I'm starting to write this with 14 seconds left and fourth-and-one for Cleveland. Thinking about what an utter disaster it would be if Pittsburgh somehow takes possession and wins it on the final play. I mean, how could the Browns recover from that?
I wrote yesterday that I thought it would be a strange game, and it seemed to be from where I was sitting. Was it just me? The first four-and-a-half possessions looked like two heavyweight fighters going at it in the 23rd round. Then Cleveland's gutsy call going for it on 4th-and-1 at their own 49. Three plays later, a touchdown--the first of four TDs on four successive drives for two hit-or-miss offenses that need strong running to win.
And that's why the Browns won: strong running. Brissett played poised, and he deserves a lot of credit. Amari Cooper dominated as the team's much-needed #1 receiver. The team finally looked to David Njoku, and he delivered a nearly flawless performance.
While Najee Harris scuffled his way to a fifth stright sub-4.0 YPC effort and getting outplayed by ascending undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren, Nick Chubb ate up yards. And funny enough, if Kareem Hunt had scored late in the game on those three chances near the goal line, he would have finished with more fantasy points than Chubb. But Chubb deserved it. Had he remained healthy last year and played all 17 games, he was on pace to finish as the overall RB5. He's the first RB in history with four straight campaigns averaging 5.0+ YPC. And through three weeks, he's playing like an elite fantasy RB.
Back to the Steelers: Harris's troubles (and likely his o-line's troubles) won't suddenly improve, or at least I don't think they will. They have a Mitch Trubisky problem, and as I've written before, it's not Trubisky's fault that the Bears traded up one spot--giving away valuable draft capital--to take a guy at #2 who had only one year as a college starter under his belt. I know, that doesn't mean he can't deliver at the NFL level. But in three contests against AP-ranked teams, he floundered in two of them, including an ugly 13-for-33 with zero TDs and two INTs against Virginia Tech. Beating up on James Madison, Citadel, and UVA, and Illinois padded his stats, and the Bears were sold.
So was Pittsburgh, although drafting Kenny Pickett showed they weren't completely sold, or even partially sold. Mike Tomlin suggested a week or two ago that Pickett likely would spend the year on the bench. That calculus might change after last night, although maybe it should have changed in August, when Pickett frequently looked like the best Steelers QB in camp. Of course, I'm only an observer. The Steelers know what they're doing. If Pickett's not ready, then he's not ready. But it's fair to say a team led by Trubisky probably won't break .500.
And the winner of the closest-score competition is . . . Jeffrey Holub! Jeffrey picked 27-17 Browns. That last-second defensive TD clearly proved to be the difference. I'm sure Jeffrey is thrilled with how it turned out. If you don't believe me, just ask him. But please ask him through me, because I don't want him to tell you he doesn't care, and then I feel embarrassed, etc. So to keep things simple, let's assume this made Jeffrey's day. Congrats! And have a great Friday, everybody.
I wrote yesterday that I thought it would be a strange game, and it seemed to be from where I was sitting. Was it just me? The first four-and-a-half possessions looked like two heavyweight fighters going at it in the 23rd round. Then Cleveland's gutsy call going for it on 4th-and-1 at their own 49. Three plays later, a touchdown--the first of four TDs on four successive drives for two hit-or-miss offenses that need strong running to win.
And that's why the Browns won: strong running. Brissett played poised, and he deserves a lot of credit. Amari Cooper dominated as the team's much-needed #1 receiver. The team finally looked to David Njoku, and he delivered a nearly flawless performance.
While Najee Harris scuffled his way to a fifth stright sub-4.0 YPC effort and getting outplayed by ascending undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren, Nick Chubb ate up yards. And funny enough, if Kareem Hunt had scored late in the game on those three chances near the goal line, he would have finished with more fantasy points than Chubb. But Chubb deserved it. Had he remained healthy last year and played all 17 games, he was on pace to finish as the overall RB5. He's the first RB in history with four straight campaigns averaging 5.0+ YPC. And through three weeks, he's playing like an elite fantasy RB.
Back to the Steelers: Harris's troubles (and likely his o-line's troubles) won't suddenly improve, or at least I don't think they will. They have a Mitch Trubisky problem, and as I've written before, it's not Trubisky's fault that the Bears traded up one spot--giving away valuable draft capital--to take a guy at #2 who had only one year as a college starter under his belt. I know, that doesn't mean he can't deliver at the NFL level. But in three contests against AP-ranked teams, he floundered in two of them, including an ugly 13-for-33 with zero TDs and two INTs against Virginia Tech. Beating up on James Madison, Citadel, and UVA, and Illinois padded his stats, and the Bears were sold.
So was Pittsburgh, although drafting Kenny Pickett showed they weren't completely sold, or even partially sold. Mike Tomlin suggested a week or two ago that Pickett likely would spend the year on the bench. That calculus might change after last night, although maybe it should have changed in August, when Pickett frequently looked like the best Steelers QB in camp. Of course, I'm only an observer. The Steelers know what they're doing. If Pickett's not ready, then he's not ready. But it's fair to say a team led by Trubisky probably won't break .500.
And the winner of the closest-score competition is . . . Jeffrey Holub! Jeffrey picked 27-17 Browns. That last-second defensive TD clearly proved to be the difference. I'm sure Jeffrey is thrilled with how it turned out. If you don't believe me, just ask him. But please ask him through me, because I don't want him to tell you he doesn't care, and then I feel embarrassed, etc. So to keep things simple, let's assume this made Jeffrey's day. Congrats! And have a great Friday, everybody.