Browns move to 3-1 with 27-24 win over Steelers
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
28 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Oct 2, 2026
Published
Fri, October 2, 2026
12
Player insights
10
Players mentioned
Topics
Aaron RodgersDK MetcalfDarnell WashingtonDenzel BostonDeshaun WatsonHarold FanninJaylen WarrenJerry JeudyMichael PittmanRico Dowdle
Player analysis
Player insights
Aaron Rodgers
NegativeProjection20:01
The source expresses concern about Rodgers' age and mobility, noting he 'absolutely looks like the oldest player in the NFL' and highlighting his 'inability to really move in the pocket' as a limiting factor on the Steelers offense. Despite retaining 'the ability to make those three or four throws a game because of the physical talent that he still has as a thrower,' his immobility and the offense's reliance on 'coin flip tight window go balls' and deep routes where 'he's letting that thing go immediately' creates an unsustainable offensive foundation that the source describes as 'destined to be frustrating.'
Insight pageNegativeProjection23:30
The source criticizes Aaron Rodgers' performance and demeanor in the game; he completed 14 of 29 against man coverage for 217 yards, was unwilling to make throws over the middle, held onto the ball, and looked like he would rather be anywhere else after taking hits. The source notes he made four or five impressive throws late to keep the Steelers in it, but for two quarters the offense stalled. The source also notes he's 40 years old and 'absolutely looks like the oldest player in the NFL,' with poor pocket presence and falling away on throws in muddy pockets.
Insight pageDarnell Washington
PositiveUsage32:08
The source mentions Darnell Washington as receiving a touchdown throw from Aaron Rodgers, noting it as one of the impressive throws where the ball still jumps out of Rodgers' hands, indicating Washington was a target on a scoring play.
Insight pageDenzel Boston
NegativeRole0:07
The source highlights Denzel Boston as one of the young receivers showing up in the Browns' passing game; he had a dropped coverage play that resulted in a big chunk gain, and the source notes that Deshaun Watson is giving these young receivers a shot to show what they can do, which was a preseason concern about whether the passing game would be functional enough to let them be exciting.
Insight pageDeshaun Watson
NegativeProjection14:19
The source argues that Deshaun Watson's game should not be characterized as great or redemptive; he completed two passes of at least 10+ air yards (a dropped coverage to Denzel Boston and a near-miss to Casey Concepcion), fumbled the ball twice, threw an interception in double coverage, and had poor pocket presence and bad misses late in the game. The source notes this was probably the best game of Watson's Cleveland career, but 'that's more about how bad Deshaun Watson's been in Cleveland than him playing some amazing game.' The source also notes he's a $230 million quarterback and questions whether he'll be on the team next year, preferring to focus on the other exciting pieces rather than a redemption narrative.
Insight pageDK Metcalf
PositiveUsage23:14
DK Metcalf was targeted twice on deep balls by Aaron Rodgers in the Steelers-Browns game. The source describes these throws as 'fun as hell' and notes getting 'a sick little thrill out of it,' highlighting Metcalf's role in the Steelers' deep-ball-dependent offense. However, the source cautions that while these plays work when they connect, this is 'not a sustainable way to build an offense.'
Insight pagePositiveUsage24:01
The source highlights DK Metcalf as the Steelers' primary deep threat; he had two beautiful go balls from Aaron Rodgers late in the game that 'woke up the echoes a little bit,' and also had a play-action shot that was called earlier in the half but not thrown to him (he was wide open on that earlier attempt). The source notes that the Steelers' answers against man coverage were essentially just throwing slot fades and go balls, with Metcalf being the primary target for those deep shots.
Insight pageHarold Fannin
NegativeRole15:46
The source mentions Harold Fannin as a receiver who had a touchdown from Deshaun Watson in the second quarter, noting there was a sequence where Watson looked like he was dealing. The source also mentions a miss to Fannin late in the game under five minutes when the Browns had a chance to put the game away, calling it abysmal.
