By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE
The Browns fall to 0-11 after their 24-9 loss to the Steelers. This game was personification of the 2016 Cleveland Browns and four plays proved that. The first was the Browns punting on 4&33 and then two penalties at the end of the first half (which would have ended the half at 6-0) allowing the Steelers to take a 14-0 lead into the locker room. Then in the second half the quarterback Cody Kessler suffered a concussion and Josh McCown had to take over. Each quarterback suffered four sacks and were hit hard multiple times.
The First Half:
Defensively the Browns played a "bend, but don't break defense". The Steelers completely dominated the time of possession having the ball for just over 20 minutes. The Steelers had 217 total yards on 41 plays. 132 of the 217 yards were through the air with Le'Veon Bell as the Steelers leading receiver with seven catches for 50 yards. Bell also carried the ball 16 times for 85 yards and a touchdown (which was the result of the two penalties at the end of the half). The Steelers were also 4/7 on third down and 1/1 on fourth. Roethlisberger was 18/25 for 132 yards.
The Browns were horrible offensively only managing 50 total yards. Kessler was 3/7 for 60 yards and one interception, but what really killed this team was Kessler being sacked three times for a total of 29 yards. The running game didn't do anything. 19 rushing yards on seven carries. Isaiah Crowell had five carries for nine yards and Duke Johnson had two carries for 10. The leading receiver was Terrelle Pryor with one catch for 30 yards. Andrew Hawkins had a catch for 28 yards and rookie Corey Coleman had a catch for four yards, and he also had two dropped catches.
The Second Half:
The defense played well holding the Steelers to 96 total yards in the second half. Bell had 66 of the 96 yards. 61 on the ground and five through the air. Bell ended the game with 146 yards on the ground on 28 carries and a touchdown. And eight catches for 55 yards. Roethlisberger ended his day with 167 yards on 23/36 passing. Antonio Brown tied Bell as the game leader in catches with eight and had the team lead in receiving yards with 76.
The Browns leading tacklers were Christian Kirksey with nine, Jamie Collins with eight, and Demario Davis with seven.
Offensively the Browns were the Browns. They couldn't run the ball at all and their quarterback got hurt. Kessler suffered a concussion and McCown came in. McCown played like he always does. 118 yards on 14/27 passing and throwing the Browns only touchdown of the day. A 14 yard pass to tight end Gary Barnidge. Two plays back-to-back really hurt the Browns. After getting the ball while down 17-9 McCown threw a ball over the middle to Terrelle Pryor. Pryor didn't catch it because it was overthrown but suffered a big hit and was taken off of the field. The next play while scrabbling, McCown fumbled the ball into the end zone and it was recovered by the Steelers for a touchdown. So like stated before..."McCown played like he always does". Terrelle Pryor ended his day with five catches for 97 yards, Duke Johnson had three catches in the second half for 46 yards, and ended his day with 4 catches for 39 yards.
The offensive line was terrible all game. They couldn't get a push in the running game resulting in 33 yards on 13 carries and the Steelers having eight sacks for 70 yards.
Overall Thoughts:
These games are hard to watch, but this team isn't quitting and that says a lot. It says a lot about the coaching of Hue Jackson and his staff. He is trying to get as much as he can with what he has. We all knew this year was going to be tough but no one thought it was going to be this tough. Its hard to win when you play six different players at quarterback, numerous offensive line combinations, and injuries on both sides of the ball.
This game also showed me that Kessler isn't going to be our starting quarterback for the future...and that is okay. Kessler seems to hesitant to get the ball out. Yes its a combination of the lack of play-makers and offensive line but its becoming obvious that the Browns will draft their future quarterback in April. Also expect Robert Griffin III to start either this week against the Giants (if he's cleared) or week 14 vs the Bengals and to play for the reminder of the season.
Most Valuable Brown (MVB): Terrelle Pryor continues to play well with a murky quarterback situation. He is proving he can be a top-level receiver and should get paid handsomely this off-season whether its in Cleveland or not.
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