Steelers terrible game plan, QB play cost them key game against Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been stealing games all season by playing mistake-free football and not giving the game away.

On Sunday, they gave away a 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns in a huge AFC North matchup.

Not because of turnovers or poor defensive play, but because of an incompetent offensive game plan and even worse play from quarterback Kenny Pickett.

The Steelers' passing game has been one of the worst in the NFL all season, and it reached a new low on Sunday when Pickett threw for just 106 yards, with most of them coming on a last second completion as they attempted a lateral play as time expired.

It was obvious all day that the offensive line was not capable of slowing down the Browns' pass rush, and it was even more obvious that Pickett was unable to make any throws down field. 

Also obvious? For the third straight week their running game was gaining traction and making plays, especially with second-year player Jaylen Warren touching the ball. Warren finished the day with 129 yards rushing on nine carries, including a 74-yard touchdown run to open the second half.

Despite all of that, the Steelers still ended up finishing the day with a huge split toward the pass in their overall play calls.

They asked Pickett to drop back 33 times (27 pass attempts, three sacks and three passing plays that resulted in Pickett scrambling) and only handed the ball off to their running backs 21 times. Given how bad the passing game and how successful the ground game was (and has been) it is difficult to comprehend what the Steelers were trying to accomplish here. 

Not only with the play-calling, but also the player usage.

Even though he made the Steelers' biggest plays of the game, Warren still touched the ball less than Najee Harris despite being far more explosive (in this game and for the season). 

Every time the Steelers needed to rely on Pickett to pass, he came up small. Over the past two weeks he has thrown for just 232 combined yards (and zero touchdowns). 

The Steelers' unwillingness to commit further to the run is even more baffling given that they have rushed for 543 yards over the past three games, including Sunday's game in Cleveland. 

Had they simply asked Pickett to do less and leaned more heavily on their running backs — especially Warren — they probably would have won the football game.

As it stands now they are 6-4 and are the No. 7 playoff seed in the AFC. 

They get another opportunity against a backup quarterback next week in Cincinnati against a Bengals team that is 30th in the NFL in rushing defense. We will see if the Steelers have learned anything from their mistakes with the way they call that game.