5 things not involving Myles Garrett that came out of Steelers' loss to Browns

CLEVELAND — Five things we learned from Browns 21, Steelers 7 (that don’t involve the Myles Garrett helmet-swinging incident at the end of the game):

1. Thinning the herd

The depth among skill position players was seriously compromised because of concussions sustained by JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson, along with James Conner aggravating a shoulder injury that kept him out of the previous two games.

Jaylen Samuels stepped in for Conner, but without two of their three starting wide receivers, the Steelers had to finish the game with Tevin Jones and Johnny Holton getting significant playing time.

Already minus Antonio Brown to start the season, the Steelers cut Donte Moncrief at midseason and placed Ryan Switzer on season-ending injured reserve Thursday. They weren’t contributors on offense, but they had experience, which the Steelers were lacking once Smith-Schuster and Johnson departed.

Could it be time to give Eli Rogers a phone call, since he is available and is familiar with the system? It couldn’t hurt, particularly with the continued struggles on punt returns.

2. Unhappy returns

Until he was knocked from the game, Johnson had stepped into the punt return role vacated by Switzer’s trip to injured reserve.

Johnson had one return for 10 yards, one of the longer gains of the season. But when he went out, Cameron Sutton was the next man up on punts.

On his first attempt, Sutton fielded a punt at the Steelers 4 instead of letting it go into the end zone. He was stopped at the 12. The next time, on another punt placed inside the 20, Sutton let it go over his head, but the Browns were able to down it at the Steelers 9. Near the end of the game, Sutton called for a fair catch at the 11.

Tony Brooks-James replaced Switzer on kickoff returns and didn’t fare much better than his predecessor, gaining 32 yards on two returns.

3. Deep impact

A sign of how much the secondary has improved this season was evident in one stat that didn’t involve takeaways.

After giving up a pair of Tom Brady completions that exceeded 40 yards, the Steelers went eight games without permitting another.

That changed in the first half when Baker Mayfield hit Odell Beckham Jr. for a 42-yard gain to the Steelers 1 on the Browns’ opening possession. Beckham beat Steve Nelson in single coverage, with the cornerback getting no safety help on the deep ball.

In the second quarter, Mayfield hooked up with KhaDarel Hodge on a 41-yard completion. The drive ended with Mayfield’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry that gave the Browns a 14-0 advantage.

4. Man in the middle

Nose tackle Javon Hargrave, who will be a free agent after the season, stated his case that a big payday is in order with his performance against the Browns.

Hargrave led the Steelers with nine tackles, including two which resulted in negative yardage. His play has helped ease the loss of Stephon Tuitt, to a season-ending pectoral injury. Although the Steelers gave up 104 yards rushing, the Browns averaged just 3.0 yards per carry, with 1,000-yard rusher Nick Chubb needing 27 carries to get 92 yards.

Cameron Heyward chipped in with six tackles (one for a loss) and Tyson Alualu added two tackles for loss.

5. Trio of misses

The temperature at game time was 36 degrees and featured a 10 mph wind that could have contributed to the wayward kicking toward the east end zone.

Browns kicker Austin Seibert misfired from 45 and 50 yards, and Steelers counterpart Chris Boswell pushed his only attempt, from 44 yards, wide left. Holder Jordan Berry bobbled the snap, which contributed to Boswell’s miss.

Boswell’s missed kick also came in same end of the stadium where his 42-yard attempt in overtime in the 2018 season opener went wide, contributing to a 21-21 tie.

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