The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a rollercoaster-type of a season so far in 2023. Lots of questions surrounding the offensive side of the ball and in particular, second-year quarterback, Kenny Pickett. With all the hurdles this team has gone through though, they still find themselves right in the thick of the AFC North title race.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett's performance against the Green Bay Packers raised more questions about his long-term potential.
The next two games for the Steelers come against AFC North foes and will have significant playoff implications for the team moving forward. Earlier this week, it looked as if the Steelers had a daunting task ahead of them with back-to-back road games in the state of Ohio against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. After the news that broke on Wednesday of Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson having to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, it looked as if the Steelers caught a massive break prior to their Week 11 matchup.
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The Steelers were able to slow down Deshaun Watson and the Browns in Week 2.
Watson was coming off one of his best performances since joining the Browns in 2022. He finished the second half going 14/14 for 9.6 yards per attempt, a touchdown, no turnovers, and a 130.4 passer rating. All this while leading the team to a 15-point come-from-behind victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
To most people, the loss of Watson is a significant advantage for the Steelers heading into this week's matchup. But ESPN's Brooke Pryor has a different opinion on the matter that she expressed during an interview on The Cook & Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan. She believes the Steelers may be at a disadvantage not having Watson on the field come Sunday.
"When I saw the Deshaun Watson news, I almost thought, oh man, that's not good for the Steelers because to me, this means they're [Browns] going to rely on their run game and their defense even more. They're not going to be baited into throwing the ball the way they might have if they had a quarterback they guaranteed $230 million to."
Although the Browns are without their star running back Nick Chubb for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury he suffered in the Browns' Week 2 matchup in Pittsburgh earlier this year, they have still been able to effectively run the football with Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt.
Ford stepped up significantly for the Browns in their first matchup this season where he finished the game with 106 yards rushing, which included a 69-yard run.
Pryor also touched on the fact some teams will play with a certain level of intensity after unfortunate circumstances are handed to them.
"I think the Browns are going to be keyed up because they know they lost Watson, and sometimes there is that rebound effect when you fire a coach or when there is a season-ending injury. Sometimes that game right after can be one where a team comes out really hot."
The Steelers know that effect all too well, especially after their home playoff loss to the Browns back in 2021. The Browns were without their coach Kevin Stefanski as well as a plethora of starters, yet they came into Heinz Field and pulled off one of the biggest playoff upsets in recent memory.
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Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sits alone on the bench after Pittsburgh's Wild Card loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Steelers Are Ultra-Thin At Middle Linebacker Heading Into Week 11
It is likely Pryor is correct that the Browns will look to utilize the run game as much as possible, and that couldn't come at a worse time for the Steelers. The black and gold have lost both Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander in consecutive weeks to season-ending lower body injuries. It will be important for Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson to be able to shut down the run early in Cleveland, as well as jump to an early lead and make the Browns play catch up from the start.
What do you think? Do you believe the Steelers are at a disadvantage by having Watson inactive for this week's upcoming game? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!
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