Matt's Stats: Week 17 vs. Browns

SERIES HISTORY

The Steelers and Browns have met 147 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 83-64-1 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, 1983. Even more extreme, starting in January of 1994, Pittsburgh won 45 of the next 55 games with a tie thrown in during that time. Mike Tomlin's career record vs. Cleveland is 28-8-1. Since 2007, the Steelers have outscored Cleveland by 296 points in these head-to-head matchups. The is the AFC's oldest rivalry.

MATCHUP OVERVIEW

• Pittsburgh is amid a three-game winning streak. The Browns have lost four in a row and seven of their last eight. The Steelers are 4-3 on the road, 3-1 in the AFC North, and 7-3 in the conference. The Browns are 2-6 at home, 0-4 in the AFC North, and 2-8 in the conference.
• The Browns have been outscored by 109 points this year. That is 29^th. Pittsburgh has a +15-point differential.
• Pittsburgh has a +9-turnover differential. The Browns are at -6, which is 28^th. The Steelers 24 takeaways are only less than three teams while the Browns 22 giveaways are only less than Minnesota and Seattle. Cleveland was -2 in turnover differential last week. There wasn't a turnover in the first matchup between the Browns and Steelers.
• The Browns have allowed a league-high 104 points off of turnovers. The Steelers have scored 98 points off of turnovers, second most.
• The Browns possessed the ball for 35:23 in Week 16. The Steelers won the time of possession (31:52) in the first meeting. Last week, Pittsburgh possessed the ball for 34:06, their second straight game of winning the time of possession battle. That was their highest time of possession of the season. For the year, Cleveland sits at 29:37 compared to 27:53 for the Steelers.
• The Browns opponents are throwing the ball at a 51.8% rate, fifth lowest. The Steelers opponents are throwing the ball at a 60.7% rate, fifth highest.
• The Steelers have generated 67.3% of their passing yards after the catch. Cleveland is second at 56.6%.
• The Browns are +6 in sack differential. Pittsburgh is at +14.
• Cleveland is tied for second in sacks per game (3.3) and the Steelers are fourth (2.9).
• Cleveland's opponents have scored 15 more touchdowns than the Browns this season.
• Pittsburgh is throwing to their wide receivers at a 43.1% rate, lowest in the league. The Browns have thrown to their wide receivers at a 43.9% rate, 31^st.
• The Browns produce 96.9 rushing yards per game. Pittsburgh produces 101.7.
• The Steelers out rushed Detroit by 215 yards last week.
• Pittsburgh has multiple tight ends on the field at a league-high 52.0% of the time. Cleveland is second at 51.6%.
• The Browns have five or more defensive backs on the field at a 57.0% rate. Pittsburgh is at 62.0%.
• The Browns rookies have played more snaps than any team in the NFL.
• The Steelers are one of two teams along with Denver that have held a lead in every game this season. Pittsburgh has held the lead at halftime in 11 games this season.
• The Browns have a league-worst 2-9 record in games in which they have led.
• Mike Tomlin won his 200^th game (including playoffs) last week and that win ensured that he once again will not have a losing season. That is an NFL record 22 seasons in a row for the Steelers (Dallas had 21) without a losing record. Tomlin is the 11^th coach in NFL history to reach 200 wins.
• Rookie quarterbacks are 6-28 (including playoffs) against Tomlin.
• Kevin Stefanski has coached 99 games for the Browns. During his first four years on the job, Stefanski had a .552 winning percentage. Since then, it's .188.

