Steelers’ Defense Had Browns' Dillon Gabriel Joking Just To Cope With The Week 6 Beating: "Nothing Will Compare To That"

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to dismantle the Cleveland Browns at home on Sunday afternoon by a score of 23-9. Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel was flustered for much of his second career start as he and the Cleveland offense couldn't seem to muster much momentum throughout the day. 

Gabriel himself gave an interesting take in front of the Cleveland media recently about his first-ever start in the city of Pittsburgh. 

"My mom used to beat my a** when I was a kid so nothing will compare to that... I'm just kidding," Gabriel told Cleveland reporter Daniel Oyefusi.

While Gabriel is trying to poke a little fun at himself and the Browns' offense for what happened against the Steelers, it might not amuse the Cleveland fan base all that much. On the opposite side, the fans in Pittsburgh should feel proud about the way their team played, especially on defense. Gabriel completed just over 55% of his passes and was sacked six times. Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin made sure that his unit was prepared to stifle Gabriel threw the air. The former Oregon Ducks standout was only able to average 4.3 yards per passing attempt for the game.

This was far and away the best performance for the Steelers' defense this season, which might put some fear into the hearts of teams all over the AFC. Head Coach Mike Tomlin's team is already 4-1 and his defense is just starting to come into its own. All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey recorded a career-high two sacks and proved that he is still one of the best defensive players in the game. Linebacker Nick Herbig also poured in multiple sacks.

The Steelers also stopped the Browns on multiple fourth down attempts and held them to just six third-down conversions on 17 attempts. Furthermore, Cleveland recorded just 65 yards on the ground, which made it all the more difficult for Gabriel and co. to get anything going through the air. That is exactly what the Steelers are going to attempt to do to every team they face the rest of the way. Pressure the quarterback, stop the run, and make important plays on key downs. 

Steelers Have Great Chance to Pressure Old Rival Joe Flacco on Thursday Night

Next up on the schedule for the AFC North-leading Steelers are the Cincinnati Bengals, who are coming off a frustrating road loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon. Despite trading for former Super Bowl champion quarterback Joe Flacco to help fill the void left by the injured Joe Burrow, Cincinnati couldn't play a consistent offensive game in their 27-18 loss at Lambeau Field. The Bengals recorded just 55 rushing yards and converted only six third downs on 15 attempts. Flacco was only sacked once, so the unit had it's fair share of opportunities to score more points, but could not make enough magic happen to win the game.

Now, the Bengals are set to face a more experienced defense in the Steelers on a short week. With Flacco being 40 years of age, the likes of TJ Watt and Cam Heyward could have plenty of opportunities to set Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor's offense back. Remember, the Bengals have scored less than 20 points in three of their last four meetings with the Steelers. Even if Flacco has an entire career of experience, time may not be on his side, along with mobility. 

Especially with the way future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers' offense have been hitting their stride in recent weeks, this team has a great chance to be sitting at an overall record of 5-1 (2-0 in the AFC North) after Thursday night. Not only could the team be sitting at a great mark, but with the game coming on a Thursday night, they will have some time to rest up and regroup. That is why the stakes of this game against the 2-4 Bengals are bigger than most would probably think. 

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