Insight pageJaylen Warren
PositiveRole27:21
The source praises Jalen Warren as awesome and underrated; he continues to look awesome and is impossible to tackle, moving like a waterbed and shifting his weight while taking contact. The source notes Warren has been stuck in a committee his entire career and fantasy players hate him because you can't know if he'll score touchdowns or have big days, but the source doesn't care and believes if he gets a vast majority of the work, he should be counted on. The source also notes that when Rico Dowdle gets back, they may not need to hand Dowdle the ball 12 times a game if Warren continues to perform this way.
Insight pageJerry Jeudy
PositiveRole0:34
The source notes that Jerry Judy shows up randomly in the third quarter with his first catch, then made maybe the catch of the game on the final drive to Deshaun Watson, getting the Browns into position where a field goal was a realistic outcome; the source calls it the best throw Watson made in the game and highlights Judy as part of the night-and-day improvement in the Browns' pass-catching group compared to prior years.
Insight pageMichael Pittman
NegativeDepth Chart24:00
Michael Pittman is a potential cap casualty for the Steelers. The source notes the Steelers are already $9 million over the 2027 cap and could 'move on from Michael Pittman this year and save a bunch of money,' suggesting the team may reset its roster after the season.
Insight pageRico Dowdle
NegativeRole28:45
The source mentions Rico Dowdle in the context of Jalen Warren's role; when Dowdle gets back from injury, the source questions whether they need to hand him the ball 12 times a game given Warren's performance, though the source notes Mike McCarthy found Rico in Dallas and that's his guy, so it's something to keep in the back of your mind.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Welcome to The Athletic Football Show brought to you by the US Bank Smartly Visa Signature Card.
0:05I'm Robert Mays. The Browns are 3-1, a huge win for Cleveland at home against the Steelers on Thursday night football.
0:11The young receivers showed up, had some really nice moments from a defense that just played an absurd amount of man coverage.
0:18They tried to fumble that thing away, literally and figuratively in the second half of that game, but Browns able to hold on.
0:24A weird game for the Steelers offense where you have some really high-money players.
0:29A few moments in the fourth quarter, but a lot of inconsistencies before that.
0:33Me and Dave dug into all of it. Let's get to our Browns-Steelers recap right now.
0:37There's a lot to talk about, but I think just an admittedly strange game, it felt like the Browns were kind of
0:44fully in command at halftime and into early part of the second half.
0:48Then they tried to fumble the game away, literally and figuratively in the second half.
0:52The Steelers go down and tie it, and then the Steelers play.
0:56First of all, the Browns kick the ball into the end zone again, which we got to stop doing this.
1:02We got to stop kicking the ball into the end zone with 10 seconds left.
1:06Why are we doing this? And then the Steelers just play the softest coverage imaginable on that final drive.
1:12Browns seemingly going to go down and score. Deshaun Watson does one of the three things he can't do in that moment,
1:18which is take a sack and put them on the edge of field goal range.
1:23And still the ball goes in. Mitt, I guess is how we're pronouncing that name.
1:27Ball goes in. Browns win. So there is just so much to unpack with this game.
1:32I'm curious, where do you want to start this conversation?
1:35I honestly, I'm glad you said strange because, okay, my number one impression was even with 20 combined points in the second
1:41half of that game and you had some vintage Rogers heroics at the end that, you know, the two beautiful go balls
1:48to DK that kind of woke up the echoes a little bit.
1:51That's what he's got, man. That's what he's got.
1:54It's the Seth Rogen dice roll and knocked up.
1:56It's all he's got. But even with 20 combined points in the second half, like I just, I thought the second half
2:03was a pretty ugly affair compared to some of the fireworks we saw in the early going.
2:08And then look, I think the last thing I heard before I turned the game off was Al Michaels said this was
2:14their first three game winning streak since 2023. So I will let the Cleveland Browns enjoy some, some late game heroics and
2:21being on a winning streak and, and beating a division rival.
