Browns: 3 players who need to step up against the Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers poise to be a real test for the surging 4-1 Cleveland Browns but to win, these three players need big games.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are finally with in punching distance for the first time in 20 years. After the Browns owend the rivalry for decades, save for one stretch in the ’70s to call their own, the Steelers came back hard in the 2000s and 2010s to dominate the Browns. The 2020’s poise to be the generation when the Browns strike back.

The Steelers look good in their first four games but they’ve looked good against some of the worst offenses in the NFL. Even if someone like Baker Mayfield has a streaky day, his worst performance is still better than what the Steelers have seen all year.

So with that, let’s look at the three players that need to step up.

D’Ernest Johnson

Kareem Hunt isn’t having a great year by going up the gut. Hunt likes to break down his run, look for holes as they develop and bide his time. That’s great in open spaces but terrible up the gut. While a lot of people want to say that the Colts defense was just that good and that’s why Hunt struggled running up the middle, the truth is he’s struggled to do that all year. His best plays have come off of pitches, off tackle runs, and in the passing game. Not trying to be an inside runner.

D’Ernest Johnson, on the other hand, went right up the middle on the Colts and the Cowboys in Nick Chubb’s stead. Johnson will have to do that against the Steelers if the Browns have any hope of establishing a ground game against them.