Stillers 27, Clev 14 ...... Dec 8, 2024 …………Game # 13
Stillers- Browns Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 9-3 Stillers hosted the lowly 3-9 Browns. It was a fairly awful 1H on both sides of the ball, with the Stillers clinging to a thin 13-7 lead at the half, thanx for a duck-hooked chipshot FG try by Clev. The Stillers poured it on in the 2H, and held on for a fairly comfy win.
Grades:
QB: Wilson got the start.
Poor pass, first series, on 3d & 3, rolling left and poorly opverthrowing a WIDE open Williams on a deep lob.
Overall, had a miserable 1H, going 8 of 16 for 46 yards.
Big completion on the run, 3d & long, early 3Q, to hit Fryboy for 21 yards. Hit Jefferson for a 10 yard TD a few plays later. Nice TD strike to Fryboy later in the 3Q. Was 15 of 26 for 158 and 2 TDs. Adequate enough for the W, but obviously this won’t cut the mustard come playoff time, although he was saddled by the worst WR corps in the NFL. B
RB:
Harris – had a so-so game. 16 carries, 53 yards, which is fairly pedestrian. Had a short TD plunge. Never targeted in the passing game. B-
Warren – superb 12 yard run, 2Q. Had 9 carries for 47 yards, and 2 grabs for 25. A really strong effort. A
Cord Patt – grabbed short pass, 1Q, for 3 yards. Fumbled (cough, cough) the ball on a ground play, 4:43 4Q, which Cleve recovered at midfield. D+
FB: Conn Hey chipped in a block for the Harris TD plunge, 2Q.
WR:
Pickens – sat out, due to injury.
Van Jeff – 3d & 1 around the Clev 6 yard line, second series, and this jackmule failed to line up on the LoS, creating an illegal formation flag. Instead of a 1st down and pushing for a TD, this offense again settled for a FG. Grabbed 10 yard TD pass, 3Q. This was his lone grab of the game. B-
Austin – drew a PI flag a few plays after the Benton INT. Had 1 grab for 4 yards. C
Skowronek – Thankfully not targeted.
Mike Williams – was wide open on a deep lob, first series, but the pass was horribly overthrown. Flagged for an OPI on a blatant shove of the DB on a 26 yard grab. Made a sterling grab along the sideline for 20 yards, 4:00 3Q. Could have easily been flagged for OPI on this play as well. Had 3 grabs for 36. Once Pickens returns, he’ll probably return to rotting the bench. B+
Miller – grabbed 0-step hitch, late 1Q, for 9. Two plays later, on 3d & 2, was hopelessly thrown a long lob that fell inc. Grabbed a 6 yard out on a 3d & 9, 2Q. Stellar grab on a sideline lob, 5:30 4Q. Had 3 grabs. B+
TE:
Pat FryBoy – Had 3 grabs for 48, and 1 TD. B
Darnell – failed to block down on a running play, early 2Q, which got Warren crushed on a 3-yard loss. No receptions.
Con Heyward – No targets.
Pruitt – grabbed a pass, 2d & 2, first series, for a gain of minus-1.
OL: Overall, the line (Moore, Seumalo, Frazier, McCormick, Jones) had a solid game. Wilson mostly had time in the pocket, and Myles Garrett did little until the game was out of reach. The run blocking was also solid.
Dan Less-is-Moore got whipped by Myles G. on a 3rd down pass play, 1Q, that resulted in an Int Grounding flag. Moore was flagged for a false start, late 4Q. The very next play, he got thoroughly abused by Garrett for a sack.
Moore: C- Rest of line: B+
DL:
Heyward – got an assist on a ground play, 2Q. Next play, DONG Sack, Scam Heyward. QB had all day, and then got flushed. Gee, what a heroic play. Had 2 solos, 2A in 1H. Another DONG sack, 14:44 4Q. QB had ALLL day, then scuttled around, and then Scam got the Dong sack. Had 3 solos, 2 As in a mediocre effort. B-
Ogunjobi – helped stop a toss sweep, 2nd series. Later in 1Q, Ogunjobi sustained a groin injury and was questionable to return to today's game. He returned, start of 2Q. Had 0 solos, 2 As.
Lowdermilk – saw some work; did little.
Benton – Got a Dong INT on a poorly thrown screen pass, which led to the Harris TD plunge, 2Q. Dude now has more INTs that The Mighty Minkah. 0 solos, 1 A. Aside from the INT, he did very little.
LB:
Queen – failed to wrap, TWICE, on the same running play, late 2Q, on a 7 yard run by Ford. Very poor. Busted up a pass, 11:00 4Q. Had 5 solos, 5 As. B
Landon Rob – blew up wide run, last play of 1Q. Flashed in on the 4th & 1 running play, mid 3Q, and nailed the RB for a loss. Had just that one solo all game.
