PITTSBURGH — The plot’s not changing for the Cleveland Browns. The only thing that’s changing is the location.
One week, it’s Detroit. Another, it’s London. This time, it was Pittsburgh, where the Browns lost 23-9 to the Steelers on Oct. 12.
“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett said. “It is frustrating. To lose the same way every time, it’s frustrating as hell.”
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Once again, the Browns defense did enough to at least provide a chance to win. They held the Steelers to 335 total yards and, most important, just two Aaron Rodgers touchdown passes and three Chris Boswell field goals.
The problem? The two touchdowns alone would’ve been all Pittsburgh needed to win, and the three Boswell field goals would’ve guaranteed no worse than a tie.
That’s because it was yet another day when the Browns offense couldn’t get out of neutral. Part of that was self-inflicted, and part of that was very much inflicted by the Steelers’ aggressive defense.
“I think sustaining drives,” Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel said. “I think there’s a lot of positives in certain areas and then whether it’s a negative play or a penalty here and there, that sets us back in a series where you’re going to get in third and long, and they’ve been really good at that in third and long.
“So at that point it’s a lot tougher to sustain drives. But when we are ahead and being really good on first and second, then all of a sudden on third you’re converting, you’re building momentum and being able to sustain drives where you’re in the plus territory.”
Gabriel’s second start ended like his first did, with a loss. It also ended much differently in that he carried with him significantly more bruises than the first one against the Minnesota Vikings in London.
The rookie was 29-of-52 passing for 221 yards and a 66.3 passer rating. He also absorbed six sacks and 16 total hits, as the Steelers essentially pinned their ears back and came at him relentlessly.
“Yeah, they’re a really good team,” Gabriel said. “I think on the sack end, there’s things that I can help to do to try and get it out as quick as possible, just so we’re not in the negative first and second down. So things we’ve got to learn from.”
Gabriel may see it as an opportunity to learn, which is what anyone would say in that situation. The problem is that so many of the reasons why the Browns offense has yet to score more than 17 points since a Week 13 loss at the Denver Broncos last season are the same ones they’ve always been.
The drops were once again an issue among both the wide receivers and tight ends. They had an estimated five against Pittsburgh, including two wide receiver by Jerry Jeudy.
Jeudy was one of the worst offenders, with a drop and a 15-yard penalty when he hit cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the facemask after a play. That was just on the first Browns possession.
Jeudy, who finished with five catches for 43 yards on 13 targets, later drew an offensive pass interference. That came on the same play on which the Browns would’ve been given a first down on a Steelers roughing the passer penalty.
“Frustrated? Nah, nah,” Jeudy said. “I got over it after that. After that drive. But I can’t be having no personal penalties, that’s going to hurt my team. Set my team back 15 yards. I can’t be doing that. I got to be better on that. And I will be better on that.”
The offensive line once again is in a state of chaos on the edges, with both starting tackles — right tackle Jack Conklin (concussion) and left tackle Cam Robinson (knee) — leaving the game with injuries. Meanwhile, the interior three — guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller, and center Ethan Pocic — are all mentioned as potentially the next veterans to be traded away.
That’s all for the future. The immediate past was another game in which the Browns couldn’t prevent their quarterback from getting hit, while also drawing ill-timed penalties to sabotage things.
“We’ve got to execute better,” Bitonio said. “We’ve got to stop penalizing ourselves. I mean, I don’t know how many penalties we had in the first half today, but it’s obviously not winning football. Just those mistakes hurt when you’re playing a team that has pretty good defense and they run a ball-control offense.
“We can’t go three and out. We can’t have those negative plays. Like, there’s 10 to 15 a game that are just like, either, like something’s unblocked or like a penalty, and those just kill your offense.”
Which, ultimately, kills the chances for the Browns to pull out of their latest tailspin — if it’s even possible for them to pull themselves out of that tailspin.
Coach Kevin Stefanski insists it’s possible. Ask him what priority No. 1 is and he’s vague on the response.
“Well, yeah, I don’t think it’s as simple as that,” Stefanski said. “Obviously today we weren’t able to run the ball effectively and then got behind there in the second half. Oh-for-3 in the red zone. I know those are two-minute drives, a lot of them, but we got to find a way to score points. Got to run the ball efficiently. Got to find a way to be better in the pass game, all of the above.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns find following same script in loss to Steelers ‘frustrating as hell’
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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