The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the field Sunday for the thirteenth time of the 2024 regular season when they hosted the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 of regular season action. The Steelers were winners in the contest, but that doesn’t mean every player had a good or bad performance.

Players who play well can be considered ‘Winners’, while those who left a lot to be desired can be called ‘Losers’. It may sound harsh, but it is the crux of this exercise.

Let’s check in to see who fell on which side of the ledger after the latest game…

Winners

Cam Heyward
Stat Line: 5 tackles, 3 solo, 2 TFL, 2 QB Hits, 2 Sacks

I said it last week, and I’ll say it again this week. Cam Heyward found the fountain of youth, and I’d love it if he could hook me up with the location of said youth. In all seriousness, Heyward isn’t just having a great season, to me he’s having a Steelers Most Valuable Player (MVP) season. He’s been that good, that consistent, and that dynamic for a defense who is relying on player like him to win more than they lose up front. I’m here for the Cam Heyward renaissance.

Patrick Queen
Stat Line: 10 tackles, 5 solo, 1 PD

Queen didn’t lead the team in tackles, but he absolutely made an impact in this game. Earlier this season I talked about how Queen was getting lost in the “wash”. He wasn’t popping off the screen then, but he is now. You can see Queen settling into the defense, and his role in said defense. He is playing fast and he is playing well. Queen continues to be an outstanding acquisition this past offseason, and is proving he is well worth the money.

Mike Williams
Stat Line: 3 catches, 36 yards, 12.0 ave., 22 long, 4 targets

While 3 catches on 4 targets isn’t anything to really write home about, Williams got an opportunity on Sunday with George Pickens out of the lineup, and I can’t say he didn’t impress with the opportunity. Hopefully Williams’ play earned him some trust with Russell Wilson, but also with Arthur Smith. Maybe, just maybe, the Steelers can utilize Williams more when Pickens returns to help give their offense an added element which will be needed down the stretch. Only time will tell, but Williams’ sideline catch showed he is more than capable.

DeShon Elliott
Stat Line: 13 tackles, 9 solo, 1 PD

Just like Queen, Elliott has been a fantastic offseason acquisition for the black-and-gold. Elliott led the Steelers it tackles on Sunday, and was all over the field in a variety of ways. His ability to tackle in space, blitz vs. the run, and even in coverage, Elliott is doing it all. A tremendous pick-up who has given the already stout defense a new added element.

Scotty Miller
Stat Line: 3 catches, 38 yards, 12.7 ave., 21 long, 4 targets

When Scotty Miller came to the stadium Sunday, he was expecting to be inactive. He had been inactive the past few weeks, but then he found out Pickens wasn’t playing and he was going to be needed. Not as easy spot to be put in, but what does Miller do with the opportunity? Oh, just try making one of the biggest catches of the day on 3rd and 7 to continue the drive. Miller is a team-first player who doesn’t care who gets the stats or credit, but he deserves some credit after Sunday’s win.

Jaylen Warren
Stat Line: 9 rushes, 47 yards. 5.2 ave. 14 long / 2 rec., 25 yards, 12.5 ave., 5 targets

On a day where there weren’t many dynamic playmakers on the Steelers offense, Warren was the closest thing to that without Pickens in the lineup. Warren is the do-it-all running back for the Steelers who can run, pass, and is a tremendous in blitz pick-up. The Steelers utilized Warren in all three of these phases, and while he didn’t hit pay dirt in this game, his presence was absolutely necessary for the Steelers in their win.

Elandon Roberts
Stat Line: 3 tackles, 1 solo, 1 TFL

Let me start by saying this to Elandon Roberts.

I see you.

WE see you.

The Steelers fan base sees you punishing players and doing your job in run support to near perfection. You might not get the accolades or attention as other players, but we recognize your importance to the scheme and this defense. Roberts physicality is a difference maker for the defense, and his experience will be very important to the group down the stretch.

Pat Freiermuth
Stat Line: 3 catches, 48 yards, 16.0 ave., 1 TD, 21 long, 3 targets

Freiermuth has scored in his last two games, and that’s great. His three receptions were fine, but what bothered me more than anything were the 3 targets. Freiermuth was solid in this game, I just wish he was involved more. Without Pickens you would think there would be more No. 88 on the field, but in the first half there were key moments of the game where Freiermuth wasn’t even on the field. Let’s hope his usage and targets continue to increase as the games get bigger.

Takeaways
Stat Line: 3 (2 INTs, 1 FR)

The Steelers extended their lead in the NFL as the team who takes away the ball the most, adding three to their total. At this point, you come to expect the takeaway, considering they haven’t gone without a takeaway very often this season. The defense is bailing out the team on more than one occasion, but it isn’t some fluke. This is a trend which has been ongoing the entire season, and it is always a new player stepping up and making a play. This game? Keeanu Benton and James Pierre reeling in interceptions, and Ben Skowronek with the fumble recovery. All hands on deck for this defense.

