Cheat Sheet: Week 6 vs. Browns

SERIES HISTORY

The Steelers and Browns have met 146 times dating back to 1950. Of those 146 matchups, only three have been in the postseason. Pittsburgh is 2-1 in the playoffs against the Browns. Overall, this series sits at 82-64-1 in Pittsburgh's favor. To begin this series, Cleveland started off with an eight-game winning streak, won 12 of the first 13 contests, and only had two losses out of the first 18 times these teams squared off. Starting in December of 1962, the tides greatly turned to the Steelers favor. The Browns won just four games between that point and October of 1983. Even more extreme, starting in January of 1994, Pittsburgh has won 44 of the next 54 games with a tie thrown in during that time. Mike Tomlin's career record vs. Cleveland is 27-8-1. Since 2007, the Steelers have outscored Cleveland by 282 points in these head-to-head matchups. The is the AFC's oldest rivalry.

MATCHUP OVERVIEW

• Pittsburgh is 3-1. History shows that they have a 79% of going to the playoffs if they advance to 4-1 and a 50% chance if they fall to 3-2. The Browns are 1-4. If they fall to 1-5, their playoff chances drop to 2.3%. With a win, Cleveland has an 11% chance.
• The Steelers have a -2-point differential compared to -50 for Cleveland. Every team in the AFC North currently has a negative point differential and combined, these four teams sit at -159, which is the worst in the division's entire history. The .368 combined winning percentage is also worst in division history.
• The Browns have yet to win on the road this season and the Steelers have yet to win at Acrisure Stadium.
• Cleveland has only led on the scoreboard for 6% of their offensive plays. Only the Titans are lower.
• Pittsburgh's opponents have thrown for 308 yards more than the Steelers and average .9 more yards per pass attempt. Their opponents have also rushed for 168 more yards and average .9 more yards per rush attempt.
• Cleveland's opponents average 1.7 yards per pass attempt more than the Browns and have thrown double (10 to 5) the number of passing touchdowns. But Cleveland is producing .9 more yards per rush attempt than they allow.
• The Browns are running the third most plays per game (66.4) while the Steelers are running the fourth fewest (53.8). The Steelers opponents are running 67.3, fourth most, while the Browns opponents are running 56.0, fourth fewest.
• Cleveland games are averaging 39.2 combined points scored, tied for second fewest in the league. They are also averaging just 536.0 combined yards, fewest in the league. League average is 656.7 combined yards.
• 4% of Cleveland's plays have gained 10+ yards. 15.3% of Pittsburgh's plays have gained 10+ yards. That ranks 29^th and 30^th respectively.
• Pittsburgh has a turnover ratio of +7, only the Jaguars are better. The Steelers now have multiple takeaways in three of their four games and did have one takeaway against the Jets in the season opener. Cleveland has a -4-turnover ratio, only five are worse. Only three teams have turned the ball over more than Cleveland. Only four teams have turned the ball over less than Pittsburgh. The Browns defense only has two interceptions and only two offenses have thrown more interceptions (6) than Cleveland. Only the Jaguars have more takeaways than Pittsburgh and no defense has more fumble recoveries.
• Pittsburgh and Washington are the only two teams that have allowed zero points off turnovers this season.
• The Steelers have five more sacks than they have allowed.
• The Browns have blitzed on just 16% of early down dropbacks, the lowest percentage in the league. The Steelers have blitzed in these situations on 42.5% of dropbacks, only Minnesota is higher.
• The Browns (8.8%) and Steelers (8.7%) sack rate is only behind Denver's (10.6%) defense.
• The Browns utilized 12 Personnel at the league's highest rate (50.6%). The Steelers are third (42.5%). League average usage of 12 Personnel is 23.9%.
• Pittsburgh's offense is eighth in red zone offense (69.2%) while Cleveland's is 10^th (66.7%). But the Browns defense is dead last, allowing a 78.6% red zone conversion rate.
• The Browns were penalized 10 times in Week 5. The Steelers didn't play in Week 5, but they still have been penalized (19 total) less than any team in the league. The Browns have been penalized 37 times in five games.
• Pittsburgh is 17-1 in games in which they score 20+ points since 2023 (best in the NFL), but 6-14 in games they score under 20.
• Pittsburgh is producing 14.8 points in the first half of games, fifth most. Cleveland is producing 6.0, last in the league. In the second half, Pittsburgh is producing 9.3 (25^th) and Cleveland is producing 8.6 (26^th). In the second half of games, the Browns are giving up 13.8 points and the Steelers 14.8. That is 25^th and 26^th
• Last Sunday, Dillion Gabriel became the Browns 10^th different starting quarterback…since Baker Mayfield. Gabriel became the Browns 41^st starter since they re-entered the NFL in 1999 (11 more than any other team over that span).
• Gabriel will become the ninth rookie quarterback to face Mike Tomlin in either of their first two career starts. The previous eight are 2-8 vs. Tomlin.
• Aaron Rodgers needs 351 passing yards to pass Ben Roethlisberger for fifth most in NFL history.
• TJ Watt (111.0) and Myles Garrett (106.5) rank first and second respectively in sacks since both entered the league in 2017. No other player has more than 85.0 sacks during that time. Garrett has the second most sacks prior to their 30^th birthday in NFL history.
• The Browns lead the NFL in snaps played by rookies this season.
• Tomlin is now 107-65-2 in one score games. Tomlin is also 14-4 coming off a bye week.
• The Browns have not won a regular season game in Pittsburgh since 2003.

