Game Overview ::
By papy324 >>
- The Steelers’ defense is mostly healthy, with only CB Jaylen Ramsey a threat to miss this game. WR Calvin Austin also missed practice on Wednesday with a shoulder injury.
- The Browns are remarkably healthy, with only DT Shelby Harris sitting out practice on Wednesday as a veteran rest day.
- Aaron Rodgers looks like he has a little gas left in the tank, which has caused the Steelers to be more balanced than a typical Arthur Smith offense
- In typical Smith fashion, the Steelers’ backfield is a messy split between multiple players
- DK Metcalf has big-play upside, but he’ll have to get there with limited volume. Smith offenses have never supported more than one viable pass catcher.
- The Browns are in evaluation mode and have already said that at some point Shedeur Sanders is likely to get a look, but for now, Dillon Gabriel is getting his turn.
- Quinshon Judkins looks like a stud, and even though this is a tough matchup, he’s underpriced for his workload and talent.
- The Browns have two TEs who are both playing 80% or more of the snaps.
- Does Jerry Jeudy still exist? He’s the cheapest “WR1” but he has been a ghost all season.
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How cleveland Will Try To Win ::
The 1-4 Browns enter Week 6 amid another lost season. They have already entered evaluation mode, and with that, the Gabriel era has begun. Gabriel wasn’t bad, per se, in his first start against a tough Vikings defense. He looked like what Cleveland was probably hoping to get when they drafted him, a career backup. The Browns are planning on their future franchise QB being on the roster after next year’s draft, so reasonably competent play from Gabriel must make the coaching staff happy. They also must be loving what they are seeing from Judkins, who has looked like a beast against difficult NFC North competition. Harold Fannin Jr. is also passing the eye test. The Browns look like they had a pretty good draft. Even Isaiah Bond, who went undrafted, has found a role. The Browns are wisely seeing what they have for the future. Gabriel was competent, but he was also conservative (28th-ranked aDOT in Week 5). They also didn’t appear to fully trust him (fourth-lowest PROE of Week 5) and wanted to remove plays from the game (11th-lowest situational-neutral pace in Week 5). Kevin Steffanski usually wants to play fast, but he seems to know that adding plays with a backup caliber rookie QB isn’t a great formula for winning games. He likely also realizes that he struck gold with Judkins, and that his defense is well above average. It makes a lot of sense to try to play slowly, run the ball, and hope to win low-scoring games.
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PFP the OWS pennant
The Steelers have been average (15th in DVOA) against the run, and difficult (11th in DVOA) through the air. The Steelers’ defensive season-long numbers look mediocre, but they were dealing with a myriad of injuries to start the season. They’ve improved as they’ve gotten healthier, and even though Ramsey is likely to miss this game, everyone else looks healthy. This is a difficult matchup, and worse than the season-long numbers make it appear. The Browns O-line hasn’t done them any favors (30th-ranked by PFF). They managed to move down a spot in the rankings after a subpar pass-blocking performance last week. The Browns’ pass-protection deficiencies further increase the chance of a run-centric gameplan. Expect the Browns to try and hide Gabriel, while hoping the Steelers accept their offer of playing a run-heavy punt-fest.
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