Red-Zone Offense
Stat Line: 2-for-4

The 50% might make you think this shouldn’t be on the winners list, but let’s not forget the final drive, which ended in the victory formation, counts as a red-zone trip. Therefore, if we’re being exact the 2-for-3 isn’t a bad percentage for the offense. Much better than the 0-for-4 we’ve seen in the past few games. More touchdowns, less field goals, should be the theme moving forward, and on Sunday that was the theme in the win.

3rd Down Defense
Stat Line: CLE – 2-for-13

The Steelers 3rd down offense didn’t make a list, but the Steelers 3rd down defense did. They held the Browns to just two conversions throughout the entire game. And while the Browns did convert on three 4th down conversions, this was a tremendous defensive effort by the Pittsburgh defense.

Cleveland Mistakes
Stat Line: 2 Missed FGs, Muffed Punt, INTs, Failed 4th Down Conversion

If you missed the game, you might have thought the Steelers dominated the game from start-to-finish, but it was far from that. The Browns made key mistakes, and the Steelers capitalized on them. The perfect example was the first drive of the 3rd quarter.

The huge return gave the Browns the ball inside the Pittsburgh’s 40. The Browns moved the ball into field goal range, and looked like they would be in a 1st and goal situation but an offensive pass interference call moved the ball backwards. The drive stalled, and they settled for a field goal. The kick would have made it 13-10, but Hopkins’ kick missed.

What happened next was the Steelers went 8 plays and 67 yards ending in the Van Jefferson touchdown. Instead of 13-10, it was 20-7 and the game felt out of reach.

Good teams take advantage of the opposition’s mistakes, and the Steelers did just that on Sunday.

Officially Ending the Browns Season
Stat Line: Mathematically Eliminated

Is there anything that feels better than not just beating the Browns, but beating the Browns and mathematically eliminating them from the playoffs in the process? It feels pretty good.

Losers

Slow Starts
Stat Line: 3 points, horrible offense 1st quarter

Against the Bengals in Week 13 the Steelers had a red-hot start after the pick-six on their first offensive possession. They scored touchdowns on three straight drives after that turnover, and it had fans wondering if maybe this was the no trend.

Narrator: It wasn’t

The Steelers slow starts continued, and the first quarter saw some really odd, and mind-numbing, decisions made on the offensive side of the ball. There were personnel decisions which had players like Mike Williams, Calvin Austin III and Pat Freiermuth off the field at the same time for a stretch of plays. In a game where you don’t have your most dynamic playmaker available, you’d think they would try and maximize every situation possible. In the first quarter the Steelers didn’t have a 3rd down conversion and were 0/1 in the red-zone. Thankfully the play calling improved, but it wasn’t pretty to start the game,

George Pickens Injury
Stat Line: Most Valuable Player?

Fans have wondered what would the offense look like without George Pickens. Well, they got the job done, but it wasn’t pretty. It makes me wonder if Pickens provides far more value than we ever thought. Without Pickens the Browns defenders didn’t fear any of the Steelers receiving threats, and it allowed them to lock down the offense for the majority of the first half. Thankfully, the Steelers benefited from some mistakes and started to see some of the players in the winners column make timely plays for the offense. They got the job done, but I think we can all agree they need Pickens more than we ever thought they did.

Costly Patterson Fumble
Stat Line: Have to eliminate these plays

It has been a while since the Steelers have had a game where they didn’t turn the ball over. And a lot of these turnovers have been costly. Think about the interception throw to Marlon Humphrey vs. the Ravens. The forced fumble of Russell Wilson vs. the Browns in the snow. The pick-six in the first series of the game in Week 13. Now you throw in Patterson’s fumble at an inopportune time and the streak continues. The Steelers have to eliminate these type of plays down the stretch of the season.

Injuries
Stat Line: Not ideal

The Steelers had a pristine injury report heading into Friday’s practice last week, but that changed when George Pickens popped up on the injury report with a hamstring injury. But Pickens was the only injury which took place before the game, there were two other in-game injuries of note after the game. Those injuries were:

• Larry Ogunjobi (groin)
• Donte Jackson (back)

After the game Tomlin said he would know more about Ogunjobi on Tuesday, but Donte Jackson told reporters after the game he was experiencing back spasms and should be okay. Of course, George Pickens’ hamstring will be a huge headline heading into Week 15, but the injuries are certainly a loser in this game.

If you want a more detailed look at the above list, check out my “Let’s Ride” podcast in the player below where I outline each Winner and Loser, and MORE!