Steelers “Studs and Duds” from Week 6 against the Browns
Steel City Underground’s “Studs and Duds” takes a look at the winners and losers from each of the Pittsburgh Steelers games during the 2020 season. Check with us after every game each week for our list, and to also see who climbed, or fell, down the rankings.
Studs
Bud Dupree
Edge defender Bud Dupree continued his stellar season with another dominant performance in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 38-7 win over the Cleveland Browns.
He picked up 2 more sacks in the game, bringing his season total up to 4.5, and disrupted the Browns’ rushing attack all game.
James Conner
Running back James Conner was arguably the best player on offense for the Steelers in this game
His physicality kept the offense moving against the Browns, converting several first downs on tough runs, and racking up 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
The Browns had Conner stuffed a full 2 yards behind the goal line on his touchdown run, but Conner fought his way into end zone, putting the Steelers up 17-0 in the 2nd quarter.
Cam Heyward
This was yet another game where you could feasibly name every player on the defensive line as a stud.
Defensive tackle Cam Heyward set the tone in this game with punishing hit after punishing hit. While he didn’t record a sack, his presence was felt by Baker Mayfield.
Stephon Tuitt
Defensive end Stephen Tuitt had an equally impressive game in the trenches.
The Browns came into Pittsburgh leading the league in rushing on the season, but Tuitt, along with Heyward and Dupree, played a huge role in holding Cleveland to just 75 yards on the ground, their lowest rushing total of the season.
Chase Claypool
Rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool followed his breakout game in week 5 with a strong performance against the Browns.
With Diontae Johnson ruled out, Claypool was asked to step up again, and he did, catching all 4 of his targets for 74 yards and picking up his 6th touchdown of the season on a 3 yard run.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick got the ball rolling for the Steelers with a 33 yard interception return for a touchdown on the Browns’ first possession of the game.
The pick gave the Steelers a double digit lead and momentum that they never relinquished in the game.
The Offensive Line
Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns was arguably the best performance of the season by the offensive line.
Myles Garrett came into Pittsburgh on a Defensive Player of the Year pace, but the Steelers managed to keep him away from Ben Roethlisberger and hold the Browns to 2 sacks in the game.
The line had an equally impressive performance in the running game, consistently opening holes and getting the push up front that James Conner took advantage of.
James Washington
Wide receiver James Washington had his most productive game of the season, by far, catching 4 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.
It wasn’t a huge performance but Washington has been relatively quiet this year and he burnt the Browns on a few deep passes in the game.
The Secondary
The secondary has received more than their fair share of criticism so far this season, but cornerbacks Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, Mike Hilton, and Cam Sutton, along with safeties Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick, shut down Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and the Cleveland wide receiving corps today.
They held Baker Mayfield to just 116 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions.
Duds
JuJu Smith-Schuster
It’s difficult to call any player a dud when the Steelers win by 31 points, but Juju had a quiet afternoon, catching 2 passes for just 6 yards.
It wasn’t a terrible game for Juju by any stretch, but someone had to make the duds list for this game.
