Steelers Now
Any time the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns get together, it’s going to be a typical AFC North dogfight. The nonstop T.J. Watt/Myles Garrett online wars between two passionate fan bases add even more fuel to the fire. But things got a little bit more interesting this week with the visiting team from Ohio making a rare player-for-player trade, sending Greg Newsome to Jacksonville in exchange for Tyson Campbell. Even with this contest being the lowest projected scoring game of the week, the matchup between the Steelers receivers and Browns secondary is one that is worth paying attention to for multiple reasons.
Aaron Rodgers has alluded to the fact that the offense has been seeing quite a bit of two-high coverages to begin the season. Pittsburgh has seen cover-2 on 26% of their plays (4th-most) and quarters at the fourth-highest rate in the league (13%). That will definitely change this week against Jim Schwartz’ defense that is heavily predicated on man coverage on the back end. To this point, the Steelers offense has seen mixed results in these situations. Rodgers 40.5% success rate ranks 28th in the league according to SIS, but he has thrown four touchdowns, all of those in the direction of his top two receivers. Perhaps most notably, the four-time MVP has been more aggressive pushing the ball down the field against these single-high looks, but in order to do that, his young offensive line will need to hold up against a pass rush that is capable of generating a ton of quick pressure up front.
With Calvin Austin III slated to be sidelined in this one due to a shoulder injury that he suffered in Ireland, it opens the door for others down the depth chart to step up. Arthur Smith’s offense is only utilizing 11 personnel (3 WR sets) on just 39% of their snaps, third-lowest in the entire NFL. Just by the design of the offense, certain players simply haven’t had much of an opportunity to make an impact. Veterans such as Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek will be in the mix for additional snaps, but the player with the most intrigue here is second-year wideout Roman Wilson, who has just one catch through four games.
After a disappointing rookie campaign that was partially derailed due to injury, the Michigan product flashed a bit in the preseason, producing three explosive plays through the air with his speed. One of those was a deep in-breaker off play-action versus Campbell himself. Even though he’s not as nuanced of a route runner in comparison to Austin, he possesses similar speed with the ability to stretch the field both vertically and horizontally. Most of his best work in college came out of stacks or off motion to give him a free release into space. Due to injuries, the Browns have been forced to turn to Myles Harden, a seventh-round selection in 2024, and while he hasn’t been a liability, this is a matchup that the Steelers should be...