2:24But when Deshaun Watson takes that sack and like you said, it's, it's the one thing you can't do.
2:30And it pushes you to a 56 yard field goal.
2:33And then the field goal wasn't even that dramatic.
2:35I mean, we had a conversation over the summer about how we had to nerf these kicks a little bit.
2:41That was honestly my main impression where I was like, if, if the Cardinal sins don't even apply anymore because these kickers are so good.
2:49I don't know. It kind of feels like something needs to be done.
2:52I'm really not trying to take credit away from the Browns, but that was like my gut reaction when I saw that kick go in.
3:00Let's give some credit to the Browns and let's start there.
3:03Cause I think that is a good place to start.
3:06The Browns are three in one and the Browns offense has been far more functional this year than it has been in years past.
3:13I think there are plenty of reasons to be excited and optimistic about the Cleveland Browns.
3:18If you look at what their pass catching group is now compared to what it's been over the last couple of years,
3:24it's truly night and day, like truly night and day.
3:27You're going from a place where Jerry Judy and then last year, obviously Harold Fannan are your most important pass catchers and
3:34receivers to a place where Jerry Judy just shows up randomly in the third quarter with his first catch.
3:39And it's like, Oh yeah, Jerry Judy is still on this team and then made maybe the catch of the game.
3:45Yes. Getting them into position where a fuel goal was a realistic outcome.
3:49And that's the best throw to, I think to Sean Watson made in this game.
3:54Was that final, was that throw on the final drive to, to Jerry Judy to kind of get that drive rolling.
4:00So you have the pass catchers that are very exciting.
4:03I still think Judkins is a good player. Their run game has struggled to get going, but I do think he's a good player.
4:10The offensive line is significantly better than it's been in years past, even if it's a group that I think is still kind of finding its footing.
4:18They've been so banged up up front over the last couple of years.
4:22Todd Munkin's been everything. I think you could have hoped he was going to be when you hired him to be your coach this off season.
4:29You, we talked a lot about what the best version, the best case scenario would be for the Cleveland Browns under Todd Munkin.
4:36And I think it's an offense that looks put together, looks buttoned up, is doing a lot of the right things.
4:42And you're getting just a weekly soundbite from Todd Munkin that he's going to say that no other coach in the NFL was saying.
4:49And then on the other side of the ball, you have really nice pieces.
4:54You have a scheme that I still think them carrying it over from what they did under Jim Schwartz.
4:59This group is still set up to play that way.
5:02They played a crazy amount of man coverage in this game, which we can talk about.
5:07They have the DBs to do it. They have the front to do it, even though Mason Graham gets hurt in this game.
5:14I think if you're trying to build the best case scenario for why we should be excited about the Cleveland Browns in
5:202026 and beyond in this first four games, even if it has not been perfect the entire time, a lot of the
5:27beats of that kind of case that you could make in the summer have come to fruition over the first month of the season.
5:34And I would say the thing you touched on it, but the thing I would illustrate is another key component of what
5:40we talked about in the preseason with the Browns was how excited are you about the young players?
5:45How excited are you about the rookie class? The receivers look absolutely incredible.
5:49The guys from last year are building on it.
5:52Hopefully Mason Graham's injury isn't isn't terribly bad because he's been I know it looked really good.
5:57I got a bad feeling about it. I got a bad feeling about it.
6:01How he reacted when you look the way the knee moved.
6:04And it's he got rolled up. And then I whoever the offensive lineman was not.
6:09It's fine to do this in the moment. I understand doing it.
6:12He buried him even further when they were in some traffic.
6:16And I think that might have been the moment where it happened.
6:19I'm a little bit worried about that one, which sucks because he'd been playing so well.
6:24I don't feel good about it at all, but I'll stay optimistic until I get some sort of word.
6:29Because, yeah, I mean, I was going to highlight his game against the Panthers this week on my that rock series.
6:36He was so good against Carolina. But Emmanuel McNeil Warren was flashing in this game.
