4 Takeaways from Steelers' Week 6 Win
The Pittsburgh Steelers remained perfect with a Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Mike Tomlin's team did not allow its AFC North rival to take any control of the contest, as it held the Browns to 220 total yards and a single score from late in the second quarter.
For the second straight week, the Steelers put up 38 points and received a solid showing from Chase Claypool, who is quickly becoming a reliable threat. The same can't be said right now about JuJu Smith-Schuster, whose totals have dried up through five games.
Most of the takeaways from Sunday's game were positive, but the Steelers suffered a key loss, with Devin Bush reportedly suffering a season-ending injury.
While it will be tough to replace the 2019 first-round pick's impact, Pittsburgh had some of its reserves step up and make plays in the second half.
Chase Claypool Backs Up Breakout Performance
Sometimes a newcomer's star can fizzle out after a breakout performance, but that does not appear to be the case with Claypool.
The rookie out of Notre Dame caught all four of his targets for 74 yards and ran in a touchdown for the second straight week.
With 184 receiving yards in the past two weeks, Claypool broke out to a significant advantage as the team's top receiver in front of Smith-Schuster. Claypool has 335 yards off 17 catches, while Smith-Schuster owns 194 yards from 23 receptions.
Former Pittsburgh defensive back and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark pointed out Sunday that Claypool "is a problem" for other teams.
There does not appear to be a drop off in production in sight for the second-round pick since he can be used in a variety of ways.
Of course, the first is Ben Roethlisberger targeting him down field, but if he continues to score on rushing plays in the red zone, he could finish 2020 as the Steelers' top offensive weapon.
JuJu Smith-Schuster's Production Remains Low
Smith-Schuster likely still has something to say about Claypool being the top man in the offense, but it is concerning that he struggled to reach 50 receiving yards for the fourth straight week.
Dating back to Week 9 of 2019, Smith-Schuster has a single 50-plus-yard performance. That occurred in Week 1 against the New York Giants, when he had 69 yards and two touchdowns.
Injuries played a role in his production dipping last year, but in 2020, the development of wide receivers beneath him on the depth chart seems to be the main reason for his lack of high totals. Five Pittsburgh players have more than 140 receiving yards. Smith-Schuster has the smallest yards-per-reception total of the quintet.
It is not time to panic with Smith-Schuster since he still leads the team in targets (28) and receptions (23), but the big plays and abundance of touchdowns are not there yet.
Robert Spillane Impresses in Place of Devin Bush
Pittsburgh suffered a tough injury blow in Week 6, when Bush went down in the second quarter with what ESPN's Adam Schefter reported to be a torn ACL.
Bush made 16 solo tackles, had three passes defended, two quarterback hits and a sack in five games.
Robert Spillane entered the game for Bush and turned in a solid performance with five solo tackles and a tackle for loss. Tomlin commended Spillane's effort on special teams as one of the factors that led to him stepping right in on defense to make some tackles, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor.
Prior to Week 6, Spillane had a single tackle in his three-year NFL career and was primarily used on special teams.
If the Steelers receive a handful of decent performances from Spillane in the coming weeks, it will soften the blow of losing Bush for the season.
Dominance over Browns Creates Momentum Ahead of Tough Stretch
Sunday's victory moved the Steelers' record against Cleveland to 17-3-1 in the past 21 meetings.
While the win may have been expected by some, there was no guarantee of it happening with Cleveland off to a fast start.
The way in which the Steelers won asserted their dominance atop the AFC North. They forced a pair of turnovers, made quarterback Baker Mayfield feel uncomfortable with four sacks and two interceptions and held the visitors to 75 rushing yards.
The victory was important from an AFC North perspective to keep the Browns in the rearview mirror and to remain ahead of the Baltimore Ravens. It was also significant because it gave the Steelers a boost heading into one of the most difficult stretches of the NFL season.
After winning four straight home games, Pittsburgh is away from Heinz Field for four of its next five games, and the first two contests are against the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens.
The ideal way to enter that stretch is off the best defensive performance of the season. The Steelers will need more dominance on that side of the ball to deal with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson in the upcoming weeks.
Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.