The Steelers’ chances in Cleveland took a hit in the second quarter when Derrick Harmon had to be carted off with a foot injury.
Pittsburgh was already trying to fight uphill in a road Thursday night divisional game, and losing one of its best interior defenders only made the task steeper. Harmon, a second-year defensive tackle, left with the injury and was later listed as questionable. For a 300-pound lineman, that’s not the kind of issue you simply shrug off and play through.
By halftime, the Browns had stretched the margin to 21-10, helped along by Harmon’s absence and some rough tackling from the Steelers defense across the board. If Pittsburgh is going to get back into it, the margin for error is shrinking fast.
The concern goes beyond one drive or one half. Cleveland, sitting on an 11-point lead, is in position to lean on the run and try to bleed the clock.
Quinshon Judkins has already looked more like the player the Browns hoped for, even while averaging just 1.8 yards per carry in the first half. If the Steelers can’t tighten up against him, the comeback path gets very narrow.
That’s where Harmon matters so much. Outside of Cam Heyward, he’s been Pittsburgh’s most reliable run defender.
Keeanu Benton has been shifted around the front instead of being stuck at nose tackle, which means the Steelers can’t really ask him to shoulder all of the load inside. And with the linebackers, especially Patrick Queen, missing too many tackles, there isn’t much help coming from the second level.
Harmon’s value isn’t limited to stopping the run, either. He’s begun to make noise as a pass rusher, too, and his game-winning strip sack of Joe Burrow in Week 3 was the clearest example of that. So far against Cleveland, though, Pittsburgh’s pass rush hasn’t been able to make the kind of impact that could flip the game, even with Deshaun Watson’s tendency to take sacks.
For a Steelers defense that can’t afford to lose a player like this in a game like this, the injury is a major blow. It also brings back some of the durability questions from Harmon’s rookie season, when multiple knee injuries cost him time.
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