In the 27-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14, the Cleveland Browns had a sort of entire season's worth of disappointing play wrapped up into four quarters. That included a muffed punt, multiple taunting and unnecessary roughness calls, and two interceptions from Jameis Winston.
There was a slight chance the Browns could make it a game late in the fourth, and that was only possible because of how well the defensive line played in the second half. Myles Garrett, who had a quiet day before the second half, had a big sack on Russell Wilson that helped set Cleveland up to potentially score again and get within a score on their next drive.
Of course, that wouldn't come to fruition because of Kadarius Toney's muffed punt on the ensuing action, which likely led to him being cut by the Browns ahead of Week 15.
But, the defense still left something to be desired in the first half, and that's what ended up burying Cleveland in Week 14.
The good: Garrett was still looking spry despite an off week in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. He had a big sack on Wilson, but it just didn't end up mattering towards the Browns' record. He along with Shelby Harris, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Isaiah McGuire were relentless in their pressures on Wilson. They just didn't result in much of anything against Wilson.
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In fact, all it did was shift most of the offense to Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. With the ball in their hands, they were able to create 100 yards of offense alone. Harris finished up with one touchdown, and the running game for the Steelers was like a knife through butter against the D-line for most of the contest.
The pass rush for the Browns remains elite, but their run stopping needs work.
In Week 14, the top three graded linebackers in the NFL included two Browns players - Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush. Hicks finished up with a 90 PFF grade, while Bush had an 87.3 PFF grade. They were all over the field, and did a great job of preventing the running back room for Pittsburgh from having a complete field day.
The loss of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a big one - he seemed destined for an All-Pro season prior to his very scary neck injury in Week 8. With no set return date in sight and with Bush set to become a free agent in 2025, games like these help the Browns make decisions on who to pay on defense - and Bush is landing right atop that list right now.
There were no truly bad games for any specific defensive player for the Browns, but it was interesting to see how Juan Thornhill fared in his return to the starting lineup after sitting out in Week 13. He was completely fine, just as Grant Delpit was completely fine. But, Cleveland needed turnovers against Wilson - and Delpit and Thornhill just weren't able to come up with any.
For the same reason, the Browns' corners get a B against Wilson and the pass game for the Steelers. They did a good job of keeping things on the ground for Pittsburgh, but then the D-line was unable to capitalize on it. No receiver for the Steelers actually managed to hit 50 yards on offense, and the lack of George Pickens certainly helped. But again - turnovers were needed, and just never came.
In Week 15, they have a shot - alongside the safeties - to shock the world and really put pressure on Patrick Mahomes to make accurate passes. We'll see if they're able to generate any turnovers against one of the best in the game, and against a 12-1 team that's felt like anything but that all season long.