Five things we learned from Steelers 15, Browns 10:
1. Tightening up
The Steelers were short-handed at tight end for the first time this season because of Eric Ebron’s hamstring injury that he sustained in practice Thursday.
Ebron’s absence, however, hardly registered against the Browns. Such was the way rookie Pat Freiermuth and third-year tight end Zach Gentry played in his absence.
Freiermuth was a favorite target of Ben Roethlisberger’s from the jump, and he finished by tying a season high with seven targets. He caught four passes for 44 yards and capped it with the juggling touchdown catch in the fourth quarter that Roethlisberger called “spectacular.”
Equally as impressive was the play of Gentry, who entered training camp trying to hold off Kevin Rader for the No. 3 job. The converted quarterback from Michigan has proven to be a capable blocker, which is why he often is used on run-down situations.
Gentry also showed his abilities as a pass catcher by getting three receptions for 39 yards. Not bad for someone who entered the game with career totals of four catches for 21 yards.
Gentry was targeted five times in the game, and he had catches of 13 and 24 yards on the go-ahead touchdown drive. The latter catch came on second-and-20 and provided a first down at the Cleveland 16.
2. Joe the show
Joe Schobert’s trip to Cleveland was his first since he left the Browns after the 2019 season in free agency.
In his lone year in Jacksonville, he faced the Browns but not at FirstEnergy Stadium, which he called home the first four years of his NFL career.
Schobert capped his de facto homecoming by forcing the fumble that T.J. Watt recovered with 6:04 left and the Browns threatening to erase a 15-10 deficit. The hit on Jarvis Landry gave the ball back to the Steelers at the 20, and they ran more than 90 seconds off the clock before punting the ball back with 4:22 to play.
The forced fumble came on a day when Schobert led the Steelers with nine tackles, providing the type of dependable presence in the middle of the defense that was anticipated when the organization acquired him from Jacksonville in return for a sixth-round draft pick.
3. Not so special
The doomed fake field goal attempt in the second quarter was the most glaring issue on the special teams.
It wasn’t the only gaffe, though.
There was Ray-Ray McCloud’s fumble on a punt return in the second quarter that, if the ball was not recovered by Justin Layne, would have given Cleveland possession at the Steelers 37.
There was the punting unit taking a delay of game penalty with 4:29 to play, which resulted in Pressley Harvin III punting from the 23. And there was Harvin following up with a 38-yard wobbler to the Cleveland 39.
Harvin at least can be given a pass for his initial kickoff that went out of bounds since it was his first professional attempt. But he needed to get better yardage on his final boot since that is how he makes his living.
4. Hold on
When Chris Boswell was knocked out of the game late in the first half, it led to all sorts of problems in the kicking game. Of course, it meant Harvin would be designated to kick off and, in an emergency, be used on place kicks.
But quarterback Ben Roethlisberger let it slip that the Steelers were never going to kick extra points or field goals in the second half — no matter how big the emergency. Harvin had no experience and Roethlisberger, as the emergency holder, was concerned about getting kicked in his throwing hand.
Whether Harvin was clued in on his role was unknown. Or maybe he was playing along with the ruse. He took practice reps kicking into the net in the second half with cornerback Cam Sutton serving as his holder. Harvin and Sutton even were on the field when the Steelers called timeout before going for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2 in the fourth quarter. They quickly returned to the sideline, and the Steelers went ahead on Freiermuth’s touchdown.
5. Limiting the damage
Myles Garrett got another sack — he leads the NFL with 10.5 — to add to the names and numbers on his Halloween cape and tombstone in his front yard. It was part of two hits he had on Roethlisberger. But he otherwise was neutralized by rookie left tackle Dan Moore.
Moore was given limited help against Garrett, essentially leaving him to fend for himself against one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers. Safe to say the damage could have been worse.
Moore’s progression is such that if Zach Banner returns to the lineup at right tackle, Chuks Okorafor could head to the bench instead of moving back to the left side. Okorafor was called for an illegal formation and a hold, which was declined.
Moore and right guard Trai Turner were the only offensive linemen who didn’t get called for an infraction.