Watt – nailed Chubb for a 5 yard loss, first play. Had 2 solos, 2 A. Got stymied again by the Clev RT. B-
Highsmith – got away with a pers foul flag (hit the head) on the 2nd Def. play of game, when he stupidly butted his head into the QB’s head well after the pass had been released. On the next play, the QB held the ball forever, and then Big Alex, on a middle stunt, got the Dong sack. Late in the 1Q, on a 3rd down that was stopped well short of the sticks, Big Alex again hit the QB well after the pass, and this time he was flagged for a pers foul. Selfish dumbazzity at its worst.
(0:43 - 1st) (Shotgun) J.Ford left end to CLV 37 for -1 yards (A.Highsmith). On this play, Land Roberts flashed in a blew up the running play, and Big Alex was there to clean up the garbage.
On a 3d & 12, late 2Q, Fraudsmith spun to the inside, allowing Winston an ACRE of open space, in which the QB scrambled to his left and then calmly hit a pass for a 14 yard gain. 2 solos, 1A in 1H.
Had 2 solos, 1 A in a very meager, uninspiring effort. C-
Herbig – Got limited PT. Got blew up a ground play, mid 2Q. Slashed in and blew up a wide running play, 10:30 4Q.
Pey Wilson – solid stop on short pass to RB, 2nd series.
Pres Smith – Did little.
DB
Joey Porter Jr. - got abused by Moore on a shallow slant, 2nd series, good for 20 yards. Flagged for a silly pers foul, first play of 2H. B-
Donte Jackson – got dinged up, mid 3Q. Didn’t get a Dong INT, so the cries of “Dante for All Pro” have quieted down, at least for a week.
Kazee – near INT, 2nd series, on a short in to Njoku.
DeShon Elliot – Also got lost on the longish TD pass, 1Q. Busted up a 3d down pass to Njoku, late 2Q, to force the FG. Got tooled by Njoku on a superb TD pluck, mid 4Q. Overall, was around the ball all game long. B
Minkah - another mouse-quiet effort today. Got caught peeking and wandering on the long lob to Jeudy for a TD. Had 1 solo, 4 As. Ain’t nowhere near good enough for his fatty salary. D
Pierre – got a Dong INT on a hideous pass by Winston, late 4Q. Quick – Hextall Khan should rush out and lavish him with a 4-year contract after that Dong INT….!
Bishop – failed to make a cake-easy stop of #81 (Woods), late 2Q, allowing him not only more yardage (12 in total), but also getting OOB to stop the clock at 0:43. Was tentative and feeble in his RAC tackling all game long.
Spec teams:
Waitman – 60-yard punt, first series. Poor 38-yard punt, late 1Q. Good 55-yard punt from his own EZ, early 4Q. Good 58 yard boot, late 4Q. A
Boswell – nailed a 54 yard FG, 2Q. Also booted a short FG.
Poor coverage and tackling, 2H kickoff, with Ford taking it 56 yards on the return.
Schmoe-ronek recovered a bobbled punt, late 4Q.
OC: Art Smith had a grisly, miserable 1H, with the offense stuttering and sputtering. Were it not for Benton’s INT and ~12 yard return, the offense may not have gotten much of anything done in the 1H. The 2H was certainly more productive, helped by an inept Cleve offense that wasn’t able to put any pressure on King Arthur. Ya can’t have grisly 1Hs like this one come playoff time. B-
DC: Austin had his share of struggles in the 1H. After PIT took an early 3-0 lead, Austin promptly urinated it away, allowing a cake-walk, 7 play drive of 70 yards for a TD on a 35-yard pass to a WIDE open WR. Pure vomit. Got gashed for a 12-play drive, late 2Q….Austin dodged the bullet only when the lousy Clev PK (Hopkins) missed a chipshot FG. Hopkins then “led off” the 2H with a hideous miss of a 43-yard FG. This game seemed to be more Cleve ineptitude on offense, than anything. B-
HC: Mike Tomlin managed to stave off the pesky Browns. Getting swept by Clev would have been a fiasco for Michael The Almighty. B
Synopsis: Win #10 for the Stillers. Now, a 2 game lead over Balt in the Div race. Next up, of course, a much stiffer foe, with a game out in Philly. This’ll be a legit litmus test for how good this vaunted team supposedly is. On a side note, the late-game "Cleveland sucks" chant inside Acrisure Stadium was bush-league and low-brow. Much like the Philly Flyer fans' chants of "Crosby sucks", it was needless, juvenile, and imbecilic. We can and should do better, fellow Pgh fans.
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