Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph will fill in for Browns-nemesis Ben Roethlisberger Sunday in a win-to-get-in game for the Browns. As a starter, Rudolph is 0-1 v. the Browns and 5-2 v. the rest of the NFL. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst on the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Browns v. Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, 1 p.m., in FirstEnergy Stadium
Record: 12-3.
Last game: Defeated Indianapolis Colts, 28-24, Dec. 27, in Pittsburgh.
Coach: Mike Tomlin, 153-84-1, 14th year.
Series record: Steelers lead, 77-59-1 (counting post-season).
Last meeting: Steelers won, 38-7, Oct. 18, in Pittsburgh.
League rankings: Offense is 24th overall (32nd rushing, 16th passing), defense is second overall (eighth rushing, second passing) and turnover differential is plus-10.
Things to watch
1.As only he can, Mike Tomlin came up with a new phrase for sitting out starters. “Given an opportunity to airmail a player or two to the post-season, we will,” said the Steelers coach. He named only quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, 38, but added that he intended to “airmail” others, depending on the availability of replacements in the practice week. Given his druthers, Tomlin probably would like to also “airmail” center Maurkice Pouncey, 31; defensive end Cameron Heyward, 31; cornerback Joe Haden, 31; defensive tackle Stephon Tuitt, 27; and nose tackle Tyson Alalulu, 33. There is a feeling that Tomlin may also opt to remove certain starters throughout the course of the game. These may include edge rusher T.J. Watt and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Although the Steelers technically can surpass the Bills for the AFC No. 2 seed, Tomlin is unconcerned with that. He’d rather rest key players because the team was robbed of its regular bye week in Week 4 due to Covid-related game reschedulings.
2.Filling in for Big Ben is Mason Rudolph, whose unprotected head was the target of Myles Garrett’s helmet smash in the fateful meeting in Cleveland last Nov. 14. Garrett’s allegation that Rudolph used a racial slur during the fracas with five seconds left in the game was denied by the Steelers. An NFL investigation turned up no evidence of it. Regardless, Rudolph was soundly thrashed in the game, getting sacked four times, hit after throws several other times, and intercepted four times. Over the course of Roethlisberger’s career since 2004, three other Steelers quarterbacks have defeated the Browns – Charlie Batch in 2005, Landry Jones in 2016 and 2017, and Devlin “Duck” Hodges in 2019. Rudolph is not in that select group. He is 5-2 against the rest of the NFL as a starter, however.
3.The Steelers broke a three-game losing streak and an offensive slump that extended a total of four games with a second-half explosion in Indianapolis led by Roethlisberger. He threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns in the second half of a 28-24 win. The Steelers had not scored more than 19 points in the previous four games. Basically, the Steelers ditched Ben’s dink-and-dunk season-long approach and finally stretched the field vertically. Rudolph probably will favor shorter, quicker throws and look to go longer to Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington when opportunity presents. The offense’s undoing all year has been the running game (averaging 3.6 a rush), but the return of James Conner last week from a quad injury at least gives Rudolph safety valve pass target out of the backfield. Conner hasn’t had a 100-yard rushing game since the first meeting against the Browns on Oct. 18.
4.The defense ranks first or second in total yards (302.3 a game), passing yards (196.3), third-down efficiency (36.7), fourth-down efficiency (27.8), interceptions (18), takeaways (27), sacks (52), and points (19.2). But injuries to linebackers Devin Bush and Bud Dupree, plus Robert Spillane, Bush’s replacement, have dragged the unit down from elite status. New players to watch at linebacker are rookie Alex Highsmith, Marcus Allen and Cassius Marsh.
Did you know … ?
1.The Steelers often have been in the position of resting regulars in their 16th game. One example has parallels to Sunday’s game. In the 2004 season finale, the Steelers were 14-1 and traveled to Orchard Park, NY, to play the 9-6 Buffalo Bills. The Bills needed the win to earn a wild card berth. The Steelers won, 29-24, behind quarterback Tommy Maddox and a breakout 102-yard rushing game by rookie back Willie Parker, plus three defensive turnovers.
2.Kicker Chris Boswell has missed two of the last four games with a hip injury. The third-best all-time field-goal maker by percentage (88.0) is 19 of 20 on field goals and 34 of 38 on PATs. Boswell’s game status will be evaluated. Replacement kicker Matt Wright is 1 for 1 on field goals and 6 of 6 on PATs. But Tomlin wouldn’t let him try a 46-yard attempt in the Washington game, and a failed fourth-down try on offense resulted in Washington putting together a game-winning drive.
3.The Steelers have had fewer than 50 yards rushing in six of their last nine games. Only once in that span have they surpassed 100 yards rushing as a team.
4.According to ProFootballReference.com statistics, receiver Diontae Johnson leads the NFL with 13 dropped passes and tight end Eric Ebron is tied for ninth with seven.
Small world: Cornerback Joe Haden was the Browns’ first-round draft pick in 2010 and played for them through 2016 … Defensive coordinator Keith Butler was Browns linebackers coach 1999-2002 … Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and cornerback Justin Layne are natives of Cleveland.