After a game where the Cleveland Browns’ defense was effectively obliterated by Joe Flacco and the New York Jets, head coach Kevin Stefanski is excited to turn a new leaf in Week 3. After addressing the communications issues that caused the defensive implosion on Sunday, he told reporters this week that he knows all about the talent that the Pittsburgh Steelers host on offense, and that he is planning multiple strategies to deal with the array of looks they might deploy against him.
Asked specifically about the skill position players that make the Steelers such a formidable opponent, Stefanski explained that there is no single defensive concept that can contain Pittsburgh wholesale and that his squad must be prepared to defend against a variety of different game plans.
“It is an impressive group,” He said of the Steelers’ offense. “Think about the guys that they have on the outside who can beat you with speed and size. They have guys who can win on the inside with speed and savviness. They really have multiple ways to beat you with their weapons and how they can align them. We have to be ready. We have to be ready for what I think is a really potent attack.”
Whether the defense will be able to pull off a master-class against Pittsburgh remains to be seen, but Stafanski assured the media that every preparation had been made in anticipation of this divisional matchup. The Browns dropped an easy win last week after letting the Jets hang around in the fourth quarter, and the team cannot afford to lose another game so early in their 2022 schedule.
Watch for their approach to the Steelers to be a feeling-out process early as they assess what works and what doesn’t, and for their defense to pin their ears back in the pass rush. With their standing in the AFC North on the line in this matchup, Cleveland needs a win in the worst way in Thursday’s primetime tilt.
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