Despite QBs coming off 400-yard games, Steelers don't expect shootout with Browns

With the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns having quarterbacks coming off 400-yard passing performances, their meeting Sunday has the promise of another AFC North shootout.

The former defensive coordinator in Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is why he admits it’s not in his nature to be comfortable in such games, especially on the heels of a high-scoring affair at Cincinnati where the teams combined for 723 passing yards and 82 points.

The Steelers knew it would be necessary to outscore the Bengals, who feature the NFL’s most potent passing attack with quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. So Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson posted the most passing yards in Week 13 with 414 — and the second-highest total of his 13-year NFL career — in Sunday’s 44-38 win.

Then Browns quarterback Jameis Winston topped him on “Monday Night Football,” completing 34 of 58 passes in throwing for a career-best 497 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-32 loss to the Denver Broncos.

What will they do for an encore?

Probably focus on the run game.

“I hope, right?” Steelers running back Najee Harris said with a shrug and a smile. “That’s the right answer. But you don’t know. You do not know.”

Wilson hinted the run game will play a prominent role when the Steelers (9-3) host the Browns (3-9) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, sidestepping a question about the showdown between the 400-yard passers as if Myles Garrett was pressuring the pocket.

“The thing that we have to focus on is us and what we do really well,” Wilson said. “Obviously, our ability to run the football and run downhill, our ability to play-action, our ability to get the ball on the edge, our ability to get the ball out quick, too — I think we’ve done that really well this year, and guys are making really great plays in that game. Our focus is always on our versatility in how our offense is.”

If the first meeting — a 24-19 Browns win Nov. 21 — is any indication, the Steelers will try to control the clock. Wilson passed for 270 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers outgained the Browns, 368-304, in total offense, including a 120-85 edge in rushing yards, to finish with a 10-minute, 4-second edge in time of possession.

“I think it helps. It’s fresh in your mind when you get to play a team (you played) basically two weeks ago,” Wilson said. “The biggest thing is that they’re really talented on defense and do great things. We’ve got to slow their front down up front and make plays.”

The Browns made more plays in the first meeting. Winston was 18 of 27 for 219 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Browns went 4 for 4 on fourth-down conversions, and Winston completed a 15-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy on third-and-6 to set up the second of running back Nick Chubb’s 2-yard scoring runs for the winner with 57 seconds left.

Tomlin raved about the “unbelievable arm talent” of Winston, the No. 1 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015, from his arm strength to his accuracy and ability to “place the ball just about anywhere on the field.” Most of all, Tomlin talked about Winston’s competitive nature and how he takes advantage of the skill players who surround him.

What Tomlin didn’t talk about was Winston’s propensity for turnovers. He has 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions this season, an issue that proved costly when two of his three picks were returned for touchdowns against the Broncos.

The Steelers know the key against Winston is to force turnovers early, not allowing him to get in a groove in the pass game. Winston had three 400-yard games for the Bucs in 2019, including a pair in back-to-back games. He passed for 456 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions in a 38-35 win over Indianapolis in Week 14, then followed with a 458-yard, four-touchdown game in a 38-17 win at Detroit.

“You can’t give a guy like that hope because he’s going to keep fighting. He’s going to keep swinging. Whether he’s down or whether he’s up, he’s going to try to knock you out,” Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “The major key is to knock him out early, get the ball off him early and try to get them to force the run game as opposed to explosive passes over the top.”

Wilson had one previous 400-yard game in his career, when he passed for 452 yards with four touchdowns and an interception in the Seattle Seahawks’ 41-38 win over Houston in Week 8 of the 2017 season. While Wilson vaguely remembered the back-and-forth nature of the game and throwing two touchdown passes to tight end Jimmy Graham, he doesn’t plan to draw from that experience against the Browns.

Perhaps that’s because Wilson answered with 297 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions the following week in a 17-14 loss to Washington.

Wilson promised he’s not concerned about his passing yards as much as he is the outcome against the Browns.

“The biggest thing is, you play the next play. I never really focus on yards. I just focus on winning. All I care about is winning, what we do and how we do it and how we get there,” Wilson said. “Obviously, when guys are making plays like that, it gives you a better chance to win. Whatever we’ve got to do every day to be our best and help this team win, that’s all I focus on every day. It’s not the personal side of it and what we were able to accomplish.

“I’ve been able to accomplish a lot of great things along the way, but the only thing I’m occupied with and focused on is us accomplishing our ultimate goal — and that’s winning another Super Bowl.”