WHEN PITTSBURGH HAS THE BALL

• The Steelers averaged 6.9 yards per play last week. For the year, Pittsburgh sits at 5.3, but over their last three games they are at 6.3. Cleveland gives up just 4.7 yards per play, only behind Denver. The Browns gave up 5.2 yards per play last week. When these teams met earlier, the Steelers produced 5.8 yards per play.
• The Steelers have scored a touchdown on 28.8% of their drives on the road, fourth best.
• Pittsburgh is throwing the ball on 57.8% of their snaps, 12^th highest.
• The Steelers use 11 Personnel at a 35.7% rate. Only the Ravens are lower. They use 12 Personnel 27.5% of the time (11^th highest) and 13 Personnel at a 16.1% clip. Only the Rams use 13 Personnel more. Pittsburgh has a sixth offensive linemen on the field for 17.2% of their snaps.
• The Steelers turn a set of downs into a new set of downs or touchdown at a 70% rate, just below league average (71%). Cleveland's defense is at 66%, only the Texans and Broncos are better.
• Aaron Rodgers eight touchdowns in the fourth quarter of games are third most. Over his last three games, Rodgers is completing 53.6% of his passes of 10+ air yards. Before those three games, he was at 38.7%.
• Cleveland held Josh Allen to just 130 yards passing last week. They allow the second fewest passing yards per game (185.6).
• Darnell Washington averages 7.9 yards after the catch, only behind Tucker Kraft among tight ends with 20+ receptions.
• The Steelers are the only team in the league with two running backs with 900+ scrimmage yards.
• Kenneth Gainwell had 128 yards from scrimmage in Week 16. He has 100+ scrimmage yards in back-to-back games and four of his past six contests. He has six or more receptions in five of his last six games. Gainwell leads all running backs with at least 200 routes run with a 26% targets per route run. He has at least a 14% target share in five of his last six games. Gainwell averages 5.6 yards per touch, sixth among running backs with at least 100 touches. Along with Bijan Robinson, Christian McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs, and DeVon Achane, Gainwell is one of five players with 500+ rushing yards and 400+ receiving yards. Over the last six weeks, only Gibbs (40) has more receptions among running backs than Gainwell (33) and only Gibbs (333) and Robinson (309) have more receiving yards (287).
• Jaylen Warren has two or more receptions in 14 of his 15 games this year and has scored five touchdowns over his past five games.
• Last week Warren and Gainwell each played 51% of the snaps.
• Allen was sacked just twice last week, and the Steelers didn't allow a sack in the first meeting against Cleveland.
• The Browns record a sack on 10.2% of opposing dropbacks, best in the league.
• Myles Garrett's 22 sacks make up 45% of the Browns total sack production. His 32 tackles for loss make up 42% of Cleveland's total production in this area as well. Garrett has aligned on the defense's right edge on 81.5% of his snaps this season. He has nine straight games with at least half a sack.
• The Browns allowed 164 yards on the ground against Buffalo. Over the past three weeks, opposing running backs have 458 rushing yards and seven touchdowns against the Browns.
• Warren ran for 143 of the Steelers 230 rushing yards last week. Pittsburgh averaged 8.5 yards per rush attempt.
• Over the last three weeks Pittsburgh ranks fourth in yards per rush attempt. During that time, the Steelers are fourth in yards before contact per attempt (2.1) and ninth in yards after contact per attempt (3.3).
• The Steelers are converting 61.1% of their fourth down attempts, eighth best. Cleveland's defense is fourth best (42.9%) on fourth downs. Pittsburgh is also 11^th in third down offense (40.2%).
• Pittsburgh is ninth in red zone offense (62.2%).

