Takeaways From Cleveland Browns’ 29-17 Road Home Victory Over Pittsburgh Steelers

The Browns’ struggles against the Steelers in the Mike Tomlin era have been well-documented, but Week 3 marked the club’s fifth win over the AFC North foes in five tries. With the win, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski (in his third year at the helm) is now 3-2 against Pittsburgh.

Cleveland will try to move to 3-1 on the year when they visit the 1-2 Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon (1:00 p.m. EST). The Falcons are coming off their first win of the 2022 campaign, having defeated the Seattle Seahawks 27-23 at Lumen Field on Sunday.

Ohio is set to launch sports betting in less than four months — on Jan. 1, 2023 — so Browns fans in The Buckeye State will soon be able to place wagers on their favorite team. There will also be plenty of Ohio sportsbooks promo codes available to new customers upon signing up, and these will likely include risk-free bets from apps such as DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars.

NFL fans in Ohio will be able to place all sorts of different wagers, including futures (e.g. division and Super Bowl champions), money lines, over/under, and point spreads. The Browns opened up as a 2.5-point favorite over the Falcons in Week 4 at the FanDuel sportsbook.

Here are some of the key things we learned from the Browns’ crucial Week 3 win against their longtime rivals.

3. Amari Cooper Is Capable Of Filling The WR1 Void

Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. were unable to stay healthy and find steady production during their tenures in Cleveland.

The Browns released Landry in a cap-saving move this offseason and replaced him with Amari Cooper, acquiring the veteran Pro Bowler from the cap-strapped Dallas Cowboys in exchange for the low price of a fifth-round pick.

The Alabama product had a superb Week 2 outing against the New York Jets, racking up nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. He posted nearly the exact same stat line against Pittsburgh, recording seven catches for 101 yards and one score.

Dallas felt comfortable releasing Cooper because they had rising superstar CeeDee Lamb and the reliable Michael Gallup leading the wide receiver depth chart. The Browns capitalized on the opportunity to get Cooper at a bargain price. So far, far, so good.

Cleveland’s offense will always be rush-heavy with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the fold. But there will be days where the Browns need Jacoby Brissett to sling the ball, and he was up for the challenge against a stingy Pittsburgh defense.

And Brissett’s job as a passer will be that much easier if Cooper continues to play like this.

2. Defense Isn’t Perfect But Made Plays When It Matters Most

If you take a brief look at the team defense statistics, there isn’t much about the Browns that will “wow” you right away.

Aside from a stout rushing defense (83.7 yards allowed per game through Week 3), the Browns aren’t exactly dominating in terms of yards or scoring. They’ve allowed 240 passing yards per game and 24.0 points per game.

The defense has only forced three takeaways in the early going, and Myles Garrett is responsible for three of the team’s seven sacks.

Joe Woods’ defense hasn’t at all resembled last year’s elite group, but they made plays when they needed to against Pittsburgh. Cleveland allowed 14 points in the second quarter but otherwise allowed just three points in the other three quarters. They forced four Pittsburgh punts in the second half, held them to a field goal inside the final two minutes, and then got a defensive scoop and scored at the very end to win.

“Bend, don’t break” is the best way to describe this Cleveland defense right now.

1. Browns Will Always Have A Chance With Chubb

Chubb has been the heart and soul of the Cleveland offense since his 2018 rookie year, and that’s not at all going to change in 2022.

The Steelers knew that Chubb would be the go-to guy on Thursday night, but there was simply no answer for the 26-year-old. Chubb gashed the Pittsburgh front seven for 113 yards and one touchdown, averaging a remarkable 4.9 yards per carry on the night.

Cleveland isn’t going to ask Brissett to attempt 40-something passes a game very often. He’s best suited for a game manager role, and he’s doing just fine there in the early going. As long as Chubb is healthy and getting the football, Cleveland will remain in playoff contention.

The Browns didn’t play perfect football in Week 3. But they won by double-digits thanks mostly to their superstar running back.