Browns Playoffs: 3 players who need to step up against the Steelers
By Chad Porto
The Cleveland Browns are back in the playoffs, facing off with the Steelers but in order to win on Sunday, these three players need to step up.
The Cleveland Browns could be going the first week of the playoffs without a lot of key talent and personnel. That means relying on players who you wouldn’t normally rely on to win games. That’s the situation the Browns find themselves in now, however. A play where untested, unproven, or even outmatched players will need to be key cogs in a Browns win.
It’s hard to imagine, but not impossible.
These are the players that need to step up against the Steelers on Sunday night.
The starter at left guard
Right now the starter at guard is assumed to be former AAF and XFL player Michael Dunn. There’s every chance in the world Dunn razzles and dazzles, after all, look at Wyatt Teller’s ascension, but the odds aren’t in his or our favor. To be able to defeat the Steelers Dunn, or whoever starts, will have to be able to play as well as Chris Hubbard. Which is to say, better than Nick Harris or Kendall Lamm.
It’s not a fair thing to ask of anyone, but Dunn is a professional of three leagues now, and if anyone can fill in you’d think it would be him. For Dunn, replacing Joel Bitonio won’t be easy. Bitonio is easily one of the ten best guards in football, just behind Teller. The difference is Bitonio can stay healthy, and Teller has had an issue with that. That said, the Browns were used to running the ball right side, using Jack Conklin and Teller as their primary blockers for the running game. That will more than likely appear to be the case again.
Now they just need Dunn to hold his blocks and not let Nick Chubb get hit behind the line on run plays or let Baker Mayfield get sacked on pass plays.