Steelers’ Loss to Browns Has Fans Worried About Wild-Card Race in NFL Playoff Picture

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The fears about the Cleveland Browns after Deshaun Watson’s season-ending shoulder injury were well-founded on the basis of Sunday’s 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Browns entered the day sitting sixth in the AFC and occupying a wild-card position. Remaining in the top seven will be a challenge with how badly the offense struggled without Watson under center.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson at least stepped up when he needed to. He finished 24-of-43 for 165 yards and an interception and guided the Browns on an eight-play, 48-yard drive that culminated in Dustin Hopkins’ game-winning 34-yard field goal.

Still, Cleveland didn’t exactly look like a playoff-caliber team. Maybe Sunday’s formula of a stifling defense mixed with just enough from Thompson-Robinson will get the job done.

You’d at least rather been the Browns right now than the Steelers.

Pittsburgh won four of its last five games, all four coming by one score. A 6-3 record was flattering toward Mike Tomlin’s squad, and now its luck might be running out.

Kenny Pickett threw for his second-fewest yards (106) this year, while Jaylen Warren’s 74-yard touchdown run accounted for nearly a third of the Steelers’ total offensive output (249 yards).

Judging solely by the fan reaction, you’d be forgiven for thinking Pittsburgh was sitting near the bottom of the league. That frustration isn’t misplaced, though. Pickett in particular may have reached a point of no return.

Unlike with Cleveland, there’s little reason to think Pittsburgh’s offense will get any better.

Thompson-Robinson made only his second career start and only his first with a full week to prepare. Perhaps his performance will improve as he gets more and more seasoning. With as great as the defense is, the Browns don’t need elite QB play in order to get to the postseason.

Pickett, on the other hand, is into Year 2 and has been playing the same way all season. His ceiling simply isn’t very high, and the front office might need to wait until the offseason until it can make the kind of change that’s required.