WHEN CLEVELAND HAS THE BALL

• The Browns average 4.3 yards per play, last in the league. Cleveland produced 4.6 yards per play last week, but just 3.8 in Pittsburgh earlier this season. Pittsburgh allowed 5.2 yards per play in Detroit and sit at 5.4 for the season.
• The Browns average 16.4 points per game, 31^st. Their 1.6 points per drive average is the worst in the league.
• Since Week 9, the Steelers are allowing 21.9 points per game and 5.1 yards per play. They have allowed fewer than 25 points in three straight games.
• Pittsburgh allowed a season low nine points and 248 total yards in these teams' first meeting.
• Cleveland is throwing the ball at a 59.9% rate, sixth highest.
• The Browns use 12 Personnel at a 42.1% rate, highest in the league. They use 11 Personnel 43.5% of the time, 28^th. Cleveland has a sixth offensive linemen on the field for 7.5% of their snaps.
• Cleveland turns a set of downs into a new set of downs or a touchdown at a league low 62% rate.
• As a team, Cleveland has the NFL's lowest completion percentage (57.5%) and produced the second lowest yards per game (190.3) with the league's lowest yards per attempt (5.57). Only two teams have thrown fewer than Cleveland's 15 passing touchdowns and only two teams have thrown more interceptions.
• Pittsburgh's defense faces an average depth of target of 7.1 yards. Only three defenses are lower. The Steelers face the lowest percentage (6.8%) of deep passes. Only Seattle faces a quicker average time to throw than Pittsburgh (2.52).
• Shedeur Sanders threw for 157 in Week 16. Sanders has thrown seven interceptions since becoming the starter in Week 12, the most of any quarterback over that time. The Browns average 16.8 points per game and 284.2 yards per game during that time.
• Harold Fannin has been the Browns starting tight end for five games. Over that stretch, he leads the Browns with a 31% target share. Fannin has three or more receptions in 10 of his last 11 games. Fannin leads all rookies in receptions.
• Pittsburgh allows 7.8 yards per target (25^th) and a 7.6% touchdown rate (29^th) to tight ends.
• Dylan Sampson ranks third among running backs with at least 150 routes run with a 24% targets per route run.
• Pittsburgh had six sacks in the first meeting.
• The Steelers 21 batted passes are the most in the league. No other defense has more than 17.
• Cleveland rushed for 160 yards last week, but only 65 yards in Pittsburgh. The Steelers allowed just 15 yards on the ground in Detroit and allowed just 1.3 yards per rush attempt.
• Cleveland produces 3.91 yards per rush attempt. Only the Raiders, 49ers, and Saints are worse.
• The Browns 2.23 rushing yards per attempt after contact is seventh best, but their 1.14 rushing yards per attempt before contact is second worst.
• Quinshon Judkins leads the Browns with 827 rushing yards. No one else (Sanders) has more than 123 yards on the ground. Judkins will miss this game and Sampson missed his second straight game last week. Jerome Ford is on injured reserve. Judkins had been hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 54.1% of his carries, second highest among running backs with 100+ carries.
• After Judkins left last week, Raheim Sanders had 12 touches for 46 yards and Trayveon Williams had seven touches for 55 yards.
• Pittsburgh has allowed 10 rushing touchdowns. Only the Rams and Seahawks have allowed fewer.
• In the five games that Derrick Harmon hasn't played this year, the Steelers are allowing 165.6 rushing yards per game. With Harmon in the lineup, that shrinks to 87.9. In the games he has missed, the Steelers allow 4.5 yards per carry to running backs compared to 3.9 when he is in the lineup.
• The Browns have lost just one fumble on rushing plays.
• The Steelers give up an explosive run on 6.0% of carries, sixth worst. However, overall, Pittsburgh's defense has an explosive rate allowed of 5.2%, which is better than all teams other than seven.
• Cleveland's offense produces an explosive play 4.1% of the time, better than only the Saints.
• The Steelers defense is eighth in red zone defense (51.9%).
• Cleveland has the highest middle of the field closed rate (67.3%) in the NFL.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• The Steelers average kickoff return is 23.9 yards. Cleveland's is 23.6. That is fourth and second lowest in the league.
• The Browns 38.1 net punting average is only better than the 49ers and Giants.
• Cleveland and Cincinnati each have 11 touchbacks on punts, tied for most in the league.

KEY MATCHUPS

Browns TE Harold Fannin vs. Steelers Safeties - Fannin has been a very pleasant surprise in his rookie season for the Browns, a team playing a lot of young players to prepare for the future. Cleveland goes out of their way to scheme Fannin up and he does a great job after the catch. Fannin even had a rushing touchdown as a fullback last week.

Steelers Offensive Tackles vs. Browns DE Myles Garrett - Garrett usually will line up to the quarterback's left side, which means this huge chore will often fall on Dylan Cook. Cook has been very solid the past two weeks, but Garrett is knocking on the door of setting a new single-season sack record. Slowing him down in Cleveland won't be easy.