Which Browns players thrived and which ones struggled in the 21-7 win over the Steelers?
The Cleveland Browns beat back the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-7, behind several standout performances. There were some Browns players who had clunkers too.
Here’s who stood out, good and bad, in the Browns’ big win:
Stud: Joe Schobert
The linebacker had an amazing game, one of the best and most impactful the league will see from anyone all season. Schobert was everywhere.
Schobert forced an incompletion on a key 3rd down by hitting Mason Rudolph’s arm. Several of the veteran LB’s 10 tackles were of the downhill variety and at or near the line of scrimmage. He bagged a sack, had two other QB hurries (both on third downs to force fourth downs), and oh yeah picked off two Mason Rudolph passes. The first of those came here:
Stud: Morgan Burnett
The safety came up big against his old team. Burnett broke up a long pass in the first quarter. He then made a great tackle on 3rd-and-short to force a 4th down before halftime that the Steelers failed to convert. On the next drive Burnett picked off a pass tipped by Denzel Ward and returned it 43 yards, befitting his jersey number. He also made an impact with a blitz. Burnett had his best game as a Brown. Unfortunately, it might be his last; Burnett left the game with an Achilles injury.
Dud: Chris Hubbard
The Browns right tackle is an unfortunate fixture in the duds. Hubbard’s play against his former team was no exception. Hubbard once again struggled to handle the pass rush, this time from T.J. Watt and Jayrone Elliott (among others). It’s still way too common to see Browns run plays end with Hubbard not blocking anyone, too.
Stud: Juston Burris
Filling in admirably with injuries and ejections around him in the defensive backfield, Burris made a big impact on the game. He picked off a pass and also had a strip sack earlier in the game when he slammed into Rudolph on a beautifully executed blitz off the corner.
Stud: Jamie Gillan
The “Scottish Hammer” proved to be a huge weapon for the Browns. He punted eight times, averaging 45.8 yards per punt. Four of his efforts wound up pinning the Steelers inside their own 20-yard line. He could have had two more, but one bounced funny and another was misplayed by his coverage unit. Pittsburgh managed just 18 return yards. Gillan played a huge role in keeping field position in the Browns’ advantage.
Dud: Austin Seibert
The rookie kicker entered Thursday perfect on his field goal attempts on the season. It did not last. Seibert missed his first field goal wide right from 44 yards out. His second attempt was a banana ball slice to the right from 50 yards.
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