25. Steelers-Browns Recap: Pittsburgh Has an Identity Problem

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance to head into their mini-bye at 3-1 and atop the AFC North. Instead, they leave Cleveland 2-2 after a frustrating 27-24 loss to the Browns. In Episode 25 of the Pittsburgh Football Podcast, Chris breaks down an incredibly inconsistent night for Pittsburgh. The Steelers opened the game looking dominant, disappeared for much of the next two quarters, and finally came alive again late — only for the defense to surrender the game-winning field goal in the final seconds. Chris breaks down what went wrong, the Browns’ ability to pressure Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf finally stretching the field vertically, and why Pittsburgh needs to lean much more heavily on Jaylen Warren, Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and a physical offensive identity. There are also major questions defensively. The secondary struggled without Joey Porter Jr., explosive plays continue to be a problem, and Pittsburgh may eventually have to look outside the organization for help at cornerback. Plus, what should we make of all the visible frustration on the Steelers sideline? Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy exchanged words, T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward were visibly frustrated, and the entire team appeared increasingly agitated as the night went along. Finally, Chris looks ahead at a critical four-game stretch before the bye and explains why the Steelers still have an opportunity to turn things around — but need to start stacking wins immediately. -- Subscribe everywhere » https://pittsburghfootballpodcast.transistor.fm/subscribe  PFP Website » https://pittsburghfootballpodcast.com/ Join our Mailing List! » https://mailchi.mp/f0b2fd6460f5/pittsburgh-football-podcast-mailing-list-sign-up  -- TIME STAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction 05:02 - An up and down game, quarter by quarter 16:47 - The Steelers looked FRUSTRATED all game 22:41 - The Steelers offense lacks an identity 29:41 - Clear problems on defense (that are hard to fix) 34:32 - The next four games for the Steelers are MASSIVE