The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off their bye week in
which they saw themselves elevated to the top of the AFC North. They look to
widen their division lead with a win over Cleveland.
The odds of this game ending in another tie have to be
astronomical. Not only just because of pure mathematics and probability, but
the Steelers won’t let this come down to the wire in overtime again.
This team is playing different football than they were in
Week One. The offense is much more efficient and the defense seems to have
buffed out a few kinks, but with work to still be done. Either way you cut it,
the Steelers are definitely looking more like who we thought they were lately.
The Browns are not the same as they were in Week One either.
First overall pick Baker Mayfield is the signal caller now, and Carlos Hyde and
Josh Gordon are gone. The Browns are struggling with a 2-4-1 record, but by no
means will they be an easy win. They have been competitive in just about every
one of their games.
Here are three
players that could make a big difference in the game Sunday at Heinz Field.
BAKER MAYFIELD
After his first start with a win over the Jets, people were
ready to crown him as the Browns savior. He has definitely regressed since
then.
This doesn’t take away from the fact that of all the things
Baker Mayfield is or isn’t, he’s definitely a fierce competitor. He has a knack
for making big plays when his team needs him to, so his performance must be
looked at past the numbers on the stat sheet.
His skill set could be difficult for the Steelers to defend.
If he gets outside the pocket, he’s dangerous. He has the ability to make
difficult, accurate throws down the field or take off and run. He’s also not
afraid to take off prematurely to throw the defense off guard.
While his six touchdowns to five interceptions is not ideal,
his willingness to throw balls into risky areas could pay off against a
Steelers secondary that has struggled this season. If the secondary can’t play
good coverage, Mayfield could easily be in line for a big day.
NICK CHUBB
With Carlos Hyde traded to Jacksonville, Chubb has been
given a bigger role in the Cleveland backfield. The Georgia product has been a
nice addition to the running game for the Browns.
While Chubb’s carries aren’t quite up there yet in volume,
he’s averaging 7.4 yards-per-carry. That’s a staggering number. The Steelers
have struggled at times with stopping the run and Chubb is more than capable of
picking up chunks of yards for the Cleveland offense.
While it might have made more sense to put Jarvis Landry in
our list of dangerous players, with Joe Haden more than likely shadowing
Landry, Chubb may provide more matchup issues with the Steelers being the league’s
11th ranked rush defense.
While the rush defense has been better over the past few
weeks, it’s not a foregone conclusion that a guy like Chubb should just be
forgotten about.
MYLES GARRETT
This guy is a freak. He’s already made an impact in the
Steelers/Browns rivalry registering sacks and a huge fumble of James Conner
which helped swing the momentum in the Week One tie.
Garrett has seven sacks on the season, which leads the
Browns and is only one sack behind Aaron Donald’s eight for the league lead. He
gave Al Villanueva fits in their week one matchup and I’d expect no different
this week.
The team could have some extra help to Garrett’s side with a
tight end or running back in pass protection, but the best way to avoid Garrett
in the backfield is quick passes. If the offense can run quick and efficient
passes, they could help take Garrett out of the equation.
If not, Garrett could wreak havoc in the Steelers’
backfield. We’ve already seen it this season. Hopefully, the Steelers won’t let
it happen again.
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