The Browns actually played hard in this game but they were just overmatched personnel wise by the Steelers.  Derek Anderson was awful as usual completing 9 of 24 passes for 122 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  He also lost two fumbles in this game as he was just plain putrid.  The Browns ran the WildCat formation a lot in this game and it worked some.  Josh Cribbs was the leading rusher for the Browns in this game with 45 yards on only 6 carries (7.5 ypc).  He also threw 2 passes completing 0 with a drive killing interception in the first half of the game deep in Steelers’ territory.  Jerome Harrison should have gotten the ball a few more times as he had 26 yards rushing on 5 carries (5.2 ypc).  Jamal Lewis had a rough time in this game with only 21 yards on 11 carries (1.9 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 15 yards.  Fullback Lawrence Vickers didn’t get any carries in this game but he did catch a 1-yard TD pass from Derek Anderson.  Rookie WR Mohamed Massaquoi led the Browns again in the passing game with 83 yards on 5 catches (16.6 avg).  The Browns only could muster 197 total yards on offense in this game (91 rushing, 106 passing) as they only had possession of the ball for 23:14!

The Browns’ D forced 4 turnovers in this game which allowed to keep the Browns in firing distance in this game.  They also stopped the Steelers on a 4th and 1 right before the half in which the refs somehow gave Steelers a first down resulting in a field goal to put the Browns behind 17-7 and that changed the way the rest of the game was played.  Linebacker Eric Barton led the way for the Browns in this game with 12 tackles.  Safety Abram Elam was also effective in this game at least against the run as he finished up with 9 tackles and a fumble recovery.  OLB/DE David Bowens was also busy in this game as he finished with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 passs defensed, a QB sack and a QB hit.  The Steelers finished up with 543 total yards in this game (140 rushing, 403 passing) as they had the ball for 36:46!

The one area the Browns had a huge edge in as usual was special teams.  Josh Cribbs returned 3 kickoffs for 132 yards (44.0 avg) including a 98-yard return for a TD.  He also returned 1 punt for 26 yards.  The Steelers then decided to quit kicking to him which was smart on their part.

The Browns are now 1-5 on the season as they appear to be in the hunt for the first pick in the NFL Draft next April.  But, that was not the goal when the season started.