It was tense at times and it was ugly a lot of the time. But in the end, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the back of its defense, found a way to sneak past the Cleveland Brown and pull to 1-1 with a 26-22 win. Aside from a handful of huge individual plays, this game was a mess. Here are our big takeaways from the win.
The offensive line is a work in progress
The Steelers offensive line got manhandled again this week. This group was supposed to be better but so far the level of physicality just isn’t there.
There's something wrong with Kenny Pickett
The Steelers need to figure out how to get Kenny Pickett his groove back because he looks nothing like the guy we saw in preseason.
George Pickens is a No. 1 receiver
The coming out party of George Pickens was great to see. If the Steelers offense could get anything going, he would be even better but he definitely took advantage of his opportunities on Monday.
Tackling is a real problem
Over and over on Monday we saw Steelers defenders lunging, heads down and just whiffing on the Browns offense. Fundamental football that shouldn’t be a problem at this point.
A win is a win
It wasn’t a pretty game but the Steelers pulled off the win and being 1-1 in the AFC North is lightyears better than being 0-2. Thankfully the defense and special teams won the day.
It's time to sit Levi Wallace down
Levi Wallace had another poor showing and Joey Porter Jr. gets the key stop on the last play of the game. It might be time for a change.
The Special teams was special
Head coach Mike Tomlin always talks about the importance of special teams and on Monday they shined. Kicker Chris Boswell his two 50-yard field goals and punter Pressley Harvin III might have had his best game as a pro.
Watt and Highsmith are special
Wow. Just wow. If not for the best pass-rushing tandem in the NFL, this is a blowout loss for Pittsburgh. Watt and Highsmith each got a defensive touchdown and that was the difference in the game.
