There was one unit for the Cleveland Browns that really popped on the field and in the snow against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12. They helped to get the Browns to 2-0 on the season when they score more than 20 points, and held the Steelers to just 19 in the snow on Thursday night.
It was just a glorious effort from the defensive line all game long while the secondary, once again, showed their flaws. That excludes Denzel Ward, of course, and this is also a defense existing without All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Regardless, at this point in his absence, the team should have learned how to adjust. And so far, the secondary has not shown enough consistency to convince viewers or themselves that they can be just as elite as the D-line.
Read more: 3 Browns who shined in the snow against Steelers in Week 12
That said, Cleveland's defense overall was a plus against Pittsburgh. The D-line's ability to pressure Russell Wilson on more than half of his snaps and the secondary's ability to lock in when it mattered in crunch time all helped to support a great effort from Jameis Winston and the Browns' offense during the win.
Defensive line
Grade: A+
We can begin with the obvious A+ from the victory in Week 12 - the D-line. Myles Garrett finished up the game with three sacks and a forced fumble, and he now has 10 sacks on the season which is good for second in the league overall. His forced fumble on Wilson on a drop back, which resulted in a turnover, was also his third of the season which leaves him in fourth overall in that statistic in the league.
Aside from Garrett, we saw a ton of stuffs at the line against Najee Harris that nearly completely ended any shot at a Steelers run game. Justin Fields threatened that with his ability to move around the pocket on a few snaps, but Pittsburgh never fully committed to using him in the same way that Taysom Hill was used last week against the Browns defense. The pressures and run stops were huge down the stretch, and the Browns looked every bit of a top-5 D-line once again.
Linebackers
Grade: B
One linebacker that stood out in this contest was Mohamoud Diabate. Diabate was able to kill a few potentially deep runs from the Steelers with a lot of solid tackles around the line of scrimmage - again, a change of pace from how the Browns handled Hill in Week 11. Diabate has been getting a ton more shine with Owusu-Koramoah out, and he's definitely flashed the ability to play physically against receivers on short throws.
Jordan Hicks also finished up with a sack, assisting in the pressure being put on Wilson all game long. He and Diabate did a solid job, and that was more than enough to qualify them for some passing grades in Week 12. But, hopefully, Owusu-Koramoah is able to get right and come back at 100 percent either this or next season.
Safeties
Grade: C
The safety room gets a knockdown here because of just how bad Grant Delpit's late game antics were in the fourth quarter. His taunting of George Pickens was fine, but ended up crossing into ridiculous territory after yanking Pickens' mouth guard off his face guard, resulting in a huge penalty that set up the Steelers for a touchdown.
Delpit and Juan Thornhill were definitely improved from last week's loss to the Saints, but they still clearly have a ton to work on when it comes to tackling and deep coverage. Teams are going to keep attacking them both down the sidelines instead of throwing anywhere near Ward - they have to know that and not make silly mistakes like Delpit did.
Cornerbacks
Grade: B
Ward is always going to show up, it seems, despite how down bad the Browns seem in a contest. Ward finished the game with even more deflected passes against George Pickens, playing a clean game against him and finishing with five total sacks on the night. With 17 deflected passes, Ward is solidifying himself as the leader of this unit.
When zooming out to the rest of the secondary in Week 12, you saw some good stuff from Martin Emerson II and Greg Newsome II. Both also helped to slap down a potential Hail Mary pass from Wilson in the end zone at the end of regulation in Week 12 alongside Delpit, and that shows that they have their fundamentals down. They're all staying around B though because they did allow some moon balls easily from Wilson during the contest.