5 reasons the Cleveland Browns will upset the Pittsburgh Steelers

Limiting Brown

Welcome to the NFL, Denzel Ward. Your first task: Stop All-Pro Antonio Brown.

The rookie cornerback hasn’t appeared in a game since preseason Week 3, when he injured his back trying to make a tackle on the Eagles’ tight end.

Shutting down Brown would be nice, but in a game where al the advantages are given to the quarterback and receivers, it’d be unfair to expect Ward to blanket Brown’s production all game.

Here’s what he has to do, though: How about not letting Brown have a career day.

I just got done writing about Le’Veon Bell shaking off the rust. He was a non-factor in Week 1 last season, in which the Browns were competitive and had a shot to win…until Roethlisberger remembered he had Brown on his team.

Brown had 11 reception for a 182 yards and the Browns lost. No surprise.

But Ward can be the difference maker in this one.

It’s why the Ohio State product and Cleveland native was chosen fourth overall in the draft. When you’re taken that high, the expectation is that you’re going to ball out, especially considering you played a college whose proclaiming itself as “DBU.”

Across the secondary, Jabrill Peppers shouldn’t be lining up 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage as he’s been moved to strong safety. Now that he’s in the right spot, it’ll be worth watching to see if the former Wolverine lives up to his first-round draft status.

Damarious Randall returned to practice after getting banged up in the preseason and will man the free-safety position.

In his last three years as  corner, Randall surrendered 61.1 percent of his targets and a passer rating of 95.6 over his career.

He played free safety in college, and the hope is he can be better there than he was at corner.

Terrance Mitchell will start opposite Ward, and aside from making a name for himself for irritating Jarvis Landry on “Hard Knocks,” Mitchell is unproven. There’s a lot to like about it game, but it’s time for him to do when it counts.

Accuse Gregg Williams of hamming it up for the Hard Knocks’ cameras all you want, the guy has his defense humming entering Week 1 of the regular season.

And with unit led by second-year defensive end Myles Garrett, Browns fans are finally going to see if the 2017 No. 1 pick can make do his draft-night desire to sack Roethlisberger.

This is a unit that’s improved for the Browns, too, evidenced by their cuts over the weekend.

Gone are local legend Jamie Meder and regulars such as Carl Nassib and Nate Orchard.