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Sunday, November 11, 2001

Compiled by Gerry Dulac

TV: KDKA, WTRF, WTAJ, WKBN

Radio: WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970)

Browns run offense vs. Steelers run defense

Browns rank 28th in the NFL

Steelers rank 3rd in the NFL

One of the things Butch Davis wanted to do when he took over as Browns coach was change the emphasis of the offense. So the Browns, who employed a West Coast throwing offense under Chris Palmer, switched to a run-oriented attack under Davis. That's one of the reasons he drafted running back James Jackson, who played for him at the University of Miami, and signed guards Tre Johnson (Washington) and Ross Verba (Green Bay) in free agency. Jackson is a darting, slashing runner who leads the team with 417 yards on 141 carries and two touchdowns. Johnson, though, played in only three games before sustaining a season-ending injury and being placed on injured reserve, one of 11 players the Browns have on the injured list. The Steelers have done a terrific job of shutting down opponents' running games. The Steelers are letting rookie nose tackle Casey Hampton play more instead of rotating him with Kendrick Clancy every other series.

Edge: Steelers

Browns pass offense vs. Steelers pass defense

Browns rank 27th in the NFL

Steelers rank 1st in the NFL

The Browns have changed the passing attack to suit quarterback Tim Couch's strengths, emphasizing shorter high-percentage passes. Couch has completed 106 of 183 passes for 1,320 yards and 10 touchdowns. He threw 120 passes without an interception until he was picked off in overtime for the winning touchdown against the Bears. Couch has been sacked 21 times this season, and the Steelers (16 sacks in the past three games) will try to bring pressure up the middle, forcing Couch to move out of the pocket. It could be a big day for rookie inside linebacker Kendrell Bell, who has been used on a lot of blitzes because he is inexperienced in pass coverage. The key will be how well cornerback Chad Scott shuts down wide receiver Kevin Johnson and takes away the deep pass. The Steelers have allowed just one pass longer than 34 yards since the second quarter of the season opener, and that was a meaningless 44-yarder late in the game against Tennessee. Johnson has 33 catches for 494 yards and five touchdowns. The Steelers have allowed just one 200-yard passing game this season, by Tampa Bay's Brad Johnson.

Edge: Steelers

Steelers run offense vs. Browns run defense

Steelers rank 1st in the NFL

Browns rank 18th in the NFL

After failing to have 100-yard games against the Titans and Ravens the past two weeks, Jerome Bettis should enjoy a big game against the Browns because they try to make a lot of big plays in the backfield with their young defensive line. But, against the Steelers' top-ranked rushing attack, the mantra for the Browns is gap control: making sure defensive linemen such as rookie No. 1 draft pick Gerard Warren stay in their rush lanes and not try to tackle Bettis one-on-one. The Browns, though, will be without middle linebacker Wali Rainer (sprained ankle) and will use outside linebacker Brant Boyer in the middle. That could make the Browns vulnerable to inside runs by Bettis, who has 703 yards on 135 carries and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. The Browns allow an average of 116.9 rushing yards per game.

Edge: Steelers

Steelers pass offense vs. Browns pass defense

Steelers rank 28th in the NFL

Browns rank 9th in the NFL

Quarterback Kordell Stewart has played well in each of his past two games and is starting to make plays downfield, something that wasn't happening earlier in the season. But Stewart has to be careful to protect the ball because the Browns like to gamble in the secondary, a reason they lead the NFL with 16 interceptions. Plaxico Burress, who had 10 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown in his past two games, will get a good matchup against cornerback Daylon McCutcheon, who is 5 feet 10 and giving away eight inches to Burress. Cornerback Corey Fuller is playing with a sprained ankle. The Browns will try to help on Burress with safety Percy Ellsworth, who is 6-2 and has the best vertical leap in the secondary. The best matchup of the day is right tackle Marvel Smith against defensive end Courtney Brown, who had three sacks last week against the Bears in his first game of the season. He had been out with a knee injury. Brown lines up primarily on the right side, but the Browns will use him on the left side as well with defensive end Keith McKenzie out for the season.

Edge: Browns

These have been problems for the Steelers. They've already had three kicks -- two punts and a field goal -- blocked or tipped this season. Kicker Kris Brown, who had converted 62 of 73 career field-goal attempts (84.9 percent), missed four consecutive attempts against the Ravens. They're getting poor field position from their kick-return unit, which ranks 29th in the league with an average return of 18.6 yards. As bad as they're aching, the Steelers will get no soothing relief from Cleveland's Ben Gay, who is seventh in the AFC with a 24.5-yard kick-return average. The Browns have one of the best punters in the league, Chris Gardocki, and kicker Phil Dawson does not kick long, but he's accurate.

Edge: Browns

The Browns have won two of the past three meetings with the Steelers and are determined to bounce back from their heartbreaking loss in Chicago. The Steelers are 3-1 on the road and do not want to let the Browns interfere with their playoff aspirations again this year.

Edge: Browns

This will be a test to see which coach gets their team to bounce back from a tough loss. Butch Davis has a more difficult chore after what happened last week in Chicago because his players will look to their first-year coach for leadership. Bill Cowher's only mistake last week was playing conservatively in the fourth quarter and getting away from all the offensive trickery that had been so difficult to defend.

Edge: Steelers

To win, the Browns must ...

1. Maintain their rush lanes against Bettis. Their young defensive line has to avoid trying to make big plays and concentrate on gang-tackling the Bus.

2. Make big plays on offense. That's about the only way they're going to score against a Steelers defense that has allowed a league-low 78 points.

3. Convert on third down. They haven't been doing that, converting just one of their past 20 and three of their past 31 third-down opportunities.

To win, the Steelers must ...

1. Improve their special-teams play. It cost them big-time against the Ravens, a game the Steelers should have won.

2. Take chances downfield. They should be able to get yards on first down and set up favorable second-and-short situations.

3. Get Kris Brown back on the bike. The Steelers need their kicker to get off to a good start after he missed four consecutive field-goal attempts against the Ravens.