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(CBS Pittsburgh) — There’s ne'er a dull infinitesimal successful the AFC North. Going into Week 8, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers each beryllium astatine .500 oregon amended and reasonably positioned for a playoff run. However, their bid successful the standings is simply a small antithetic from what we’re utilized to. The astonishing Bengals pb aft convincingly downing the Ravens successful Week 7. Both teams person jumped retired to 5-2 marks. The Browns, preseason favorites aft past season’s beardown showing, travel astatine 4-3. But they’ve seemed a spot level the past mates of weeks and person been bitten by the wounded bug. The Steelers way them by fractional a crippled aft 2 wins and a bye week.
Pittsburgh volition look to propulsion adjacent with Cleveland successful the triumph file successful Week 8. And with Ben Roethlisberger nicked up and showing his age, they’ll request a beardown effort connected the ground. The moving crippled successful wide has go much integral to the discourtesy of late. Rookie Najee Harris ran for 81 yards connected 24 carries against the Seattle Seahawks 2 weeks agone and 122 yards connected 23 carries the week prior. Earlier successful the play much of his accumulation came connected abbreviated passes retired of the backfield.
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“When erstwhile I ticker them play, it’s similar they’re playing tiny ball,” said NFL On CBS expert James Lofton. “They’re conscionable trying to deed singles and get guys connected basal and determination down the tract that way. You don’t spot chunk plays.”
Roethlisberger doesn’t spell downfield that often anymore. And his stats connected the play — 252.5 yards per game, with 7 TDs and 4 INTs — bespeak arsenic much. He nary longer has that overmuch mobility, and his violative enactment doesn’t springiness him a batch of time.
According to Lofton, “he’s not what helium erstwhile was, wherever we saw immoderate of the greatness that helium had, erstwhile helium was successful his youth. He had the quality to conscionable marque the defence astir basal inactive successful the pocket. You would spot guys who would drawback him, and helium would fling them off, determination astir a small bit. He’d rumble and run. And that’s benignant of gone. And astatine property 39, which is usually the property erstwhile quarterbacks retire, with the objection of a feline who has gone down to Tampa and portion from the fountain of youth. He’s conscionable similar anybody other who’s gotten old.”
The nonaccomplishment of apical receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to a enarthrosis wounded and season-ending country limits his options arsenic well. Chase Claypool and, much consistently, Diontae Johnson person some stepped up to play bigger roles. But the cardinal is inactive putting the shot successful Harris’s hands and giving him abstraction to work.
The Browns defence knows what to expect. They tightened up against the Denver Broncos aft allowing 4 touchdown passes successful back-to-back weeks. More importantly for this matchup, Cleveland constricted Denver to conscionable 41 yards connected the ground. That came aft the Arizona Cardinals piled up 144 rushing yards connected them. On the season, the Browns defence allows conscionable 80.4 yards per game, the second-best mean successful the league. In passing situations, Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney volition travel aft Big Ben. The Browns, arsenic a team, person 20 sacks, with Garrett accounting for adjacent to fractional of them.
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The issues for the Browns travel connected the different broadside of the ball, wherever they’ve been banged up and, therefore, constricted of late. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has a near enarthrosis wounded that whitethorn yet require surgery to fix. He was held retired of Week 7 successful favour of Case Keenum, and could easy miss much time. He was constricted successful signifier connected Thursday and has said that helium won’t jeopardize his health oregon the team’s chances to play Sunday. A steadfast Mayfield would assistance the Browns offense, but it’s not wide a constricted Mayfield would.
Keenum kept the discourtesy moving against the Broncos, going 22-33 for 199 yards and a touchdown. But it was erstwhile again the crushed crippled that truly mattered. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt missed the crippled with calf injuries. But D’Ernest Johnson rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown connected 22 carries. Chubb volition apt instrumentality to stock backfield duties with Johnson successful a rushing onslaught that has piled up a league-leading 1,193 yards connected the season. Jarvis Landry besides returns, giving Keenum different enactment successful passing situations.
A palmy tally crippled for the Browns volition bounds passing situations. But the Steelers defence hasn’t been peculiarly awesome against either, allowing 107.7 yards rushing and 244.7 yards passing per game. Their walk unreserved has been steady, but sack totals are pacing acold down past season’s numbers. While inactive aggressive, the Steelers defence is besides lagging successful generating turnovers. T.J. Watt, the NFL’s highest paid defender, remains a unit astatine extracurricular linebacker. And helium tin make opportunities for his teammates.
“Where a antiaircraft lineman beats the feline 1 connected 1 is erstwhile they person an flight route,” Lofton pointed out. “So hands mightiness travel from the extracurricular successful the signifier of a spot to support him from beating you astir the corner. They whitethorn travel from the wrong to support him from taking an wrong unreserved connected you. Once those hands person to enactment to dilatory T.J. Watt down, idiosyncratic other should beryllium capable to leak in. T.J. Watt tin make unreserved opportunities for his teammates astatine the aforesaid time. You conscionable person to cognize wherever helium is each clip you’re dropping backmost to pass, adjacent if he’s connected the sidelines.”
With the play not rather fractional over, this Steelers-Browns matchup isn’t needfully immoderate much of a must-win than different game. But the loser volition autumn apt autumn a small spot further down the Bengals, who should beryllium capable to dispose of the New York Jets. The Ravens person a bye week, but look definite bounceback from their Week 7 nonaccomplishment successful Week 9. The AFC North is the NFL’s astir competitory division, and the cellar is simply a heavy spread to ascent retired of.
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The Steelers play the Browns Sunday, October 31 @ 1:00 p.m. ET connected CBS.
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