The Pittsburgh Steelers took care of business with a 27-6 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 8 to take control of the AFC North at 6-2 heading into their bye week, and there were plenty of role players involved in the victory. As Jaylen Warren continued to dominate on the field, Steelers TE Darnell Washington led their offense with the team’s highest Pro Football Focus rating, while Daylen Everette and Yahya Black led the way defensively.
OFFENSIVE GRADES PFF VS. BROWN
1. TE Darnell Washington (91.8)
2. running back Jaylen Warren (87.5)
3. WR Brandon Johnson (77.1)
4. C Zach Frazier (73.3)
5. TE Pat Freiermuth (72.8)
DEFENSIVE GRADES PFF VS. BROWN
1. CB Daylen Everette (98.0)
2. NT Yahya Black (82.6)
3. LB Patrick Queen (75.6)
4. EDGE Nick Herbig (73.1)
5. DT Cam Heyward (72.5)
While Everette only played nine snaps, he had two tackles and a forced fumble. His score might not have been a near-perfect 98.0 if he had played more snaps, but he had a big impact in the win, including the forced fumble on Cleveland’s first drive that really set the tone. Washington had a career-high 94 receiving yards, which led the team, while Brandon Johnson had his first catch of the season in 10 snaps.
Spencer Anderson just missed the top five offensively with an overall rating of 72.7, while S Robert Spears-Jennings had the sixth-highest defensive rating with 71.4. Although PFF grades weren’t kind to Kevin Jobity Jr. (54.4), he recorded his first NFL sack. Before Week 1, I doubt many people would have seen Everette, Johnson, Anderson, Spears-Jennings and Jobity playing key roles on a 6-2 Steelers team.
Some grades this week seemed way too low, including EDGE Alex Highsmith (55.1), DL Keeanu Benton (63.4), and EDGE TJ Watt (63.2). OT Troy Fautanu (61.4) also appears to be a tough mark. But in the end, the Steelers were victorious and a plethora of players stepped up. Black continued his rise, as he played some of his best football over the last few weeks, Queen was a completely different player (for the better) over the last two weeks, and their physicality and running game carried the Steelers to the top of the AFC North.
This week’s grades reflect that and also reflect some of the young, overlooked talent that has helped this team deal with injuries, and it’s certainly a good sign to see rookies like Spears-Jennings and Everette having a positive impact so early in their careers. The Steelers are going to be counting on some of these guys, especially these two, to be future starters, and so far the early returns are exciting.
Gn sports
