Read more: Browns stock report: Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford not doing enough for offense

You can blame this on the O-line being so bad at run blocking - currently ranked 26th in run block win rate by ESPN - but it's a huge blemish on an offensive trying to strike a balance between the pass game and run game. Maybe drafting some younger, and better, run blockers in 2025 will help, but right now it's just sad to watch Chubb struggle through this line.

Receiving
Grade: B

Between David Njoku and Jerry Jeudy, the Browns were able to get some offense going through Winston's arm. Couple that with some great catches from Elijah Moore and servicable work from James Proche II, Michael Woods II, Jordan Akins, and Pierre Strong Jr., it's clear Cleveland has weapons out there each week - it's just a matter of getting them involved consistently.

While the run game didn't help anyone down field, it was good to see that the connecting between Winston and the receivers for the Browns is still alive and well. Their 196 total passing yards on the game were better than what the Steelers were able to post - just 147 for them - and that's another good sign ahead of their Week 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Offensive line
Grade: F

Winston was pressured 22 times in Week 14 and on 40 percent of his dropbacks according to PFF. He was sacked by Alex Highsmith, chased by T.J. Watt, and just couldn't get comfortable in a passing pocket that had actually been solid in Week 12 against the same team.

The offensive line crumbled against Pittsburgh, which is a lot later than many would have anticipated them to considering it's mostly comprised of second and third stringers. Couple this with a terrible personal foul call on German Ifedi, starting in place of Dawand Jones at tackle, and it was just a gross day for the line overall.

Injuries have decimated an O-line that's never gotten going this season for Cleveland. That's why it feels like the draft is going to likely be OL heavy for the Browns - their cap constraints dictate that to be the case.

Special teams
Grade: F

Special teams will have to join the O-line with an F because of two players - Kadarius Toney and Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins sunk his season made kick average to just 64 percent in Week 14 going 0-2 on field goal attempts. His two made point after attempts were good to see, but it's obvious Hopkins is in a ridiculous rut right now.

Had he made those two kicks, the Browns would have been within one touchdown late in the fourth with a chance to tie it up. Except, they wouldn't have, because Toney muffed a punt that would have been that possession from Cleveland. He turned the ball over on that muff, and that came just one punt after he drew an unnecessary taunting call when grabbing a punt.

Hopkins is tied to the team for another season after he signed an extension this past offseason, but Toney is likely done with the team after this stint. Regardless, both exhibited just how important it is to execute the fundamentals down the stretch of close games, with both failing to do so.

Toney, Hopkins, and Ifedi all combined to contribute to one of the worst feeling losses for the Browns all season long. There's still four games left to go, though, so there's always time to lose in an even worse way.

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