Browns vs. Steelers Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Ben Roethlisberger walked away a winner in what could've been his last game at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 15-10.

Let's take a look at what went wrong.

The Good: The Defense

I needed to write something good to kick off this recap, so Cleveland's defense takes home that honor, I suppose.

If you hold an NFL offense to 15 points, you probably win most games. Not this one.

Without Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II has continually impressed throughout his rookie season. Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney have been refreshing, too.

This unit still maddens me, though.

Their inability to get off the field on third and fourth down is what makes them awful against high-powered offenses. The Steelers offense is not exactly The Greatest Show on Turf, but Roethlisberger somehow stumbled forward into the end zone, just to be negated by a penalty, and still found Pat Freirmuth for an even more impressive touchdown.

The Bad: The Drops

Every offense battles drops. It's part of football.

However, Baker Mayfield put his team in a chance to win twice, and the receivers couldn't get the job done.

Roughly $30 million is the price tag of Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. With how they played yesterday, that cost has to glare red on a spreadsheet somewhere in Berea. That's just simple business.

Between the drops and the penalties, this team just could not get out of their own way against an objectively inferior opponent from a talent standpoint.

The wide receiver room is not alone. Austin Hooper is owed almost $10 million next season. David Njoku, who has been more productive, is a free agent.

Offensively, the Browns have some real demons to excise, and that probably won't be done until this offseason.

The Ugly: The Coach

I never thought the Browns would be 4-4 at this point in the season. I never thought the quarterback would be on pace for 16 touchdown passes in a 17 game season. I never thought that the fanbase would be questioning the reigning Coach of the Year. 

But here we are.

It was a collective team loss, there's no doubting that. When the offense is as bad of a failure as it has been, you begin to question the individual calling the plays.

The Browns officially have no faith in Beckham as an organization. Mayfield surely doesn't, and the coaching staff doesn't either. 

Two targets, one reception, six yards. Career low. Allegedly a historically dynamic player and we're becoming further and further removed from the Dallas game last year. It's largely a failed trial and time to move forward without him, especially if the playbook has nothing to get him in a groove with the football.

The offensive line has surely taken a big step back. That seems to be a whole separate problem. Nick Chubb looked painfully average and wasn't seeing consistent touches.

On a day where Mike Tomlin nearly murdered his own kicker, Kevin Stefanski was out-coached by Tomlin and Matt Canada.

But hey, the pregame Halloween costumes were cool.