Last week Derek Anderson was 2-for-17 in a 6-3 win in Buffalo. Now he’s on the road against a Steelers D that has owned the Browns with 11 straight wins. Ouch. The Steelers will get back safety Troy Polamalu, and maybe running back Willie Parker, making it even more bad news for Cleveland. The formula to finally beating the Steelers is going to be having to come up with turnovers, big plays, and pressuring Ben Roethlisberger. That’s not easy, and it’s not something the Browns have been able to do often in the last few seasons. Look for the Steelers to do what they have done well this year – attack the Browns weak secondary of Eric Wright and Brandon McDondald. The Steelers beat up the Chargers at home two weeks ago, then pulled out a big win over the Lions last week. Look for them to lay waste to the Browns in what should be a rather one-sided affair.
Pittsburgh 34 Cleveland 7
DrGeorge
October 17, 2009 at 1:18 pm
On paper, this does indeed look like a ‘one-sided affair,’ but nothing has come easily for the Steelers this year. This game offers an opportunity to show (a) an ability to run the ball consistently; (b) improved special teams coverage; (c) a tough-minded response to the loss of A. Smith; and (d) an alternative to the soft zone defense, including answers to the 4th Qtr collapse. Beating Cleveland is priority # 1. Raising the Steelers’ level of play is priority # 2. Fans hope to see both on Sunday.
mark
October 17, 2009 at 4:15 pm
It looks like the Steeler offense is playing extremely well in the last 2 weeks.This will continue as long as the team can run the ball.The Browns will be up for this game, but they do not have the talent to win in Pittsburgh. Unless of course the Steelers allow them to stay close by turning it over and letting a dreadful Browns offense sustain drives. I can see one of these things happening in a division game, but certainly not both. I think the Steelers pull away in the second half. Even though Derek Anderson was bad last week,the Browns can try some trick plays in order to loosen up the Steelers. I see the loss of Aaron Smith giving the Browns a chance to use both RB’s in an effort to keep Ben off the field and sustain long drives. This is why I think this game can be scary until the 3rd quarter.