The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the field Thursday night for the eleventh time of the 2024 regular season when they traveled to play the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 of regular season action. The Steelers were losers 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

Defensive Takeaways
Stat Line: 3 (2 INT, 1 FR)

If I were to ask any number of fans prior to the Thursday night game if the Steelers would win if they got 3 takeaways and had a +2 differential, most would given a resounding ‘Yes’. The Steelers defense did their job in the takeaway department with timely turnovers to help set up the offense with extra possessions and good field position. Sadly, the offense didn’t always take advantage of those takeaways.

Nick Herbig
Stat Line: 5 tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 2 QB Hits, 1 FF

Despite the takeaways, the Steelers defense was rather mundane on Thursday night. Of all the players who stood out, Nick Herbig absolutely made his presence felt, and nothing was more significant than his strip sack of Jameis Winston. With the Browns giving all their attention to T.J. Watt on the opposite side of the defense, Herbig was at least able to get home once, too bad it was the only time the Steelers got to Winston on the evening.

Calvin Austin III
Stat Line: 3 catches, 78 yards, 26.0 ave., 1 TD, 46 long, 3 targets

Believe it or not, but the Steelers had several explosive plays, plays of 15 yards or more, in this game, and two of them were by Calvin Austin III. Austin had a 46-yard catch down the middle of the field to set up the Steelers in field goal range, and also a touchdown later in the game. You are starting to see the potential which resides in Austin when he gets matched up against a team’s slot cornerback/dime backer. Austin played a great game in not-so-great conditions.

Losers

Play Calling
Stat Line: Worst game of the season

Arthur Smith has had a pretty solid season so far from a play calling perspective, but if I were handing out grades for Smith on Thursday night it would have to be an ‘F’. Let’s just talk about a couple of the Smith’s “greatest hits” from last night. How about the fade to Cordarrelle Patterson on a critical 2-point conversion? Justin Fields being the quarterback to throw deep on a critical 3rd down? How about those lovely 2nd-and-long runs? Yeah, it was bad.

Penalties
Stat Line: 6-for-39

While they cleaned up things in the second half, the first half was riddled with horrible pre-snap penalties. Connor Heyward had himself a game to forget with multiple penalties, and it was always a “one step forward, two steps backwards” in terms of issues in the penalty department. This isn’t the first game penalties have been an issue, and shockingly the Browns were penalized more than the Steelers in this game.

Clock Management
Stat Line: Holding a timeout in 1st half, end of game miscues (timeout after penalty)

I’ve never been one to bemoan the clock management of a team, but there are situations where I just can’t avoid saying something. In this instance the way the first half ended was absolutely awful. Mike Tomlin possessed one final timeout with just over a minute remaining in the game. On a 4th and short, everyone assumed the Browns would kick a field goal. They did, but Kevin Stefanski put his offense out there to kill clock with Tomlin not using his timeout to stop the clock. Pittsburgh got the football back with roughly 40 seconds left, and a timeout in their back pocket. The kicker? They went into the half with an un-used timeout. The 4th quarter timeout after the officiating mess with the illegal touching penalty was another killer in this department.

Justin Fields Package
Stat Line: WTH are they doing?

I honestly am fine with seeing Justin Fields entering the game on occasion, but in this game I’m left with far more questions than I am answers. When Fields is on the field, it is even more of a red flag as to what the team plans to do. You knew he would have to throw the ball eventually, but when they tasked him with throwing deep on a key 3rd down play I’m not sure that was the plan either. The entire offense looked discombobulated on Thursday night, and the Justin Fields package would certainly fall into that category. Where do they go from here? That’s anyone’s guess.

Corliss Waitman
Stat Line: 1 Shanked Punt

What might be the most surprising statistic is how the Steelers punted just once in this entire game. And when they needed Corliss Waitman to have a good one, he shanked it for 15 yards. Once that was done, you had the feeling it wouldn’t take the Browns long to move into field goal range for the go-ahead score. It’s tough putting Waitman on the loser list after having an outstanding season, but at the same time these are individual game grades. You just hope a punter is capable of pushing the opposition back and not giving them a short field.

Short-Yardage Offense
Stat Line: Got Dominated

Whether it was third and short, or fourth and short, the Steelers offensive line failed to get any type of push in those areas. By the game’s end, a 4th and 2 felt like a country mile. The Browns interior dominated the Steelers, and Pittsburgh’s offense had no answer. The running back didn’t matter, the quarterback didn’t matter. If you don’t have any push up front, you saw what happens.

Red-Zone Defense
Stat Line: CLE – 3/4

While the attention leading up to Thursday night was about the Steelers red-zone offense, the red-zone defense didn’t get any talk as the team went against a very mediocre red-zone offense in Cleveland. The bend-don’t-break defense did plenty of breaking when it mattered most, and that was especially true in the red-zone. When you just needed a stop or two to force a field goal, the Steelers weren’t able to make that play and instead surrendered touchdowns. Turned into the difference in the game.

Pass Rush
Stat Line: 1 Sack

The Browns had surrendered more sacks in the 2024 regular season than anyone in the league entering Week 12. If there was ever a game for a sack party, it would be this one, right? Wrong. The Steelers pass rush was going against a beat-up Browns offensive line and were only able to muster 1 sack on the game. Jameis Winston eluded pressure, but the pass rush was non-existent for most of the game. Some will point to T.J. Watt’s lack of production as a reason to be mad, but the most disappointing part of it is how the Steelers don’t seem to have a plan to free up their most disruptive defender. You see other defenders, like Myles Garrett, being moved all over the line of scrimmage. Time to get creative.

Mike Tomlin
Stat Line: Lack of preparation

Losses like this can fall on a lot of shoulders, but the one who it falls on the most is Mike Tomlin. Preparedness is key, and the Steelers weren’t prepared in this game. Some will talk about the elements playing a factor, the Browns played in the same element. Some will talk about the short week, the Browns had the same short week. But the Steelers had to travel? The Browns had to play Week 11 on the road while the Steelers played at home. I don’t buy into those excuses, you have to get your team ready, and that falls on the coach. The Steelers didn’t just lose, they looked vastly underprepared. There is a big difference, in my opinion.

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!