Baltimore Beatdown
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
The Steelers earned their second win of the year last week with a seven-point victory over the New England Patriots. Pittsburgh’s defense bounced back in a big way after back-to-back uninspiring performances to begin the season. They forced the Patriots into multiple turnovers including recovering a fumble at their own goal line to prevent a touchdown.
Now, Aaron Rodgers and company are slated to kick off in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday morning against the Minnesota Vikings. While the Steelers are technically the home team in this matchup, it’s hard to decipher a true crowd advantage at a neutral site overseas. The Steelers are catching the Vikings on a high note after they thrashed the Cincinnati Bengals last week by 38 points.
Pittsburgh’s offensive line will be tested by the Vikings’ blitz-heavy defensive scheme. Brian Flores was previously the Steelers’ defensive coordinator in recent years, so that could give them a gameplan advantage since they’re familiar with his tendencies. The Steelers will need to run the ball efficiently, something they’ve struggled to do thus far, and avoid turnovers. Jaylen Warren continues to receive a lead back workload, but the Steelers haven’t moved the ball on the ground very effectively.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers will be facing a Carson Wentz-led offense that looked much more effective in Week 3 than the two games prior. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Mason, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison form a solid group of playmakers in Kevin O’Connell’s attack that will give the Steelers a challenge.
Cleveland Browns (1-2)
The Browns pulled off the unthinkable last week, upsetting the Green Bay Packers at home with a last-second field goal to secure victory. It was a low-scoring, ugly 10-13 affair, which is exactly how the Browns are built to win games right now. Their offense has been uninspiring through three games but defensively, aside from roughly half of Week 2, has played well and made the team competitive.
Cleveland’s defensive front has been extremely disruptive. The defense’s fourth-quarter interception off Jordan Love last week helped flipped momentum in their favor, before the blocked field goal attempt that ultimately gave them the opportunity to win. The Browns will need a similarly strong defensive effort and possible heroics to win in Week 4, facing off against another red-hot NFC North opponent.
The Detroit Lions have scored 52 and 38 points in back-to-back weeks. They ran all over the Baltimore Ravens on the road last Monday night, rushing for 254 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions have a dynamic running back duo, but Jared Goff and the team’s passing game are efficient and potent as well.
The Browns have already been forced to play three of the better offenses in the NFL to begin the season, so this week’s contest is yet another tall task. Joe Flacco and the Browns desperately need to find some more juice on offense to take some pressure off the other side of the ball. The Browns have not...
