The trends heading into this game were not in the Browns' favor - from Mike Tomlin's record off a bye and against rookie quarterbacks, to Cleveland's streak of games with fewer than 18 points scored. It was more of the same when it came to those trends in Week 6, as the Steelers cruised to a 23-9 home win over the Browns in a game they led wire to wire.
Browns offense puts up another rough showing in Week 6 loss to Steelers
This was a typical AFC North showdown early in the game, with defense prevailing and only allowing four field goals to be the points put up in the first half. Cleveland got next to nothing going in the first half until the two-minute drive, where they had to settle for a field goal as the clock worked against them. Cleveland's defense wore down as the game went on, and the Steelers found the end zone twice in the second half to put the game between a two and three-possession game.
Overall, the Browns averaged just 3.3 yards per play to Pittsburgh's 5.8 and had zero ability to establish the run. It didn't help being in a negative rushing game script, but Quinshon Judkins picked up just 36 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Dillon Gabriel ended the game 29 of 52 for 221 yards with a 66.3 passer rating and six sacks taken.
The story of the offense starts and ends with the offensive line, which is now up to 13 different combinations used through the first six games. Jack Conklin exited early with a concussion, and Cam Robinson left late with an ankle issue. The offensive tackle situation has been among the league's worst since Week 1, and the injuries at the position haven't helped one bit. Too many plays are dead on arrival as defensive linemen penetrate the backfield before anything has a chance of developing.
The only good news is that the gauntlet of an opening schedule is finally behind them, but it did its damage with a 1-5 start to the year. It probably isn't going to lead to drastic changes just yet, but things will need to start looking better quickly, or the seats will only get hotter as the schedule gets easier.