The Steelers came into Sunday’s game with a 4-0 record, but they weren’t happy with the way their defense played late in last week’s win over the Eagles.
There wasn’t much to dislike about this week’s outing. They allowed the Browns 220 yards while intercepting Baker Mayfield twice and racking up four sacks in a 38-7 win that keeps them at the top of the AFC North.
Head coach Mike Tomlin called his team’s performance “varsity ball” after the game and specifically praised the way the defense kept the Browns from extending drives.
“Part of being good in this league is identifying problems and eliminating them, hopefully before they happen but once they happen you have to eliminate them quickly,” Tomlin said, via the team’s website. “We acknowledge that third down was an issue for us last week defensively. I thought they answered that challenge well and emphatically today. It was necessary to slow down a dangerous Browns attack, one that had been ringing up a bunch of points per game. Just can’t say enough about the effort all the way around in all three phases of the game.”
The Ravens had their own issues closing out the Eagles this Sunday and are up next for the Steelers.