WHEN PITTSBURGH HAS THE BALL

• The Steelers average 4.4 yards per play, only ahead of Tennessee, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. Pittsburgh averaged 5.9 yards per play against the Vikings and Minnesota averaged 5.7 against the Browns defense in Week 5. The Browns allow just 4.4 yards per play, best in the league.
• The Steelers are passing the ball at a 55.4% clip. That is 23^rd highest in the league.
• Pittsburgh utilizes 11 Personnel at a 33.2% rate. League average is 60.5%. They utilize 13 Personnel at a 11.2% rate. League average is 4.3%.
• The Steelers are 30^th in yards per drive, but eighth in points per drive. The Browns defense is league best in yards (21.5) per drive.
• Pittsburgh turns a set of downs into a first down or a touchdown at a 71% clip, which is exactly league average. The Browns only allow at a 65% clip. Only Denver's defense is better.
• Rodgers eight touchdown passes are already third behind Russell Wilson (16) and Kenny Pickett (13) most of any Steelers quarterback since Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season.
• Last week, DK Metcalf ran 11 of his 20 routes from the slot. Not only is that the highest percentage in any game of his career but it is 19% higher than his next closest. Metcalf has yet to hit a 25% target share since joining the Steelers and has only been targeted nine times over his past two games. His 5.5 targets per game ranks 52^nd amongst all wide receivers. Metcalf has 51 career touchdowns (fourth most in the NFL since being drafted in 2019) and is currently riding a three-game touchdown streak. 12 of Metcalf's 15 receptions have gone for touchdowns or first downs.
• In games in which Darnell Washington has logged 40 or more snaps, the Steelers are 6-0 and average 125.1 rushing yards per game.
• Jonnu Smith has been targeted just 10 times and Pat Freiermuth has been targeted just seven times over the past three games.
• The Browns allow the fourth fewest receiving yards per game (17.2) to the running back position.
• Cleveland had three sacks last week, two by Maliek Collins.
• Garrett's eight tackles for loss leads the NFL tied with Maxx Crosby. Garrett has aligned on the right edge of the defense on 85.4% of his snaps this season.
• The Steelers running backs have accounted for 63.9% of Pittsburgh's team touches, the highest share for a backfield in the league.
• Jaylen Warren is aiming for his third game in a row with 80+ yards from scrimmage. In his last game, Warren handled 82.1% of the backfield touches. Warren averages 3.1 yards per carry, 40^th amongst 43 running backs with 30 or more rush attempts. He has runs of 10+ yards on just 2.3% of his carries, which is 41^st.
• Kenneth Gainwell rushed for 99 yards on 19 carries against the Vikings. That was his career high in rushing yards and carries. For the season, Gainwell averages 4.4 yards per carry (19^th) and 14.3% of his runs have gone for 10+ yards (sixth).
• The Browns allow just 3.0 yards per rush attempt and give up just 75.6 rushing yards per game. They are league best in yards allowed per attempt (3.1) and yards allowed per game (62.4) to the running back position. Cleveland allows .31 yards before first contact per running back run, second best.

