The Browns' struggles in Pittsburgh continued in Week 6, as they fell 33-9 in a game where the offense failed to reach the end zone. Here are three stats that summarize the matchup using SumerBrain from SumerSports.
Three stats that sum up Browns Week 6 loss at Steelers
Browns posted 12 percent success rate vs pressure on rate of 43.1 percent
One of the trends leading up to this game was Mike Tomlin's record against rookie quarterbacks, and he made it his mission to keep Dillon Gabriel under duress as much as possible in his first start on American soil. Pittsburgh blitzed at a 36.2 percent rate and generated pressure on 43.1 percent of snaps. On those snaps where Gabriel was pressured, the Browns posted a horrendous 12 percent success rate and a -0.739 EPA/pass. For context, the Browns average a 36.2 percent success rate and -0.155 EPA/play, which is near the bottom in the NFL already.
Needless to say, the Browns were absolutely atrocious against pressure on Sunday. Combine an offensive line that allowed too much pressure with a lack of a suitable pressure plan, and the poor results are the outcome.
Steelers offense averaged 0.320 EPA/pass play despite 41 percent pressure rate
The strength of this Browns team is undeniably the defense, but Pittsburgh's offense had a tremendous plan to mitigate Cleveland's pass rush and have success in the air. The Browns were able to get pressure on 41 percent of snaps, but the Steelers were often moving the pocket and getting the ball out quickly to prevent the front from affecting Aaron Rodgers. Compare Cleveland's -0.739 EPA/pass versus pressure to the Steelers' 0.132 EPA/pass versus pressure, and it's not surprising to see the game play out the way it did.
The Browns were able to hold the Steelers to -0.087 EPA/rush, but their 0.320 overall EPA/pass play was one of the worst performances of the season. Pittsburgh had a perfect plan to attack Cleveland's defense and executed it tremendously.
Browns rushing success rate jumped from 20 percent to 66.7 percent when going from eight to seven defenders in the box
It goes without saying that the Browns need to find a way to establish the run game against tough fronts to avoid the game script getting as out of hand as it did Sunday. 52 pass attempts from a rookie quarterback is not a recipe for success, but it was the situation they were forced into after having no ability to run it and falling behind big.
Teams are stuffing the box and daring the Browns to win with the pass. Cleveland averaged a 20 percent success rate with eight defenders in the box, but that jumped up to 66.7 percent when one less defender was there. They will need the passing game to improve to a competent level, on top of finding success against eight-man boxes to break the dreaded under-20-point streak.