3 Keys for the Browns to beat the Steelers in Week 2 on Monday Night Football
• Let Nick Chubb be Nick Chubb
• Have Watson take shots down the field
The Cleveland Browns have a chance to win a regular season game in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2003. and start 2-0 for the first time since 1993.
This could potentially be the time that the pendulum finally turns in favor of the Browns in this series. There is no boogeyman in Ben Roethlisberger. There is no unertainty at the quarterback position in Cleveland. The chips are pushed all the way in.
The Browns will enter Acrisure Stadium 1-0 after a 24-3 drudging of the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Steelers will look to avenge a 30-7 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.
Cleveland will dawn the all-white uniform, helmet included, which will be a great visual, assuming the Steelers go with black tops.
Here are the three keys to the Browns beating the Steelers in Week 2 on Monday Night Football
3. Win the battles in the trenches
The offensive line of the Browns suffered a huge loss in the Week 1 win over Cincy when right tackle Jack Conklin was lost for the season with a torn ACL and MCL.
Filling in for Conklin will be rookie Dawand Jones, who fell to Cleveland in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft. He stepped in magnificently in relief of Conklin against the Bengals, playing in 52 snaps and allowing zero pressures in 35 pass-blocking snaps.
It will take some time for Jones to progress in the run game, but that isn't a bad thing. What could potentially be treacherous is the fact that T.J. Watt will be lined up a lot against Jones. That is a tall order even for a man who stands at 6-feet-8 inches tall.
Watt has been historically great against the Browns since entering the league in 2017. In 10 career games versus Cleveland, Watt has compiled 55 tackles (40 solo), 15 sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Jones will have his hands full all night, but his length might be able to alleviate some of that, along with the help that will surely be sent his way.
Browns' Hall of Fame offensive lineman Joe Thomas believes Jones can be great, but admits he might have a long night against Watt.
The Steelers will be without defensive lineman Cam Heyward, who was put on IR with a groin injury that will require surgery. This is where the Browns can really take advantage.
On the flip side, the Browns' defensive line underwent a massive overhaul in the offseason and after one game, it was as good as advertised. Myles Garrett and Ogbo Okoronkwo each recorded a sack and the Cleveland frustrated Joe Burrow all day long with relentless energy.
Garrett should be in line for a pretty significant game as the offensive line of the Steelers isn't as good as that of the Bengals. We saw new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz line Garrett up at a variety of spots and that should continue in Pittsburgh.