WHEN CLEVELAND HAS THE BALL

• The Browns average 4.3 yards per play, only better than Tennessee. Pittsburgh allows 5.7 yards per play, better than just six defenses.
• Cleveland is 31^st in points per game (14.6).
• Only the Bengals and Dolphins are passing the ball at a higher rate than Cleveland (62.7%).
• Cleveland utilizes 11 Personnel at a 36.8% rate. League average is 60.5%.
• The Steelers have been in their base defense for 35.7% of their snaps, the sixth highest percentage in the league.
• The Browns are 31^st in points per drive. The Steelers defense is 30^th in yards per drive.
• The Browns turn a set of downs into a new set of downs or a touchdown just 64% of the time. Only Tennessee is worse. The Steelers defense allows at a 74% clip, which is only ahead of six defenses.
• In his first career start last week, Gabriel threw for 146 yards on 30 attempts with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Gabriel had an average time to throw of 2.54 seconds. Over the Browns first four games, Joe Flacco averaged 2.85 seconds. Gabriel threw two touchdowns last week on 37 attempts. Flacco threw two touchdowns over the first four weeks on 160 attempts. Last week Gabriel attempted 10 passes 10+ yards downfield but completed just three of those attempts for 61 yards. His average depth of target was 5.5 yards downfield.
• Gabriel is the fifth quarterback since 2020 to be drafted in the third round or later to start a game in their first five career games. None of the other four are current starters.
• Pittsburgh allows the second most passing yards per game (282.8) to opposing quarterbacks.
• Cleveland wide receivers were only targeted 10 times in Week 5. Isaiah Bond got seven of those 10 targets and ran a route on 31 of a possible 36 dropbacks. Bond's targets by game since Week 1: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7.
• The Steelers give up the third most receiving yards per game (178.8) and the second most receptions per game (14.3) to the wide receiver position.
• David Njoku and Harold Fannin combined to catch 10 passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns last week. Njoku played 67 snaps compared to 56 for Fannin. These two combined for a 39.4% target share from Gabriel. Going into that game, they combined for just 26.8% target share. In Week 5, Njoku ran his highest route share (77.8%) of the season while Fannin (47.2%) ran his lowest. For the season, Njoku has been on the field for 79.9% of the Browns dropbacks (ninth amongst tight ends) and fifth amongst tight ends with 167 total routes run. Fannin's receiving yardage has fallen in each of the past five weeks. He hasn't cleared 50 yards since Week 1 and hasn't topped 25 since Week 2.
• 10 different Steelers defenders have recorded a sack through four games. Pittsburgh had six sacks in their most recent game. Despite only playing four games, the Steelers have the third most quarterback hits in the league behind the Broncos and Rams-neither of which have had their bye.
• TJ Watt is now one of seven players (the other six are in the Hall of Fame) with at least 100 career sacks and eight interceptions. Watt has 17 sacks in 14 career games against the Browns.
• In just the seven career games Nick Herbig has started, he has five sacks, 13 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, and four tackles for loss.
• Pittsburgh ranks fourth in blitz rate (37.3%). They have brought six (or more) man pressures on 19.9% of opposing dropbacks, only the Chiefs are higher. The Steelers 46.9% blitz rate on first downs in the highest in the league.
• Quinshon Judkins got 23 of the Browns 29 running back carries last week and finished the day with 110 rushing yards. That 79% of the Browns running back rushes is the lowest since his Week 2 debut. Judkins has only appeared in three games but has 199 more rushing yards than any other Browns player. He is averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Judkins yards from scrimmage have increased each game of his career. Only three players have more rushing yards than Judkins since Week 2. Judkins averages 4.1 yards after first contact, fourth best amongst all running backs. Last week Judkins was on the field for only 14.3% of Cleveland's dropbacks after rates of 37.8% and 36.8% the previous two weeks.
• The Browns converted just three of 15 third down attempts last week but were three for three on fourth down attempts. For the season, they are converting 34.2% of their third downs, 28^th in the league.
• The Steelers have takeaways on 22.5% of opponent's possessions, second best in the league.
• In the Steelers first two games they averaged 31.5 points against, 6.3 yards per play allowed with three sacks and three takeaways. In their last two games, they average 17.5 points against, 5.2 yards per play allowed with 11 sacks and seven takeaways.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• The Steelers leaders in special teams snap counts through four games are as follows: Jack Sawyer (82), Miles Killebrew (73), Connor Heyward (67), Ben Skowronek (67), Carson Bruener (65), Payton Wilson (58), Chuck Clark (51).
• There have only been two field goal attempts missed in Steelers games thus far this season.

KEY MATCHUPS

Browns QB Dillan Gabriel vs. Steelers Safeties-Gabriel made his first start last week and very heavily targeted Cleveland's tight ends. Even with Flacco at quarterback, this was not a very wide receiver-based passing game. The Steelers safeties will have to be on top of their game defending the middle of the field and Pittsburgh's coaching staff could opt to move these defenders around a great deal pre and post snap to confuse a quarterback starting his second career game.

Steelers Offensive Tackles vs. Browns DE Myles Garrett-Garrett is playing at the highest level of his outstanding career and Cleveland will move him all over the defense, but more often than not, coming off the edge against either of the Steelers young offensive tackles. Pittsburgh might choose to once again employ an extra offensive lineman in this contest to better deal with Garrett.