Every Browns quarterback has a 'welcome to Cleveland' moment when he plays the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Dillon Gabriel received his on Sunday. (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
Instant takeaways from Browns 23-9 loss to Pittsburgh Steelers …
1. Welcome to Pittsburgh, rook: It was ludicrous to think the Browns could break their 21-game losing streak in Pittsburgh with a rookie quarterback at the helm. And they didn’t. Dillon Gabriel became the 15th rookie QB in 16 games to lose in Pittsburgh in Mike Tomlin’s 19 years as Steelers coach. Gabriel couldn’t get the Browns into the end zone as they failed to score 20 points for the 11th consecutive game. Three Andre Szmyt field goals were all she wrote in a 23-9 Pittsburgh win – the Browns’ 22nd straight loss here. Gabriel was under siege most of the afternoon with running back Quinshon Judkins never being a factor and blindside tackle Jack Conklin out in the third quarter with a concussion. Gabriel attempted 52 passes, completing 29 for 221 yards. Gabriel was sacked six times and hit on 16 other occasions. Gabriel’s day could have been worse; the Steelers dropped at least five interceptions. One Gabriel pass near the Pittsburgh goal line banged off Isaiah Bond’s head. It made for an easy day for Aaron Rodgers, who didn’t turn the ball over and tossed two touchdowns. The Browns dropped to 1-5. The Steelers are 4-1 and travel to Cincinnati for a Thursday night against Joe Flacco and the Bengals.
2. Baptism by fire: New Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell had his moments in his first game after being acquired in trade from Jacksonville on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the bad ones outnumbered the good ones. Campbell was singled up most of the day against DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh’s best receiver. Campbell’s problem was he failed to look for the ball on several occasions. That’s what happened on a 25-yard Rodgers TD pass to the 6-4, 235-pound receiver on the first play of the fourth quarter. That made it 23-6, Pittsburgh. At that point, Metcalf had only four catches, but for 95 yards.
3. And there it is: In a tight game, it was only a matter of time before the Browns’ special teams did something wrong. Sure enough, it happened in the third quarter. A Denzel Ward PBU against DK Metcalf forced a Steelers punt from their 27-yard line. Browns special team Cam Thomas nearly blocked the punt, but he couldn’t keep from running into punter Corliss Waitman. The 5-yard penalty on fourth-and-4 gave Rodgers new life. Summarily deflated, Jim Schwartz’s defense allowed Rodgers to move 68 yards in six plays. They would have scored on the third play as Metcalf burned Tyson Campbell off the snap of the ball, but Rodgers’ deep ball floated way short of the wide-open Metcalf. Anyways, Rodgers redeemed himself on a 12-yard touchdown pass to Connor Heyward on which Rodgers threw across his body while rolling right to beat safety Ronnie Hickman in the middle of the end zone. At that point, the 16-3 Pittsburgh lead surely felt insurmountable.
4. Drops … of course: For the second game in a row, Gabriel’s best pass was dropped. This time it was usually reliable tight end Harold Fannin who had a ball go through his hands at the Steelers’ 16 after Gabriel evaded pressure and put it on the money while on the move. David Njoku followed with a drop in the short middle, necessitating a long field goal. Andre Szmyt made it from 53 yards to cut the Pittsburgh lead to 16-6.
5. Tackle troubles: Cam Robinson became the fourth Browns starting left tackle in five games. He was flagged for illegal formation, holding (declined) and a false start. That gave Robinson five penalties in about four quarters since joining the team in London. Late in the fourth quarter, Robinson walked gingerly off the field with a lower leg injury. He was replaced by guard Teven Jenkins. Also, right tackle Jack Conklin left the game in the third quarter with a possible concussion.
6. Borrrrr-ing: The first half was an exercise in offensive tedium and indifference. The Browns couldn’t move the ball much more than five yards at a time and the Steelers were content to rest on the right leg of Chris Boswell (field goals of 44, 50 and 48 yards). Somehow, Gabriel cobbled together a 72-yard drive at the end, consisting of 16 plays and three penalties, and Andre Szmyt made a 31-yard field goal to make it 9-3, Steelers, at intermission. Rodgers’ and Gabriel’s stats in the half were nearly the same as they averaged a scant 6.3 and 5.1 yards per attempt, respectively. Because of the inexorable field goal drive at the end, there was a distinctive imbalance in the Browns pass-run ration – 18 pass attempts, plus 3 sacks, v. 9 rush attempts.
7. No respect: Except for a 36-yard pass play to tight end Darnell Washington on the game’s first play from scrimmage, Rodgers was content to dink and dunk out of his myriad pass releases – back-handed shovels, etc. -- to set up Boswell’s three field goals. Rodgers’ longest play in the first half was a 25-yard connection with Metcalf, who was singled up often with newly-arrived cornerback Tyson Campbell.
8. Nothing special: Corey Bojorquez had a 21-yard punt. The Browns’ punt coverage unit also was hit for a long return by Ke’Shawn Williams but it was nullified by an illegal blindside block by former Browns Jabrill Peppers. None hurt as badly as the Thomas penalty in the third quarter. It looked like Denzel Ward got a finger on Boswell's 54-yard field goal miss late in the game.
9. Jeudy digging out?: Jerry Jeudy had 4 catches on 7 targets for 36 yards in the first half, including two on the field-goal drive. But he also was penalized twice, for roughness when he retaliated against Joey Porter with a hand to the face, and also for offensive pass interference. Jeudy also had a drop.
10. Pre-game notes: Cam Robinson was elevated to starting left tackle after a full week of practice following the London game. Robinson is the Browns' fourth starting left tackle in six games. This move put Cornelius Lucas on the inactive list for the first time. Other inactives: cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse, running back Rocket Sanders, defensive tackle Mike Hall, offensive tackle Thayer Munford, guard Zak Zinter. Also, Campbell (wearing No. 7) replaced traded Greg Newsome at outside cornerback.