Cleveland Browns all but confirmed a suspicion about the quarterback position in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Cleveland’s offense struggled once again in Week 6 of the season.
Returning to the United States for a road game in the AFC North was always going to be a challenge for the Cleveland Browns, especially following their Week 5 loss in London to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Browns traveled to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on Sunday and fell 23-9, dropping to 1-5 on the season. Cleveland never had a chance against the Steelers, despite the score being close at one time, it felt like a losing effort all day. The team gave rookie QB Dillon Gabriel his second start of the season, and there wasn’t much difference for the Browns from their previous games. The offense struggled, Cleveland had multiple self-inflicted miscues, and the defense kept them around for a good part of the game.
Joe Flacco was never the issue, and benching him didn’t change much for the Browns
Gabriel was 29-of-52 passing for just 221 yards, and while it wasn’t a great day for the rookie third-round pick, it was much of the same for the Browns overall. The same problems that were there with Flacco as the starter are still there with Gabriel leading the offense.
Cleveland traded Flacco to do right by him toward the end of his career, and still wanting to play, Week 6 was further proof he wasn’t the problem. Poor offensive play again hurt the Browns against the Steelers, and Gabriel was sacked six times. Cleveland gave Cam Robinson his first start since trading for him from the Houston Texans and had what it hoped was its starting offensive line for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, that didn’t last. RT Jack Conklin was forced to exit the game in the second quarter and ruled out with a concussion.
Drops have been a big issue for the Browns, and that didn’t change against the Steelers. Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, and Harold Fannin Jr. all had big drops. Additionally, penalties were a big issue again. Jeudy was flagged twice for a total of 30 yards of field position. Cleveland doesn’t have a good enough offense to overcome self-inflicted issues like it faced against Pittsburgh. When you’re starting a rookie third-round pick under center, you can’t afford it. Gabriel may not be the answer for the Browns, but he wasn’t the biggest problem on Sunday.
The Browns again stayed within striking distance until the fourth quarter, when the Steelers opened it up. A common theme has been the defense hanging around for much of the game, then eventually faltering when the offense can’t get going. That happened on Sunday, and Aaron Rodgers made them pay with a pair of passing touchdowns in the second half. Now at 1-5, this schedule may get a bit easier for the Browns, but the wins won’t come unless something changes with this offense. A quarterback change fixed nothing; instead, it showed that those same issues remain.
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