PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Some of the numbers on losses during critical downs. What Mike Tomlin said of the slow start. Why decline and then take the penalty at the end? Plus, the best quotes of the game including why Russell Wilson still loves this team as the Steelers fall to 8-3 after a 24-19 loss in Cleveland.
Slow starts
You had the feeling during the game that the longer the Browns hung around it wasn't going to end well. Steelers managed only three points in the first half.
"It took us too long to warm up to the action," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "Pre-snap penalties, it just wasn't really sharp. We got going, our guys fought, but it wasn't enough to secure victories."
Quarterback Russell Wilson was 11 of 13 for 147 yards in the first half, but the Steelers averaged 2.9 yards a rush and couldn't make critical plays when they had opportunities.
"We always can start faster," Russell Wilson said. "You want to score on every possession. It's not realistic against a really good defense. That defense is real over there. They do really good things."
"We had some explosive plays down the field. Once we have those explosive plays we need to make sure we get touchdowns after that. There is more there."
Penalty confusion
With 2:00 left in the game, Browns QB Jameis Winston threw a pass that hit an offensive lineman. It was a five-yard penalty that the Steelers initially accepted, then declined and then accepted again. Instead of a 4th and 2 at the Steelers 25-yard line, it became a 3rd and 7 and Winston would throw a 15-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy for a first down.
"I thought it was a grounding," Tomlin said. "I couldn't hear the officials, when I realized that it wasn't ruled a grounding. I got information from them and made the call we wanted to make. The distance was more important to us if it wasn't grounding, we wanted to move them five yards back. They were potentially kicking into the wind. We wanted to stop them and make the field goal a longer one."
Notes
· Myles Garrett finished with 3 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble
· Former Steelers 1st round pick Devin Bush was the Browns third leading tackler with six
· Browns were 1-10 on 3rd down, 4-4 on 4th down
· Steelers were 7-16 on 3rd down, but of the misses—2 on 3rd and 1, a 3rd and 3 and a 3rd and 4
· Steelers were 1-3 on 4th down, the misses were on 4th and 1 and 4th and 2
· Red zone—Steelers 1-2, Browns 3-4
· Corliss Waitman had one punt, for 15 yards
· Justin Fields rushed 3 times for 26 yards. Wilson ran 3 times for 10 yards
· Steelers had time of possession advantage by 10:04
· Russell Wilson finished 21-28, 270 yards (2nd most as Steeler), TD, fumble
· Jaylen Warren was the leading rusher, 11 carries, 45 yards and a TD
Quotes
"Complement the Browns on bringing it, especially early on."
Head coach Mike Tomlin
"We got a lot of football left. A lot of opportunity to respond at the highest level. Everything that we want is still in front of us."
QB Russell Wilson
"They were able to convert when they needed to. Just made plays in big-time moments and we weren't able to."
Captain TJ Watt
"We beat ourselves a lot just with mistakes. That takes all 11 looking in the mirror and continuing to push details. At the end of the day we have to perform better."
WR Calvin Austin
"When it came down to the end of the game, they just made more plays than us. They executed on a better level than us."
LB Nick Herbig
"I love this football team. This is the right guys, the right energy. We are disappointment, but we aren't discouraged. We are not flinching in the midst of it. We will respond in the right way."
Russell Wilson
Up Next
This Sunday off and back next Sunday for a 1p road game at the Bengals.
