What We Saw: Week 2 Monday Night Edition

Browns @ Steelers

Final Score: Steelers 26, Browns 22

Writer: Chad Simpson (CaoChadTTV on Twitter)

 

Sung to the tune of the Married with Children theme- injuries and turnovers, injuries and turnovers they go together like Deshaun Watson and flipping over.

That was the story of the game: Nick Chubb‘s season is over, Minkah Fitzpatrick was lost for the game and is week to week with a chest contusion after being part of the scary Chubb incident that ended Chubb’s season and sent Minkah to the hospital, Denzel Ward got hurt for a bit, Elandon Roberts got hurt lining up for a play, Kenny Pickett got roughed up and Greg Newsome got hurt. On the turnover side, Watson had a pick 6 and fumble 6, and Pickett had a bad pick of his own, but at the end of the day the Steelers survived.

Three Up

• George Pickens – His touchdown changed the atmosphere of the game. That is something only special players can do.
• Alex Highsmith– Alex set the tone with an opening play pick 6 and sealed the game with a forced fumble that went back for 6.
• Jerome Ford – I’d have to go back and watch but factoring in the number of cut backs and movement cross field on so many of his plays he may have run for over 300 yards in actual running. Get the kid a Gatorade

Three Down

• Deshaun Watson – Singlehandedly gave the Steelers 14 of their points
• Nick Chubb owners – It’s going to be a long season
• Calvin Austin – The talent is certainly there to be something special but he needs to make a bigger impact in games like tonight

 

Cleveland Browns

 

Quarterback

 

Deshaun Watson:  22/40, 235 Yards, TD, INT | 6 Carries, 22 Yards, 2 Fumble (Lost)

Watson in spurts looked like peak Texans Watson. That profile is great for fantasy but doesn’t always translate to on-field success. Watson was frequently inaccurate, with Elijah Moore making about 7 amazing non-catches. Now with Nick Chubb seemingly done for the season the microscope will be squarely on Watson.

Notes

• Instant hole dug with 1st throw pick 6
• Showcased his mobility on 2nd drive with a rollout checkdown to Cooper and a first down run
• Throws great block on Jerome Ford 70 yard run.
• Runs in a 2pt conversion
• Should have been picked, a bad deep ball late in the 3rd that could’ve derailed the game.
• Game altering fumble 6 to give the lead back to the Steelers in the 4th.
• Embarassingly bad throw on 3rd down with the game on the line.
• With the game on the line struggling to muster any momentum despite to his credit managing to keep plays alive far longer than should be humanly possible.
• Ends the game with another bad throw out of bounds.

Missed Opportunities

• Couldn’t capitalize on red zone opportunity to bounce back from pick 6
• Couldn’t capitalize on Pickett INT inside the 25 instead providing a 3 and out with a missed FG where his best throw was a missile that if the 1st down marker was a WR would be an accurate pass.

 

Running Back

 

Nick Chubb: 10 Carries, 64 Yards

Horrific Knee injury ends explosive start and likely his season. Really don’t want to do my job and talk more about this guy right now, just absolutely gutted.

Notes

• Grinding Steelers defense on 2nd drive into the red zone.
• Looks like the only viable offensive weapon on either team through one quarter.
• Back to back chunk plays with numerous broken tackles.
• Horrific, likely season ending injury.

 

Jerome Ford:  16 Carries, 106 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 25 Yards, TD

Ford frequently gave me flashbacks to D’Ernest Johnson in 2021, relieving Chubb and going absolutely nuclear. Headed for a timeshare with Pierre Strong or lesser role if outside help is acquired. Monitor Ford’s usage next and  going forward but he is  must own until something changes.

Notes

• Scores a solemn TD the play after the Chubb injury
• Follows up with an interesting two point conversion that might say something about the kicker situation after an earlier missed FG
• Amazing job cutting cross field before hitting the jets for a 70 yard run(80ish with the crossfield run) to the goal line.
• Showing electric playmaking ability that reminds me of the D’ernest Johnson starts that had us thinking he was a future star.

