Notching a 27-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers reprised a familiar formula which they have used throughout the 2024 regular season. Despite exhibiting a generally lackluster offense in the absence of George Pickens, the offense nevertheless made enough plays to secure a fairly comfortable win. But the game easily could have turned out differently if not for the Black-and-gold defense grabbing three turnovers while largely stifling the Browns’ offensive game plan.

Russell Wilson had a rather modest outing which was enhanced mainly by the prowess he demonstrated as a seasoned game manager. Wilson passed for a total of 158 yards including two TD passes. The Steelers offense was 6-14 on third down conversion attempts and 2-4 in the Red Zone. Wilson’s quarterback rating for the game was a middling 54.7, but his counterpart Jameis Winston was considerably worse at 39.1 and two interceptions.

Despite the unimpressive stats on offense, Wilson made a couple of key plays that produced all the scoring that the Steelers would need. Halfway through the third quarter, after driving the offense steadily downfield, Wilson scrambled under heavy pressure to flip a 10-yard TD pass to Van Jefferson. Wilson’s ability to buy time on this play extended the Steelers’ advantage to 20-7 and made a Cleveland comeback less likely. Then, later in the third quarter, Wilson again drove the offense downfield, featuring a 22-yard pass to Mike Williams and a precision 20-yard TD pass down the middle to Pat Freiermuth. Freiermuth was the Steelers’ leading receiver with three catches for 48 yards.

In a game where the Steelers offense seemed to struggle as often as it succeeded, the TD strike to Freiermuth was the definitive blow that sealed Cleveland’s fate. The play also left no doubt that Mike Tomlin had made the right call when naming Wilson as the starting QB earlier in the season. As the Steelers face their season’s rugged stretch-run, Wilson has proven that, while he’s probably not going to be lighting up the scoreboard every week as he did the prior week in Cincinnati, he’s quite reliable for making big plays when they’re most needed.

With one notable exception, there wasn’t a lot in this game to inspire the hope of seeing a more-productive offense. But during the Steelers’ 8-play, 67-yard TD drive early in the third quarter, consecutive plays by Jaylen Warren should have grabbed everyone’s attention (in particular, the attention of OC Arthur Smith). On a 1st-and-10 play at the Cleveland 46-yard line, Warren showcased his bowling-ball running technique as he torpedoed over left guard and bounced off tacklers for 14 yards. On the next play, Warren picked up four yards over right guard. Then, with his third consecutive opportunity, Warren caught a swing pass on the left side and made another gutty run for 14 yards after the catch.

Not content to stay with the hot hand, the Steelers didn’t use Warren much for the rest of the game. But by that point, he had played enough snaps to confirm the impression that he’s an underutilized weapon in the Steelers’ arsenal. Warren clearly has the potential to be an impact player for Pittsburgh similar to what Darren Sproles once was for the Chargers. While the Steelers traditionally have eschewed screen passes to their RBs, Warren excels on plays where he receives the ball with a bit of space. Hopefully we’ll see Warren featured even more often in this offense as the weeks go by.

Overall, the defense turned in another solid performance. They held the Browns offense to a measly 2-13 on third-down conversions, while sacking Winston three times and allowing Cleveland only a single score out of three Red Zone opportunities. Keeanu Benton made the defensive play of the game early in the second quarter when he disrupted an attempted screen play, batting Winston’s pass into the air and intercepting it. As the weeks pass by, the Steelers’ second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft appears on track to be Cameron Heyward’s heir apparent as the team’s defensive line leader.

DeShon Elliott was a defensive standout, leading the team with 13 tackles, including nine solo stops. Patrick Queen was the second leading stopper with 10 tackles, including five solos. Cameron Heyward continues to play at an MVP level with two sacks and two QB hits. In addition to Queen’s strong performance, overall LB play was solid — given a boost by the return of Alex Highsmith, who notched a sack and two QB hits.

Once again, platooning of players was a significant feature. Scotty Miller was the Steelers’ second leading receiver with 38 yards on three catches. Miller made a beautiful toe-tapping catch along the sideline in the latter part of the fourth quarter. Mike Williams also caught three passes for 36 yards. The Steelers kicking game was solid with Chris Boswell kicking 30- and 54-yard FGs and Corliss Waitman booting six punts for a stellar, 52.3-yard average including a 60-yarder.

As in most of their other nine victories this season, Sunday’s win was a testament — not only to solid preparation — but also to the sheer doggedness which has become a defining trait of the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers. The fact that the Black-and-gold haven’t been dominated in a single game during the entire season — plus their current divisional lead at 10-3 — confirm that this team will pose a tough challenge to any playoff opponent. And with four challenging games remaining this season, the Steelers already have far exceeded the expectations of fans as they stood early in September.