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Looking for a reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers have won four games in a row and surged into the AFC’s No. 6 seed even though Ben Roethlisberger has been on injured reserve since Week 3? The answer is easy.
Takeaways.
Pittsburgh’s defense has been masterful at getting the ball back from opposing offenses. The Steelers have 26 takeaways in nine games, one behind league-leading New England. That includes an NFL-high 12 fumble recoveries. Pittsburgh has at least three takeaways in each of its last five games.
One of the big keys is Minkah Fitzpatrick. Trading their 2020 first-round pick to Miami for the versatile defensive back has proven eminently worthy. Fitzpatrick has five takeaways of his own in the last three weeks, scoring two touchdowns on returns. He’s exactly what the doctor ordered for coordinator Keith Butler’s defense.
Cleveland’s own ball security has dramatically improved since the bye week. Sure, there were the three consecutive snaps in the loss to New England where the Browns infamously gave the ball away. Those are the only three giveaways in the three weeks since the break.
Baker Mayfield has thrown just one interception, the botched shovel pass to Jarvis Landry in the Patriots game, in his last 111 pass attempts. Mayfield remains No. 2 on the season with 12 picks thrown, but he’s been much better at not putting the ball at risk of late. His receivers haven’t volleyball set the ball to a defender in weeks, too.