6:40He was driving on when when Aaron Rodgers did have the guts to throw over the middle.
6:45He was driving on all of those throws. You got Spencer Fano.
6:49You got the running backs. Like I said, like Swessinger is is, you know, I think like week one was, but he's been better the last three weeks.
6:57I can't say enough about the receivers. And the other thing go like Denzel Boston and Casey Concepcion.
7:02We don't have to lionize Deshaun Watson as a player or a person, but he's giving them a shot to show what they can do.
7:09And that is what I was afraid of heading into the season was like the Browns passing game is going to be
7:16so bad that it's not even going to give these guys a shot to be exciting.
7:21And that hasn't been true through the first month of the season.
7:24They've been fantastic. Yeah, he's been good enough. And I think so.
7:28That's what I was going to say when I said all the beats that you want to hit to be excited about the Browns.
7:35We just went through six straight minutes of conversation.
7:37We didn't mention Deshaun Watson because you don't have to.
7:40You don't have to mention Deshaun Watson as part of why this is a good story about the Browns and the way the broadcast went down tonight.
7:48Obviously, a lot of people were talking about it online.
7:51The first point I will make about this, this booth is completely ill-equipped to have that conversation.
7:56Just completely ill-equipped. I don't think that's a controversial stance to have.
8:00And they were ill-equipped to have the conversation here.
8:03We don't have to make everything about the Browns' success some conversation and consideration of what this means for Deshaun Watson and
8:09his redemption and whether the fans are cheering or booing.
8:12It just doesn't have to be about that. And for whatever reason, we're trying to make that about that during this game.
8:18And even beyond all of the stuff in the background as to why it doesn't have to be about that, which they never said on the broadcast.
8:26They never said in the four-minute piece they did beforehand the fact that 20-plus women accused him of sexual assault.
8:32It never happened. It never came up. Now Michaels was like, you know the story, right?
8:37So that's what happened. That's why there has been – that's been in the background of this entire thing the entire time, okay?
8:44Even if he was playing great, we don't have to make this about a redemption story, he wasn't even playing that well.
8:50Like what they did in the first half and the fact that the offense was playing well did not really have to do with the quarterback that much.
8:59They had a dropped coverage on the huge Denzel Boston play.
9:02He threw a screen that gained 20 yards. And then the other big chunk that they had was that outbreaker to Casey
9:08Concepcion that he tried to throw incomplete. And then in the second half, he fumbled the ball.
9:13He threw in a double coverage and got intercepted, which was a bad decision even before that ball was getting tipped.
9:19And then on the field goal drive that they had in the fourth quarter, I believe, he fumbled the ball again.
9:26He tried to give it to them again. And so even if Deshaun Watson was a star throughout this entire game, I
9:32think there are issues with trying to make this about his own personal redemption.
9:36We don't even have to pretend that he has a huge hand in this because he didn't have a huge hand in
9:43this compared to all the other stuff that we're talking about.
9:46I will even say leading up to halftime, like his touchdown to Harold Fannin, like there was a sequence there in the
9:52second quarter where I was just like, what can you say?
9:56Deshaun Watson's dealing a little bit here. But by the end of the game with the fumble and some of the very, very bad misses.
10:03Yeah. Like the bad pocket presence as well. All that stuff that we worry about was a lot of it was back
10:10in the second half of that game. The miss to Fannin in like the whatever that was, like under five minutes when you had a chance.
10:17That's the other moment from the second half. When you had a chance to put the game away, it was like it's
10:24abysmal and it's just something you can kind of shrug off when the Browns managed to win the game.
10:29But I mean, last time I checked, this is still a $230 million quarterback.
10:33So by the end of the game, you could call this a good game and probably the best game of Deshaun Watson's Cleveland career.
10:41That's more about how bad Deshaun Watson's been in Cleveland than him playing some amazing game.
10:45And yeah, by the game winning drive, the field goal drive, when they were joking about him being much maligned and acting
10:52like it was an inside joke why that might be the case.
