8:15 PM EST, ESPN – Line: Browns -3.5, Over/Under: 41
The penultimate weekend of the regular season comes to a close and along with it an era of success in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers will bid farewell to one of their legends as they battle the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football from Heinz Field. Before we get to the obvious narrative that has dominated this matchup, the Browns (7-8, 4th in AFC North) are fighting for their playoff lives and have proven to be a long way towards mastering the art of sustainability after making the postseason for the first time in eighteen years. Last year, Cleveland finished third in the division at 11-5 en route to utterly embarrassing their bitter rival, Pittsburgh, in a 48-37 upset at Heinz Field, before giving eventual (AFC Champion) Kansas City everything they could handle in the second round (22-17). Simply put, it was a magical campaign for one of the most downtrodden franchises in the National Football League, who celebrated the season with four Pro-Bowlers, one All-Pro, and (Head Coach) Kevin Stefanski earning Coach of the Year honors in his first year on the job. However, with success comes expectations and in transitioning into 2021 this team was expected to challenge for not just the division crown and another playoff appearance, but possibly the Super Bowl as well. Unfortunately, we’re in early January and the Browns aren’t close to attaining any of those goals, sitting at the bottom of the AFC North, clinging to the slimmest of chances to sneak into the playoffs as a wild card. So, what in the name of Bernie Kosar has happened, you ask? Well, first and foremost it’s impossible to discuss this team without touching upon how the roster has been absolutely RAVAGED by injuries and COVID, particularly of late where over a third of their number have been engaged in the NFL’s virus protocols. In their last two contests alone, narrow losses to the Raiders (16-14) and Packers (24-22), they had well over a dozen players shelved on the COVID/Reserve List and were even forced to start third stringer Nick Mullens at Quarterback in that affair with Las Vegas. This has all no doubt left a bitter taste in the mouth of Stefanski (who also missed that game after testing positive) and everyone associated with the organization, for coming into that Christmas Day meeting with Green Bay they still had a chance of winning their first AFC North title since 1989. (Fourth-year Quarterback) Baker Mayfield (62.4%, 2,825 YDS, 6.29 NY/A, 15 TD, 11 INT, 37.8 QBR) has also spent time in protocols but has seen his 2021 largely hindered by a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder suffered eleven weeks ago; since a 37-14 blowout loss to the Cardinals, he’s completed just 58.4% of his passes for an average of 193.0 yards on 5.9 net yards per attempt with as many turnovers (9) as touchdowns, including four interceptions in that trip to Lambeau Field. With that said, he’s been far from the only key player beset with maladies, for the list has been rather long; (Tailbacks) Nick Chubb (207 CAR, 1,143 YDS, 5.5 Y/A, 8 TD) and Kareem Hunt (78 CAR, 386 YDS, 4.9 Y/A, 5 TD) have missed three and eight games respectively, while (Pro-Bowl Tackle) Jack Conklin appeared in just seven games before landing on Injured Reserve, with (Pro-Bowl Receiver) Jarvis Landry (42 REC, 452 YDS, 10.8 Y/R, 1 TD) missing five outings with a bulky knee, among others. Oh, and they also released wantaway Wideout, Odell Beckham Jr., placing him on waivers back in early November. And if we’re being honest, they can’t blame all of their problems on things out of their control, for they have not lived up to the hype on defense, where they were expected to become one of the NFL’s better units, while also developing a bad habit of falling apart late in games. (Defensive Coordinator) Joe Woods has plenty of talent at his disposal, and while they certainly suffered their share of losses on this side of the football, they simply haven’t met expectations; the Browns may have allowed the seventh-fewest total yards thus far (321.0), but they’ve given up 21.9 points per game (17th Overall), due in large part to struggling on third down and in the red zone where they’ve permitted generous success rates of 40.6% (21st Overall) and 68.1% (28th Overall). That of course, has played no small role