4 Things to Watch: Steelers Get First Look at Rusty Deshaun Watson
Somehow, some way, Mike Tomlin has gotten this Pittsburgh Steelers team one win away from making the postseason.
The Cleveland Browns look to play spoiler and keep their AFC North divisional foe out of the postseason despite nothing to play for on their end. The Steelers need help from the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in order for this miracle to happen, but they must first handle business of their own at Acrisure Stadium.
Here's what to watch for in their final regular season game of the 2022 NFL season:
Deshaun Watson's Arrival
Cleveland beat Pittsburgh earlier in the season, way back in Week 3, but a lot of things have changed since then, particularly the starting quarterbacks.
The future came sooner than expected for Kenny Pickett's time to lead the black and gold, and Deshaun Watson has now made his return from his lengthy suspension for his off-field conduct issues.
Cleveland made the much-maligned decision to trade the house for Watson despite his off-the-field allegations and, on top of that, decided to give him a fully guaranteed $230M contract. So far, things are not going very well for Watson or the Browns' offense.
Since his return, Watson has career-low numbers across the board and ranks 23rd in EPA/play among quarterbacks with at least 100 snaps in that time frame. The former Houston Texan went almost two full seasons without live regular season game action, and the rust has been painfully obvious.
His replacement Jacoby Brissett had the Browns' offense looking functional for most of the season, including in Week 3 against the Steelers. With Watson in the lineup, the Browns have been more willing to move the pocket, as his mobility is an asset that they did not have prior.
It's fair to assume that Watson's still a talented player, one that can change the outcome of the game but he still has the habit of inviting pressure via shaky pocket navigation skills and a playmakers mentality where he refuses to just throw the ball away and play another down. This is where the Steelers' defense can take advantage of his play style and come away with negative plays such as sacks and turnovers.
Cleveland's Resurgence on Defense
With Watson suspended for the first several months of the season, there was this obvious belief that the Browns would need the defense to carry them until he returned. However, they were dreadful on that side of the ball until about Week 12, and since that point, they've ranked 2nd in defensive EPA/play.
Cleveland invested a ton of resources into their secondary with high draft picks such as Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Grant Delpit among others. Those three guys are all playing high-level football right now and arguably the best ball of their careers.
Ward is questionable to go for this one after leaving last week's game due to an injury. Ward has the necessary footwork and quickness to make life difficult on Diontae Johnson, as seen last week when he shut down Terry McLaurin. Cleveland might be extra cautious with him anyways since they don't have anything to play for except pride.
Even without Ward, they have more than enough talent in the back end to get by, as Martin Emerson, a longer player with a much different archetype, has had a rock-solid campaign as a rookie.
The Steelers have leaned heavily on their rushing attack since the bye week, ranking 3rd in rushing EPA/play and 2nd in rushing success rate. If there's a glaring weakness on this Browns' defense, it's up the middle as they are susceptible to getting exposed in the trenches, even if they have been better in that regard of late.
Nick Chubb and the Browns' Unique Run Game
The timing of this Browns rematch might actually play in the Steelers' favor as they've recently gone up against several gap-heavy, power-rushing attacks in Baltimore and Carolina.
Those results have been a bit mixed as they have had some trouble with J.K. Dobbins but shut down Carolina entirely. Nick Chubb is a different animal, one of the best pure runners in the game, ranking 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards. Chubb's the perfect fit for Cleveland's gap scheme and is one of the best at the position in terms of creating yards after contact, as his truly elite contact balance is his calling card.
Kevin Stefanski's offense loves to get their offensive linemen on the move, pulling in either direction. The Browns have run 255 rushing plays with pulling offensive linemen, 66 more than any other team in the NFL this season.
Chubb has been insanely effective with pulling blockers leading the way, averaging an astounding 5.6 yards per carry, and while the Steelers' defense held its own at times versus these concepts in Week 3, Chubb was still able to rip off a 36-yard run earlier in the game.
The Steelers have been mostly stout against the run this season with just a few hiccups, but given the struggles of the Browns' passing attack since Watson's return, it's to be expected that they'll lean on their running game early and often.
Pittsburgh's inside linebackers Robert Spillane and Mark Robinson both had really impressive showings against the Ravens, and Mike Tomlin will want that to continue in Week 18.
Myles Garrett's Usage
If there's a player that Steelers fans consider the main villain of the AFC North, it's Myles Garrett without question.
Garrett has continued to be one of the most disruptive forces in the league, ranking inside the top five in sacks, pressures and pass rush win rate, per PFF. Garrett always draws a ton of attention from opposing offenses for obvious reasons. He's incredibly athletic, strong as an ox, and uniquely able to contort his body in different ways upon contact.
The Browns coaching staff has countered that approach by moving him around more across the defensive front, making it more difficult to guess where he'll be lined up and thus more difficult to double team.
Dan Moore Jr. will still likely see the most of him in this matchup. The Steelers gave their second-year tackle plenty of help in the earlier matchup, one in which Garrett only finished with two pressures and without a sack on the quarterback. You'd have to imagine that this will continue once again this week as he's playing at a really high level at the moment and shouldn't be allowed to just wreck the entire game plan on his own. Still, a good showing from Moore would be another notch in the tool belt and potentially ease any future concerns about the Steelers' need to take a left tackle early in April's NFL Draft.
Garrett isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future, so if Moore wants to be the guy, these are the matchups that he'll need to take advantage of.
Find great deals on Steelers tickets from SI Tickets HERE
Make sure you bookmark All Steelers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Kenny Pickett Responds to Ben Roethlisberger
Steelers Turn to Joe Flacco for Playoff Help
Steelers Playoff Update: Game Changes, NFL's Caution With Bills
Mike Tomlin Shares Personal Message of Damar Hamlin
Steelers Playoff Hopes Take Significant Spike
- Subscribe to the All Steelers YouTube Channel
- Follow All Steelers on Twitter: @si_steelers