10:55I was pretty grossed out. And I mean, look, like he played a good game and the Browns will beat a division
11:02rival, not taking that away from him. But yeah, I'm.
11:05He was fine. He was fine. Before that last drive, he had completed two passes of at least 10 plus air yards, two.
11:11Again, it's the dropped coverage throw to Denzel Boston and the throw he tried to miss wide to Casey Concepcion in the first quarter.
11:19Those are the two plays. Other than that, it was all stuff that was happening underneath in combination with the multiple turnovers.
11:25Like it wasn't some great game. And even if it was, we just don't have to do this.
11:30Like you can be so excited about so many other parts of the Browns because I don't think Deshaun Watson's going to be on this team next year.
11:39I don't think Deshaun Watson's going to be a part of what they're building there.
11:43And so I would just much rather choose to spend the time on the things that are actually different, are actually exciting
11:49and are actually part of the good story that is happening in Cleveland.
11:53The irony is that everything else is exciting. Like, I mean, my God, like the defense, obviously week one was pretty rough,
12:00but they have been far more good than bad since week one.
12:03There's so many exciting young players over there. And even like the guys that you have tapped to lead this thing into
12:10the next rendition post-Miles Garrett, like Jared Verse looks the part.
12:13Grant Delpit made, like he had the interception that put this thing away at the end.
12:18And I was happy to see him back because he left with an injury.
12:22I'm like, Cody Bahorquez was phenomenal for the Browns tonight.
12:25We can talk about the other punter too, but like the punter, Schmidt, the kicker made a 56 yarder.
12:30Like every other piece of the Browns roster is pretty damn fun.
12:34So yeah, like I don't want to sound like I'm shit talking them as a team for being three and one.
12:40But yeah, the tone of the broadcast was not my favorite.
12:43The goal, I think what we said, what is success for the Browns is that you are really, really excited about all of the young pieces.
12:51Todd Monken proves to be exactly what you hoped he would be.
12:55And by the time we get to Thanksgiving, Christmas, whatever timeline you want to put on it, we are having optimistic and
13:01enthusiastic conversations about who is going to be the quarterback for this team next year.
13:06And what could be the final piece to kind of take this thing over the top?
13:10That's the conversation I'm going to continue to have.
13:13And I, I don't really, I'm not going to entertain whether it should be Deshaun Watson, because I just don't think it
13:19should be based on everything else, but also that his play just, I think a lot of quarterbacks could do what they,
13:26what he did tonight with the pieces around him and the throws he was being asked to make and have the offense function.
13:33Because that's the question is it, can we get the offense to a functional place?
13:37And it looks like that right now. And I think it has, it's mostly a product of everything else that's happening around it.
13:44All right, before we move on, let's take a quick break.
13:47On the other side of the ball, the Steelers, the Browns defense controlled this game for a huge chunk of it.
13:53I don't know where they finished. I can look it up right now.
13:57They played 73% man coverage in this game. The Browns did that whole 73, 73%.
14:02They ended at 73%. They were up at like 77% at one point in the second half.
14:07They ended at 73%. Rogers finished 14 of 29 against man coverage.
14:10He threw for 217 yards because they had all those chunks late in the game.
14:15Sure. But for the most part, they could do absolutely nothing against when the Browns were playing man in this game.
14:21Nobody was open. Again, Rogers isn't willing to make some of those throws.
14:25And he was holding on to the ball. Again, the Steelers offense for two quarters, essentially after that first drive and until
14:31we got into the fourth quarter, completely stalled out.
14:34They met, he made four or five impressive throws down the stretch to keep them in it.
14:39But for a good chunk of this game, the Browns were just snuffing out everything the Steelers were trying to do offensively.
14:45The most post or not post the most late career Aaron Rogers thing imaginable.
14:49We talked about it. The Browns tried to let the Steelers back into this game like Watson fumbles.
14:55And you also had the sequence where the Steelers pinned the Browns deep and forced them to punt.
