CLEVELAND -- The Pittsburgh Steelers left Thursday night with a 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns, and the picture around this team looks a whole lot darker at 2-2. They’re still winless on the road against division opponents on Thursday Night Football, and this one didn’t just look ugly on the scoreboard. It unraveled on the field.
The Steelers opened by going up 7-0, then watched the game tilt away from them almost immediately. From that point on, they struggled to find anything that resembled momentum, and the concerns that followed them out of Cleveland go well beyond one bad night.
Jaylen Warren was the one bright spot that kept showing up. He finished with 17 carries for 93 yards, and even in a loss he kept making his case as one of the best backs in football.
Warren isn’t just slippery with the ball in his hands. He’s dependable in pass protection, dangerous as a receiver and steady no matter what kind of run fit he’s facing.
After his 127-yard outing last week, this felt like another step toward the top tier. The comparison list is getting hard to ignore: Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kenneth Walker and Saquan Barkley.
Warren belongs in that conversation.
The back end of the defense, though, is a mess the Steelers can’t keep pretending isn’t there. Jaquan Brisker continues to look like the kind of safety you can build around.
Rayshawn Jenkins does not. Through four games, Jenkins has been missing tackles, losing ground in coverage and creating problems with communication and positioning in zone.
Offenses are starting to notice where the weak spot is and leaning right into it.
That’s why the Steelers may need to make a move, whether that means Elliott returning or trying someone like Jalen Ramsey at safety. By the end of the game, Robert Spears-Jennings was getting work next to Brisker, and that may be the direction they have to keep going.
But the bigger point is simple: Elliott needs to be back on the field sooner rather than later. The secondary is already stretched thin, and they can’t afford Jenkins dragging the group down any further.
They’re also counting on Asante Samuel Jr. and Jamel Dean to help cover for not having Joey Porter Jr., which makes the safety issue even more glaring.
Chris Boswell also found himself in the spotlight again after missing a 48-yard field goal with a little more than five minutes left in the first half. It was his miss in three of four games this season, which is not the kind of pattern the Steelers are used to seeing from one of the league’s most dependable kickers.
Boswell was not happy and believed he got bumped into on the play. Whatever the explanation, the bottom line is the same: this has to get better.
If it doesn’t, the Steelers have another problem on their hands.
Aaron Rodgers was another major reason the night went sideways. There are still snaps where only Rodgers can make the throw or the read, but against Cleveland, there were too many moments where he looked like a problem instead of a solution.
After the Steelers put together nearly a 10-minute opening drive, Rodgers threw an interception on the second possession. The Steelers were ahead 7-0, and the decision flipped the game’s momentum in a hurry.
From there, the offense never really recovered. Rodgers kept stepping into sacks, missing chances to escape pressure and throwing too many passes late or high.
One play stood out in particular: a throw across the middle intended for DK Metcalf that should have produced a first down if it came out on time. Instead, Rodgers was a beat or two slow, the defender arrived first and the Steelers punted.
If Pittsburgh is going to chase a playoff spot, Rodgers has to drive the offense. Right now, he’s creating too many issues.
The defense wasn’t much better. Outside of T.J.
Watt’s 119th career sack and the forced fumble that helped set up a punt for the offense, the Steelers got beaten in too many areas. They missed tackles all night, with players bouncing off ball-carriers and getting shoved backward at the line of scrimmage.
The group looked out of sync in coverage too, and Deshaun Watson found easy completions when miscommunication popped up. Cleveland’s offensive line also won enough battles to spring the Browns’ running backs for big plays.
Patrick Queen, Rayshawn Jenkins and Daylen Everette were among the players who stood out for the wrong reasons, but they were hardly alone. This defense looked strong in the first two weeks. That version hasn’t shown up lately, and if the Steelers are going to stabilize anything this season, it’s going to have to come from this side of the ball.
Even the offensive line slid back into trouble after a brief stretch that made it look like progress was coming. With Max Iheanachor and Brock Hoffman still in the lineup, the unit reverted to the same issues it showed in Weeks 1 and 2. Rodgers took a beating, and at times it was as simple as the line getting overwhelmed.
The Steelers have two first-round tackles, a second-round center and two young guards. On paper, that should be a group with a real chance to hold up.
On Thursday night, it was anything but that. If they don’t sort it out fast, the season is going to feel long for Rodgers and for everyone watching.
In Other News...
Steelers Defense Just Took A Brutal Hit Against The Browns
A Thursday night collision with the Browns brought an early injury scare for Pittsburgh, as defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was carted off with a foot injury and quickly listed as questionable. The timing could not have been worse for a defense already trying to slow Clevelands momentum, with the Browns taking a 21-10 lead into halftime.
Harmons exit leaves the Steelers with a bigger problem than just one missing body in the middle. His presence matters in both the run game and the pass rush, and Pittsburgh now has to adjust on the fly while trying to keep Cleveland from controlling the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Just Complicated One Steelers Blame Game
Aaron Rodgers added a layer to the Steelers postgame frustration after the late possession in the loss to Cleveland, pushing back on the idea that the play was simply about Jaylen Warren being the intended answer on second down. Rodgers said five players were running routes on the snap, a reminder that what looks obvious from the outside can be a lot messier once protection, timing and route distribution come into play.
For a Pittsburgh offense still trying to sort through what went wrong in a tight, late-game sequence, that matters. The ball ending up with Warren does not automatically tell the full story of the design, and Rodgers explanation points to the kind of breakdown that can involve more than one player and more than one decision. In a game that already invited blame, the more interesting question may be how much of that play was about execution, and how much was about the pressure closing in around it. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Already Have A Rodgers-McCarthy Sideline Problem
The Steelers got a little reminder in Week 4 that bringing familiar faces together does not always mean smooth sailing. During Thursday nights game against the Browns, Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy were caught in a heated sideline exchange after Rodgers grew frustrated over a delayed play call, and McCarthy fired back with a profane retort.
For Pittsburgh, it was the kind of moment that can linger because of how much history is wrapped into it. Rodgers and McCarthy won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay before reuniting in Pittsburgh, so the chemistry was never going to be a mystery, but neither was the possibility of old competitive habits resurfacing when the pressure ratchets up. Fans who were hoping for a clean reunion got a glimpse of something a lot messier, and it will be worth watching how that dynamic plays out moving forward. [Read more 🡒]