in the fact that they’ve lost six of their eight games by six points or less. But hey, it’s not all doom and gloom for Cleveland, who if a few things break their way can still make the playoffs. First, both the Bengals and Ravens have to lose this weekend, while Stefanski’s troops must win out, which would include a sweep of Cincinnati, whom they manhandled in a 41-16 encounter back in early November. Second, after dealing with this latest outbreak they should be returning to as close to full strength as they’ve been in a long time; (Defensive End) Jadaveon Clowney (29 TKL, 9 TFL, 15 QBH, 5.0 SK, 2 PD), (Offensive Linemen) Jedrick Wills and J.C. Tretter, and the aforementioned Hunt are all out of COVID protocols, while (All-Pro Defensive End) Myles Garrett (49 TKL, 16 TFL, 29 QBH, 15.0 SK, 1 FF, 1FR, 3 PD, 1 TD), (Defensive Tackle) Malik Jackson (25 TKL, 2 TFL, 7 QBH, 0.5 SK, 4 PD), (Rookie Cornerback) Greg Newsome (26 TKL, 7 PD), and (Safety) John Johnson (59 TKL, 1 TFL, 2 QBH, 0.5 SK, 1 FF, 3 INT, 5 PD) are all expected to play despite nagging ailments. Tonight’s clash with the Steelers is the 141st between the two rivals and their first on Monday Night Football since 1995. As you can imagine, Cleveland hasn’t appeared on too many Monday nights over the last decade, though have played in four in the last three years, losing all but one, including that matchup with the Raiders, which was initially scheduled to be played on a Saturday only to be pushed back due to the Browns having so many players mired in protocols. When these teams crossed paths in late October at FirstEnergy Stadium, the hosts failed to mount much offense en route to coming up short in a 15-10 slugfest in which they could muster just 306 total yards and only ninety-six via the run, while converting a dismal 3-of-10 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth. After missing the previous week due that shoulder injury, Mayfield returned to face Pittsburgh, only to complete 20-of-31 passes for 225 yards, though was pressured eleven times, hurried on four occasions, hit six more, and suffered four sacks. However, he would have two late opportunities to retake the lead but was denied on each attempt; an eight-play, 59-yard drive ended at the visitor’s 32-yard line as Landry was stripped of the football, before their final possession concluded on a fourth and twelve from their opponent’s 26-yard line, with Mayfield’s short pass over the middle to Landry deflected into the grass.
Meanwhile, the Steelers (7-7-1, 3rd in AFC North) are also clinging to faint playoff hopes, and it’s for that reason that tonight’s home finale will also serve as the last time that (veteran Quarterback) Ben Roethlisberger (65.2%, 3,373 YDS, 5.74 NY/A, 20 TD, 8 INT, 38.5 QBR) will don that familiar black and yellow jersey in front of the home crowd at Heinz Field. Though he’s flirted with the idea of retirement for years now, the 39-year-old finally confirmed that this will be it for him, ending a very successful 18-year marriage with the franchise that drafted him no. eleven overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. Remarkably one of the more underappreciated Quarterbacks of this modern era, Big Ben has compiled a stellar 163-81-1 record (.665) in Pittsburgh, including eleven postseason appearances, eight division titles, three AFC Championships, and a pair of Lombardi trophies (2005 and 2008), while amassing 63,721 passing yards (5th all-time) and 416 touchdowns (8th all-time), with forty fourth quarter comebacks (3rd all-time) and fifty-two game-winning drives (3rd all-time), and has earned six Pro-Bowl nods in a conference that featured (Hall of Famers) Peyton Manning and Tom Brady throughout the bulk of his career. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and if you’ve watched much of this team this season, then it’s hard to notice that Roethlisberger has been rather hard to watch. While he’s proven capable of bursts of that old magic, they’ve been few and far between, with the grizzled veteran looking like an aging boxer that has taken too many hits. Simply put, he hasn’t aged gracefully, and the numbers confirm it; after throwing thirty-three touchdowns last year, he’s tossed just twenty thus far, which is the fewest that he’s totaled in any campaign in which he’s started at least eleven games dating back to 2010, while his QBR has plummeted to a career-low 38.5. Furthermore, his arm strength has continued to wane since undergoing Tommy John surgery two years ago, while his mobility has all but vanished; behind a completely rebuilt Offensive Line he has been sacked thirty-five times equating to a percentage of 6.4%, with both figures representing the highest he’s seen since 2013. Granted, this Steelers side hasn’t done him many favors, for injuries and a persistent rash of COVID has wreaked havoc upon the roster, with (Head Coach) Mike Tomlin rarely afforded the luxury of having his troops at full strength. As a result, an annually stout defense has been anything but this season, allowing 24.7 points per game (22nd Overall) on 368.7 total yards (26th Overall), marred by the worst run defense that they’ve had in years, permitting a league-worst 142.7 yards versus the rush (32nd Overall), which would be good for their worst showing on this side of the football since 1988. Look no further than last weekend’s 36-10 debacle at Arrowhead to see how far they’ve fallen; the visitors relinquished twenty-four unanswered points on the hosts’ first four drives, en route to getting torched for 381 total yards and being on the field for an exhausting 34:42 of gametime. (Defensive Ends) Tyson Alulu and Stephon Tuitt have languished on Injured Reserve virtually all season, while (All-Pro Edge-Rusher) T.J. Watt (54 TKL, 17 TFL, 31 QBH, 17.5 SK, 4 FF, 3 FR, 4 PD) has admirably played through shoulder and arm injuries to lead the NFL with 17.5 sacks. What we have at this moment in time is a franchise very much in transition and knowing for years now that said transition was coming, stubbornly kicked the proverbial can down the line, and now that bill is coming due. Indeed, there are a lot of difficult questions that the Rooney family must answer in the offseason. Without a viable succession plan in place, how do they replace Roethlisberger? Do they keep longtime General Manager, Kevin Cobert in place for a rebuild? Will Tomlin, who has presided over the last fifteen years of Steelers football leave for a new challenge? The winds of change will be blowing hard through Western Pennsylvania, and it will be absolutely fascinating to see how it all unfolds. Getting back to tonight’s farewell to Big Ben, it’s fitting that his final home game will be against the Browns for a variety of reasons. Of course, the Ohio native has enjoyed what many Quarterbacks would consider a stellar career unto itself against his hometown team, besting them in all but three of their twenty-eight encounters, averaging 241.9 passing yards on 7.8 net yards per attempt with forty-five touchdowns opposed to twenty-five turnovers. However, last January’s wild loss at home to Cleveland on Wild Card Weekend ended with the veteran on the bench in tears alongside (former Center) Maurkice Pouncey, who retired after the loss. When he last faced off against the Browns, Roethlisberger rallied his teammates back from a slow start to stun the hosts late in the second half, with back-to-back touchdown drives of seventy-eight and eight-three yards. The first saw him complete 6-of-7 passes for sixty-three yards with (Rookie Tailback) Najee Harris (335 TCH, 1,406 YDS, 4.2 Y/T, 9 TD) breaking the end zone with an eight-yard run, before going 5-of-7 for seventy-three yards on the following possession, hitting (Rookie Tight End) Pat Freiermuth (49 REC, 422 YDS, 8.6 Y/R, 7 TD) for the winning score. And how fitting is it that Roethlisberger’s last ride at Heinz Field comes on Monday Night Football, where the Steelers have been virtually invincible? Since the league’s national showcase debuted back in 1970, Pittsburgh is a ridiculous 28-5 at home on Monday nights, winning NINETEEN consecutive contests in Western Pennsylvania, a streak that dates all the way back to 1991. Overall, the Black & Yellow have logged FIFTY wins all-time on Monday Night Football, tied with the 49ers for most in NFL history, with Roethlisberger accounting for seventeen of them. Big Ben is 91-31 all-time at Heinz Field, which is the third-most victories by any Quarterback at a single venue, trailing the aforementioned Brady and Drew Brees on that list. With a loss officially eliminating them from the playoff race, what will Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger have in store for all those terrible towels tonight? Get your popcorn, folks…