15:00The Steelers started two drives. I think they started one on the minus 45 and they started the other at the 50.
15:06They ran eight plays on those two drives and gained seven yards.
15:10And then just when you couldn't be more disgusted, they drove 77 yards in six plays to get back into the game
15:16with Rogers hitting like an explosive crosser to DK Metcalf and Jalen Warren doing his thing.
15:21And like those are the two things that happened.
15:24The Steelers gained five yards and punt with Aaron Rogers yelling at somebody or they pull a couple explosives out of their ass and drive like 85 yards.
15:32Like it's, it's perfect. I mean, the one non go ball that they had was that play action shot to DK Metcalf.
15:39And the reason I think they went back to that is they called it earlier in the half and he didn't throw it.
15:45He threw like a quick out. I think it was to Ben Skoranek, but Metcalf was wide open.
15:51So it made sense to go back to that play.
15:54But their, their answers against man coverage were essentially just throwing slot fades and go balls.
15:58Like that's what they were trying to do. And you're, if you hit a couple of them, it looks great, but I
16:05still have my real concerns other than running the ball.
16:08This team should be driven by how they run the ball in Pittsburgh with the offensive line with Jalen Warren.
16:14That is the thing they do best. Other than that, I still have some pretty severe reservations about how sustainable this passing
16:20game looks considering some of the coin flip plays that they needed to move the ball in the second half of this game.
16:27Like that, that's what they were relying on. Can I just say, and it, it really, it won't have that big of
16:33an effect on the Steelers overall, like offensive success or where they're going this year.
16:38And it might change depending on what happens with Rico Dowdle.
16:41But that's the thing, like Jalen Warren has been stuck in a committee for his entire career.
16:46And like fantasy players hate him because you can't know for sure whether he's going to score the touchdowns or have the big day.
16:53Jalen Warren kicks ass. Yeah, he's awesome. He continues to look awesome.
16:57He's so fun, man. He like, he is impossible to tackle.
17:00He moves like, like a waterbed, you know, like, like when he's taking contact over here, he's just like shifting his weight in the opposite direction.
17:08He's so shifty while also being so physical. He's so underrated.
17:11And I'm convinced it's because, you know, you, you probably can't count on him to score more than 10 or 11 fantasy points on a regular basis.
17:19But I do not give a shit. I mean, if he's going to get a vast majority of the work, you should.
17:25And when Rico Dowdle gets back, I'm not sure we need to be handing Rico Dowdle the ball 12 times a game.
17:32If Jalen Warren's going to do this. Mike McCarthy found Rico in Dallas though.
17:36So I don't know. Don't keep that in the back of your mind.
17:40Like that's his guy. Yeah. The offensive line had tough, some tough moments in past protection tonight, but I still think that
17:46moving forward, that should be the foundation of how this offense operates is that group.
17:51Just trying to mash people up front. You lean on the run and again, and have the play action be a compliment off of that.
17:58You know, when they were using that in this game, again, that shot to DK was a play action pass.
18:04Again, you look at what they did against the bank, the Bengals last week, some of the stuff that they were doing off play action.
18:11The worst version of this offense is them spreading things out in the gun and Rogers picking and going based on whatever matchup he likes.
18:19Because at this point, before those two goal balls to DK, they weren't, they didn't have any advantages in those matchups.
18:25Like this thing being spread out and static in the gun, I don't think is helping anybody.
18:30I think the foundation of this offense should be them running the ball and them trying to hit some shots off of play action.
18:37And so again, this is another game where I think you have plenty of evidence pointing that direction.
18:42Have you ever seen a video of a zookeeper or somebody like that feeding a crocodile or an alligator?
18:48And they're just like... I've watched that happen before.
18:50Yeah, sure. Yeah. And they're like tossing the chicken to the alligator and they're like trying to keep their feet away.
18:57And like they want to feed them, but like you're keeping a safe distance.
19:01That's what Rogers looks like when he's throwing in a remotely like muddy pocket.
