PITTSBURGH ― A 27-6 loss like the one the Browns took at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 1 will make anyone look inward. At least, it should for any group with pride in their work.
The Browns' defense takes a lot of pride in their work. However, their work specifically against the Steelers' run game was a major reason why they left with their tail between their legs and their 23rd consecutive regular-season loss in Pittsburgh.
"It's one of those things where it's like it's on us," linebacker Quincy Williams said after the Browns fell out of a first-place tie in the AFC North with the Steelers. "We gotta look at ourselves in the mirror to see how we played. What did we give them type-mindset. Did they earn it or did we give it to them? How did we play? So we're gonna go back and look at the film."
There is exactly one stat that puts the Steelers' performance against the Browns into full context. It's their rushing numbers.
Pick a rushing stat by Pittsburgh, and it's cringy. All of the following are season highs for the Browns defense:
200 net rushing yards
6.1 yards per attempt average
143 rushing yards on 17 carries for running back Jaylen Warren
102 rushing yards on 1...