3 Big storylines when the Browns travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers

1. Can the Browns defense replicate the dominant Week 1 performance?

Browns' general manager Andrew Berry made a lot of necessary changes on the defensive side of the ball this year and after the initial eye test, it's safe to say he did a damn good job.

The Cleveland defense held the high-octane Bengals offense to just three points and 142 yards of total offense, and a mere 82 passing yards from Joe Burrow.

Burrow was sacked twice on the day - one from newcomer Ogbo Okoronkwo - and the other from Myles Garrett, who has his eyes set on the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Garrett's sacks came on a 4th and 6 in the early stages of the fourth quarter.

The sack from Garrett that gave the Browns the ball back inside their own 20-yard line sent the Dawg Pound into a deafening frenzy, essentially knocking the Bengals out.

Two of the most impressive stats from the defense were limiting Cincy to 2.6 yards per play and 2-15 on third down. That is what wins games in the NFL, and the defense played up to the hype.

Last season, the Browns were downright abysmal when it came to stopping the run, but Berry's recognition of that and an executed plan to improve the roster paid off in Week 1. The Browns allowed only 85 rushing yards, which proves that the new players and coordinator [Jim Schwartz] can take this team to new heights.

The secondary took care of the three-headed monster that is Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd, and held them to seven catches for 49 yards. Higgins was held without a catch.

Grant Delpit had arguably his best professional game as he had eight tackles, seven being solo, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection. Schwartz has seemingly found a way to further unlock Delpit, who showed a ton of potential in 2022.

This defense graded highly across the board and if that is a sign of things to come, then Pittsburgh better pack a lunch and a dinner. They don't have anywhere close to the offensive firepower that the Bengals do, so this could be yet another statement game from this unit.

Every single game has storylines that impact the outcome and these are the three biggest ones when the Browns travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers on Monday Night Football.