19:05Like he's falling away. He's kind of shooting it like a dart and I'm sick of it.
19:10And like two or three times, it looks really cool.
19:13Like the balls to DK at the end were, they brought me back.
19:17His arm is still incredible. Like the guy's arm is still incredible.
19:20The two throws to DK on the goal balls, the chunk, the off play action, and then the throw he had to Darnell Washington for the touchdown.
19:28And the ball still jumps out of his hands.
19:31That's not the concern. I think the concern is everything else.
19:34He just... Every time he gets up after taking a hit, he just looks like he would rather be anywhere else.
19:40And I don't blame him, by the way. He's like 40 years old.
19:44But... My wife walked past as they were recording and she goes, God, he looks old.
19:49He's really... He's ruining... Like, you know, they said on the broadcast, he's the oldest player in the NFL.
19:54And he's ruining our favorite meme where it's like, oh, here he comes.
19:58The oldest player in the league at 33. Like, no.
20:01He's a miracle. Aaron Rodgers absolutely looks like the oldest player in the NFL.
20:05Like, he's old by regular standards. The other concern, I think, for the Steelers is just what the state of their defense looks like.
20:12Particularly the back seven. I mean, they're just decimated now.
20:15Jamel Dean went out with an injury in this game.
20:18They obviously trade Joey Porter Jr. this week. So you're down to Daywin Everett and Asante Samuel Jr.
20:24on the outside. Your safeties start getting hurt in this game.
20:27So you're digging into the depth there. They really struggled to tackle in the first half of this game.
20:32And so... And then you watch what happened on the final drive.
20:36They're playing all of this really soft zone against the Browns.
20:39I think in part because they don't trust the guys they have out there to play a little bit stickier.
20:45So that would be... Along with my remaining concerns about how sustainable the passing offense is, depending on how they want to play.
20:52The other thing that would stick with me if I were a Steelers fan in this game, just something to be worried
20:58about moving forward, is how banged up the defense looks and whether you can hold that thing together.
21:04Obviously, the front is good. Derek Harmon also got hurt in this game.
21:07But they are pretty decimated on the back end right now.
21:11And I think it's going to be hard to sustain any sort of good defense when the secondary is in the state that it's in right now.
21:19Hoping like hell, Mason Graham's injury is not a big deal.
21:22And yeah, they need some of these guys to be...
21:25The Steelers, that is. They need some of these guys, particularly on the back end, to be short-term situations.
21:30Because even Jalen Ramsey played banged up. And then you lose Dean.
21:34I mean... Yeah. I don't know. I don't know how viable you can expect it to look if these are long-lasting problems.
21:40Yeah. And the offense, I just think... It's just destined to be frustrating.
21:44Yeah. Like, it's just... The way they try to play, it's just destined to be frustrating.
21:49Because I think he's always going to have the ability to make those three or four throws a game because of the
21:56physical talent that he still has as a thrower.
21:58But his inability to really move in the pocket and how he wants to play and I think how they want to play.
22:05I was looking at the numbers before this game, just trying to drill down on, all right, why did the offense feel so much different against Cincinnati?
22:13So three weeks after the first two games of the season, they were in spread formations 40% of the time per next gen.
22:20It was just spread out, static. Again, playing into the worst impulses of the players in the quarterback.
22:25Against Cincinnati, they cut that in half. They were just...
22:28They were playing a different way and the offense looked different.
22:31And so I just think trying to be closer to that world is the best way to make this thing feel a
22:38little bit steadier and not be completing 50% of your passes against man coverage.
22:42We got like coin flip tight window go balls is the foundation of the offense in the second half.
22:47And that's just a really unfortunate, frustrating place to have to live.
22:51You've talked about it a ton going back. I mean, probably even before Rodgers was in Pittsburgh, but definitely all of last
22:57year, just the amount of deep routes where he's letting that thing go immediately and just like let go and let God.
23:04And yeah, it's... I mean, it's still really kick-ass when it works.