Missed Opportunities

• Gets TD vultured by Strong while winded after run

 

Pierre Strong Jr:  2 Carries, 1 Yard, TD | 1 Target

Strong didn’t do a ton after the Chubb injury, working mostly in the passing game and to give Ford a breather after giant plays. Strong did manage to vulture a TD and looks to have a clear role until outside help is acquired.

Notes

• Vultures goal line TD

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Amari Cooper: 10 Targets, 7 Receptions, 90 Yards

Cooper had a very middling night. He ended up leading the game in receptions on the few clean wide open spots Watson found but never had to do much or try to do much as they were always right on the sideline or instant tackles. That makes it hard to know how much of an issue the groin will be going forward.

Notes

• Tough catch to start 4th quarter

 

Elijah Moore: 1 Carry, 5 Yards | 9 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards

Elijah Moore busted his butt all night making highlight grab after highlight grab; unfortunately most of them didn’t count. If Watson can get going, Moore looks to be a key cog in the offense.

Missed Opportunities

• Great catch just barely negated by a toe on the sideline
• Another high degree of difficulty catch that meant nothing because it was out of bounds.

 

Donovan Peoples-Jones: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

DPJ disappeared on a night where defense and injuries ran rampant.

 

David Njoku: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 48 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)

Nightmare game for Njoku. Saw sporadic action before helping in the Browns squandering of the game late with his fumble.

Notes

• Shows up with tackle breaking big play late in 2nd quarter.
• Potentially backbreaking fumble in 4th quarter up 3.

 

David Bell: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 27 Yards

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

 

Quarterback

 

Kenny Pickett: 15/30, 222 Yards, TD, INT | 4 Carries, -6 Yards

Pickett has bad night but makes the clutch throws when it matters. Pickett struggled with the defense all night but a home run pass to George Pickens and another key throw into 1 on 1 coverage by Denzel Ward played a huge role in giving the Steelers a chance to take back this game with their defense.

Notes

• Squanders early lead with 3rd down pick inside own 25
• Best moment of his season as he makes a great read, stays in and takes a heck of a shot to deliver a pass to Pickens that ended up housed for 71 yards.
• Perfect throw into tight window vs Denzel Ward
• Almost throws another opening drive pick this time in the 2nd half on his 1st throw only for the defender to drop the easy pick.
• Horrible keep on 3rd and 1, part bad decision by Pickett, part horrible play-calling from Matt “probably friends with Nathaniel Hackett” Canada.

 

Running Back

 

Najee Harris: 10 Carries, 43 Yards | 3 Targets, 1 Reception

Najee looks toast with zero playmaking ability. Najee with the exception of a brief sequence in the 3rd looked absolutely shot. I mentioned on the QB List Discord that it really feels like the Steelers are speedrunning recreating Zeke and Pollard with Najee as Zeke and Warren as Pollard.

Notes

• Seemed to suddenly wake like Sleeping Beauty and turns in 2 great plays b2b late in the 3rd.

 

Jaylen Warren: 6 Carries, 20 Yards | 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 66 Yards

Warren looked explosive and vibrant in contrast to the flurry of 0 yard runs by Harris. Unless Harris finds the fountain of youth we will continue to see Warren overtake him.

Notes

• Continues to look more explosive than Najee through one quarter.
• With Chubb out Warren inherited his powers as most explosive player on either offense with a massive play into open field

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

George Pickens: 10 Targets, 4 Receptions, 127 Yards, TD

Pickens has monster TD that changed tone of the game. The Steelers looked worse than they did in Week 1 and everything was falling apart until Pickens hit that 71 yard TD. Pickens will continue to dominate the looks in the offense with Diontae out.

Notes

• Explodes for a 71 yard TD on a rare great throw from Pickett.

 

Pat Friermuth:  1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards

Missing in action in week 2. The lack of red zone action in this game likely played a large role in his lack of production.

 

Allen Robinson II:  3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 12 Yards

Robinson ghosts in week 2. Better weeks ahead.

 

Calvin Austin III: 1 Carry -2 Yards | 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

Austin had an impressive hard earned catch against Ward but could not capitalize on Diontae Johnson being out.

Notes

• Makes clutch catch in tough 1 on 1 coverage against Denzel Ward.