No deja vu

The general tenor of Thursday night's 29-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers looked at various times suspiciously like the brutal outcome of the Browns' game against the New York Jets last Sunday.

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt resumed their bruising ground assault, interim quarterback Jacoby Brissett had another strong game as did Amari Cooper. Cade York missed another extra point and the Steelers had a chance to own the football down only six points with 1:48 left in regulation.

Sound familiar? Looked familiar, too, to the home crowd as visions of a Jets repeat surely had to be on their minds as the Steelers lined up for an onsides kick. It was sort of a here-we-go-again moment. This time, though, the Browns knocked the ball out of bounds, Steelers rookie wide receiver George Pickens also jumped offside to the relief of Browns Nation.

The biggest difference, though, was the performance of the defense, most notably the secondary. For the first time this season, that unit played what can best be described as solid fundamental football. Not one busted coverage. Not even close, limiting Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky to just 98 passing yards in the final 30 minutes.

No finger pointing after a week that saw the defense hold a players-only meeting to make certain the critical lapses that lost one game and very nearly lost another would not be repeated. Amazing what a little concentration and attention to detail can accomplish.

It also helped that defensive coordinator Joe Woods interspersed his beloved zone with man coverage. It held the Steelers scoreless throughout most of the second half as the that side of the ball came to life despite the loss of linebackers Anthony Walker Jr., Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and defensive tackle Taven Bryan to injuries. Jacob Phillips and seldom-used Tony Fields II stepped in and didn't miss a beat.

The defense basically shut down the offense of their bitter AFC North rival in the second half after the teams traded touchdowns on four consecutive possessions in the first half. the Steelers taking a 14-13 lead thanks to York's partially blocked point-after that hit the right upright.

The Cleveland offense sandwiched touchdowns by Cooper and tight end David Njoku around scores by Trubisky and running back Najee Harris. Njoku, who spent the first two games blocking for Chubb and Hunt, burst impressively into the receiving spotlight with a sensational game, catching all but one of his 10 targets for 89 yards. 

The relentless Cleveland offense began to take charge after the defense blunted the Steelers' opening second-half possession, taking the lead for good on a 34-yard field goal by York and short burst from a yard out by Chubb as he literally climbed on the back of offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt, who lined up as an up back, to complete an 11-play, 80-yard march.

The defense took it from there, limiting the Pittsburgh offense to just 121 yards in the second half. Three straight three-and-outs that gained just six yards from scrimmage sent a strong message that there wasn't going to any comeback. 

With the Browns playing mainly prevent defense -- I hate, hate, hate the dreaded prevent -- in the final minutes, Trubisky marched the Steelers close enough for a Chris Boswell field goal, their only points of the half, cutting the deficit to six points. 

The Pittsburgh defense, playing without injured All-Pro linebacker T.J.. Watt, was gassed toward the end of the game. That's because the Cleveland offense owned the football for 20 of the 30 minutes to help keep the defense well-rested.

Chubb, Cooper and Njoku provided the major share of the offense. Chubb ground out 113 hard yards, Cooper caught seven more passes for 101 yards and the score and Njoku put on a performance that more than, at least in this game, justified his big contract. 

But it was the steady Brissett, who seems to be growing more confident with each game, who was the grand master in this one. Twenty-one of his 31 passes were directed at Cooper and Njoku and totaled 16 receptions for 190 yards.

He also used his 6-4, 240-pound frame to successfully squeeze out three first downs on sneaks on third and fourth down when less than a yard was needed. He seemed firmly in control.

On another similar situation on the first possession of the third quarter where another sneak was a possibility, the Steelers' defense lined up to stop him on a fourth and one at the Pittsburgh 36. Head coach Kevin Stefanski instead dialed up an inside handoff to Hunt on a quick opener and he responded with a nine-yard burst.

This was a game the Browns absolutely needed to win following that bitter pill it swallowed four days ago. To fall to 1-2 at this point with a brutal seven-game stretch awaiting following game four in Atlanta a week from Sunday would have been disastrous.

So at least until the rest of the schedule is played out this weekend, the Browns are all alone at the top of the AFC North at 2-1 ahead of 1-1 Baltimore, 1-2 Pittsburgh and winless Cincinnati.