Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is 14-1 against rookie quarterbacks in Pittsburgh in his career. (Pittsburgh Steelers)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
PITTSBURGH
Four downs on Browns (1-4) v. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
First down: Rookie Renegade.
The Browns haven’t had a quarterback to win a regular-season game in Pittsburgh in 22 years since Tim Couch in 2003. Now, Joe Flacco beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh last year with the Colts. But the Browns, in their infinite wisdom, traded Flacco to Cincinnati on Monday. So Kevin Stefanski tries to break an 0-for-5 personal losing streak here with not one but two rookie quarterbacks at his disposal – starter Dillon Gabriel and newly named backup Shedeur Sanders. Over the Browns’ 21 straight losses in Acrisure Stadium (nee Heinz Field), they have used 14 different starting quarterbacks. Only two were rookies – Colt McCoy in 2010 and Deshone Kizer in 2017. McCoy lost, 28-10, and Kizer lost, 28-24. Oh, by the way, in Mike Tomlin’s 19 seasons as Steelers coach, he has faced a rookie quarterback in Pittsburgh 15 times. The Steelers are 14-1 in those games. The only rookie quarterback to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh is Dak Prescott in 2016.
Second down: Mister Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers, 41, is looking more like his Green Bay Packers self after a two-year exile with the Jets. “He’s one of the great quarterbacks in the history of the NFL,” said defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. “Might be the best thrower of the football I’ve ever seen,” Stefanski said. Schwartz has had his defense mindful of two things – Rodgers’ quick passes and his notorious hard count. “I think he might have the quickest time to throw in the whole NFL at this point,” Schwartz said. “So you just have to cover you short zone, your short man to man really well, and try to buy a little bit of time, cloud the picture up a little bit, close some windows.” As for the hard count, Schwartz called Rodgers “one of the OG’s.” “He was one of the first ones to build in taking deep shots off of [drawing offsides]. He’s going downtown with [a free play], and has made a lot of plays over the course of his career doing that.” Myles Garrett is the most likely to be drawn offsides by Rodgers’ hard count. “You can’t let someone’s style of play hold you hostage or make you back off,” Garrett said. “You got to be who you are.”
Third down: Myles and T.J.
Garrett was the first overall pick of the 2017 draft, T.J. Watt was the 30th overall pick. Watt has 111 sacks in 125 games, Garrett has 106.5 in 122. The Steelers like to keep track of these things and always include a Watt v. Garrett comparison in their game notes when the teams meet. The Steelers point out: 1. When both Watt and Garrett play in the same game, the Steelers are 8-3-1; 2. In Watt’s 14 games against the Browns, he has 17 sacks, two fumble recoveries, one interception and one TD; 3. In Garrett’s 14 games against the Steelers, he has 13 sacks and four forced fumbles. Each has earned one NFL defensive player of the year honor. When Garrett nabbed the award in the 2023 season, Watt complained that he should have won it. Garrett said he has no tiff with Watt. “I mean, it’s a hell of an honor and a privilege to be able to play this game at this level, especially at the level in which we do. So I have nothing but respect for the way he does things.”
Fourth down: The Q factor.
With the Browns’ offense in the hands of two rookie quarterbacks, the running game becomes even more important. The good news for the Browns is that Quinshon Judkins gets better with each game. After missing all of training camp and preseason, Judkins rushed for 61 yards his first game in Baltimore, and has followed with 94 yards against Green Bay, 82 against Detroit and 110 against Minnesota. Tomlin never misses a Pro Day at Ohio State and is quite aware of Judkins. “He’s a tough runner,” Tomlin said. “He’s good inside. He’s got good patience and picking vision on interior running. He finishes off his runs with violence. He’s underrated in terms of his ability to bounce it to the perimeter and pop long ones. I’ve seen this guy a lot. Obviously, we’ve got a couple of his teammates from Ohio State. I’ve seen a lot of his video. He’s a complete back. He’s the type of guy that can wear a defensive unit down. He’s an awesome replacement, if you will, for Nick Chubb and I think it’s going to do nothing but get better with him and them.”
The pick: Steelers 20, Browns 16.
My record: 1-4.