23:07I still get like a sick little thrill out of it.
23:11Like the two ball... Yeah, I brought it up already.
23:14The two balls to DK, I just was like hooting and hollering because it's fun as hell.
23:19But it's not a sustainable way to build an offense.
23:22And I don't want to do that thing where we relitigate the Steelers whole build every time they play a stinky game.
23:28But just watching it when it doesn't click, you're just forced to ask questions about like what the realistic ceiling is for this team.
23:35And I'm sure that's annoying to hear if you're a Steelers fan.
23:39But I mean... Yeah. They built the team where the ceiling for this year does matter.
23:43You look at their financial situation heading into next year.
23:46This team has a lot of young players, but they're already $9 million over the 2027 cap.
23:51And there are a lot of things they can do, right?
23:55Like Jalen Ramsey, they can move on from Jalen Ramsey after this year and save a bunch of money.
24:00They can move on from Michael Pittman this year and save a bunch of money.
24:05They could hit the reset button after this season and just kind of start over.
24:09And I assume that's what's going to happen. But a lot of the moves they made this offseason in particular were win-now moves.
24:16And I'm just not sure how realistic it is for this team to win much of anything right now.
24:21Well, that's... I mean, no. They're in win-now mode.
24:24It's just winning now is having a winning record and getting the playoffs and not looking like you belong there.
24:30Like, I mean, we've done this. And we might do it again.
24:33Like, the Steelers could make the playoffs. I don't think that's out of the question.
24:38But so what? And like I said, I mean, we're doing this on October 1st.
24:42We'll probably do it again on November 10th. But it is what it is.
24:46And like every two or three weeks, the Steelers are just going to play a game like this where you're like, well, yeah.
24:53It can look like this when you commit to this build, unfortunately.
24:57Looking at the Browns' schedule, they have the Jets next week.
25:00And so absolutely potential to go to 4-1. And then after that, they play against the Ravens.
25:05So... And I think there's a buy. There might be a buy in there as well.
25:10Oh, no. It's... Sorry. I'm just... It's because they have a 10-day thing here.
25:14So they have the Browns. They have the Browns in week five.
25:17They have the Jets in week five. They have the Ravens in week six.
25:22Yep. And then the Ravens have the Titans this week, the Falcons the week after that on Sunday night.
25:27And then they play the Browns. And so I think there's a real chance that the Ravens have one loss going into that game with the Browns.
25:35And then that really becomes a game potentially for first place in the AFC North.
25:40Oh, man. Yeah. I mean, the Browns have an opportunity.
25:42I can't believe I'm saying this. The Browns have an opportunity to make some hay.
25:47Because it's a road trip to Tennessee after that Ravens game.
25:50And then you get the Steelers again. So, you know, it's tempting to say this is an early season Cinderella story in Cleveland, but not necessarily.
25:58Yeah. Again, it gets back to the beginning of the conversation.
26:01I think there's a lot of stuff to be excited about with what the Browns are doing right now.
26:07A lot of the bets they made this offseason seem to have worked.
26:10And I'm looking forward to seeing if they can keep this thing going.
26:14Because watching Boston and Concepcion and the defense, that's what I hoped we would be able to do with the Browns this year.
26:21And so far, they've made good on that. It feels so good not to have let big separation talk me out of loving Denzel Boston.
26:28Like, it feels so good to just be like, yeah, big, fast receiver, good at football.
26:33I don't care what his separation analytics look like.
26:36He's such a fun player. Concepcion, too, obviously. But yeah, there's plenty of stuff.
26:40Plenty of stuff in Cleveland to feel good about.
26:43It's just such a fun compliment, too. Like, there's such different types of players.
26:47And to get them in the same draft and potentially just be able to build around them as your pass-catching duo for
26:53the next however many years, I'm already really excited about that.
26:56Because they have checked every box over the first month of the season that you want to see from them.
27:02All right. That is all we've got for tonight.
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27:30Appreciate you guys listening. We'll talk to you very soon.