Browns Playoffs: 3 keys to victory against the Steelers

The Cleveland Browns are going in short-handed against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they can still win and these are three keys to that victory.

Despite the lack of players and coaches going to Pittsburgh on Sunday for the Browns showdown against the Steelers, the crew from Cleveland aren’t out of this game. Not by a long shot. This team has the tools to succeed and to win but they need to execute and avoid turnovers.

With Kevin Stefanski and Joel Bitonio out for the game, and whoever else may be ruled out by then, the Browns need to focus on using the players they do have and adapting their system accordingly. Pretending that your team isn’t down some key players isn’t going to work. There is notable talent missing and you have to adjust to compensate for that.

Which three areas of the game do the Browns need to be perfect (or near-perfect) at in order to get the “W”?

Well, let’s take a look at them.

Attack Ben Roethlisberger

This is obvious. Go after Ben Roethlisberger all day. Hit him hard and hit him often. Blitz corners, send linebackers up the middle, just attack. Relying on the secondary to make plays is a fool’s errand that hasn’t really done the job at any other time this year. Giving Roethlisberger all day to throw is going to be an exercise in futility.

Be bold, and be brave. Don’t be afraid to get beat if you’re rushing more than four. The secondary is beyond wrecked and has proven to not be up to stopping many passers. The Steelers have no real offense outside of Roethlisberger, so if you can stop him, you stop their chances.