In our weekly installment, we examine what it’s going to take for the Browns to avoid a 10th straight defeat at the hands of their arch-nemeses, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
So, what will it take? A miracle? Without further ado, The Browns Will Win If…
RockKing: …the offense wakes up. DA cannot go 2 whole quarters without completing a pass again. You can’t forget that K2 is on this team and not throw his way for 3 quarters. Braylon can’t drop 4 passes again. The O-Line needs to get their mojo back and get back to being the dominating unit they were last season. There’s no reason for the regression we have seen out of them. The Browns can’t abandon the running game. They can’t kick meaningless FGs that help them in no way. Look, the Browns defense is going to be horrible all season long. We have to accept this. Therefore, the only way the Browns will win games this year is by neutralizing the other team’s offense by keeping them off the field and keeping the pressure on them to have to score every possession. If the Browns can be a top 5 offense this year, the Browns can win some games, including this game against the Steelers. If the offense continues to struggle and look like it did against Dallas, this will be a LONG season and Pittsburgh will easily get their 10th consecutive win over the Browns on Sunday Night.
DP: …the Steelers’ offensive playmakers are trapped under something when the game kicks off. Even with the same Browns’ defensive unit from the Cowboys game out there, I would be worried about what the Steelers could do to them. And now without Sean Jones, unless huge strides have been made this week by the Browns defense in stopping runs up the middle (and also in covering key receiving threats), I just can’t see how they can stop the Steelers’ running attack. And then: who’s going to be covering Santonio Holmes deep? Who’s going to cover Heath Miller? Judging by the team’s treatment of Witten last week, the first guess would be no one at all. The bottom line for me is that the Browns’ offense is going to have to be ready to play a game like they did against Cincinnati last season in week 2. The problem is that the Steelers’ defense is much, much better than the Bengals’ defense is/was.
Scott: …the Browns avoid the “big play” on defense. While we want our offense on the field as much as possible, and big plays would definitely give us a tilt in terms of “time of possession,” they will also suck the collective wind out of Cleveland Browns Stadium. Getting and keeping the crowd in this one will be vital. A quick lead for the Steelers is easy to overcome when you have 70,000 behind your back. Yes, we’re banged up on defense, and sure, we could not stop the run to save our lives last week. However, if the defense stays on their toes, keeps Willie Parker in front of them, and does not allow Santonio Holmes to torch them on any deep routes, I think the strengths on the offensive side of the ball will keep it close – or ultimately pull us ahead. For good.
Mike …a lot of things break their way come Sunday night. For the Browns to pull off the upset off at home this week (+6), defensively they have to slow down Willie Parker and the Pittsburgh ground game. Also, they will have to put some sort of pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. Do I think this will happen? Let’s put it this way…don’t bench your Steelers if you have any on your fantasy teams. Realistically, the Browns will have to get their offense back in high gear and make this game a shootout. The line will have to protect Derek Anderson and open holes for Jamal Lewis. It also wouldn’t hurt if Braylon Edwards rebounds this week with a big game…I think he will. Ultimately, the Browns chances will come down to Derek Anderson. If he ends up with another bad game, well…we know what we’ll be hearing about all week.
Craig: …the Browns contain Roethlisberger’s scrambling, screen plays, and Willie Parker. The weather is going to be bad all weekend and it could be raining throughout the game. This will put the accent on special teams, running the ball, and screen passes. In the bad weather, the Browns are going to have to be especially careful on defense to make sure they contain the running game and the screen passes. If they can keep Willie Parker from breaking big plays on screen passes with Hines Ward blocking downfield, the Browns might be able to keep Jamal Lewis and company on the field. The key to the Browns’ offense this week will be Jamal Lewis helping wear down the Pittsburgh D.
What does everyone else think?
