Offense sputters again in defeat

The Steelers left FirstEnergy Stadium on Halloween having avenged a loss that haunted them for more than nine months, and now the Browns are the ones looking to fix what keeps going wrong.

The Steelers did just enough to win, 15-10, and tumble Cleveland into last place in the AFC North with a record of 4-4. The Steelers are 4-3.

The difference between the Browns beating Pittsburgh, 4837, in a wild-card playoff game last Jan. 10 is that game ended the Steelers’ season. The 2021 Browns still have time to save theirs with nine games remaining, while they chase the Steelers, Bengals and Ravens in the division.

“I’m sure all around within the sports media it’s going to be ‘The world is falling down,’ ” Baker Mayfield said. “But we’re going to handle it within the building and make the corrections we need to execute.”

The Browns’ vaunted offense wasn’t very vaunted in October. The Browns scored fewer than 20 points in four of their last five games and lost three of them. They scored 42 against the Chargers on Oct. 10 and lost, 47-42. They were held under 20 only five times all of 2020, and that includes the 38-6 pounding suffered in the season opener in Baltimore when no preseason left the inexperienced young Browns not ready to face a seasoned Ravens team.

“I’m sure there are areas in the pass game that have to improve,” Coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I know there are areas that we can help as coaches. We just have to do it. Talking about it isn’t going to get it done. We have to work at it.”

Mayfield fought heroically through his painful left shoulder injury trying to beat the Steelers. He seemed cautious after the opening drive produced a field goal, and then got into a rhythm in the second half.

The Browns led, 10-9, after three quarters. They had two opportunities to regain the lead after the Steelers surged ahead, 1510, on fourth-and-goal from the 2 when Browns killer Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth in the back of the end zone. Roethlisberger is 12-2-1 against the Browns in Cleveland and 24-3-1 vs. them overall since 2004.

“I woke up this morning, it was a cloudy day and then the sun came out,” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t know the last time the sun was shining here,

but it sure did feel good to get the win.”

Mayfield guided the Browns from the Cleveland 20 to the Pittsburgh 31 in the drive after the Steelers took the lead. He completed a pass for 11 yards to Jarvis Landry for a would-be first down, but former Browns linebacker Joe Schobert ripped the ball from Landry’s grasp. Steelers All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt recovered.

Landry dropped two passes the next time the Browns had the ball — one at the Pittsburgh 20 and one at the 10. In between those mistakes, Odell Beckham seemed to shortarm a pass as he jumped for the ball inside the 15. Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith was called for

roughing the passer on the play, giving the Browns a first-down on the Pittsburgh 24. It was only the second time all day that Beckham was targeted.

“We had opportunities to make plays and extend drives, myself included,” Landry said. “Those two times were two reasons we didn’t score.”

Right tackle Jack Conklin suffered a dislocated left elbow with 9:07 left in the second quarter. Especially in third-down situations, the Browns missed Kareem Hunt, who is on injured reserve with a calf injury.

But injuries are no excuse for the Browns losing. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell was knocked out of the game with a concussion

at the end of the first half.

“To hold an opponent to 15 points, you should win a lot of games,” Stefanski said.

True enough, but the Browns had zero takeaways again. They have five takeaways in eight games. They had no takeaways against the Chiefs, Cardinals and now the Steelers and lost all three games.

Mayfield is right. The Browns’ world isn’t falling down. But much work is needed to get to where the Browns expect to be by the end of the season.