If Ben Roethlisberger was going to get hurt again, he probably picked the right time to do it. With his Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the hapless Cleveland Browns on Sunday before getting their bye week, a two-week absence for a sprained foot shouldn't hurt the team too badly.
Browns vs. Steelers 2015 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Landry Jones and Pittsburgh needs to beat the Browns to keep Wild Card hopes in strong shape.
Landry Jones, who started the season as a third-string quarterback who had never taken a regular-season snap, has performed fairly well in his three games. His 59.6 completion percentage looks a little low, but with an average of 16.3 yards per completion, he can afford to miss a throw or two. In 47 passing attempts, he's only thrown two interceptions and been sacked twice, so this isn't a typical youngster thrown in over his head and struggling to keep his head above water.
He's also going to be going against Cleveland's 26th-ranked pass defense, which goes well with its 29th-ranked run defense. Pittsburgh's league-leading rushing attack is banged up, with Le'Veon Bell out for the season with a knee injury and DeAngelo Williams expected to play on a bad foot -- but he should still be able to do enough against the Browns to open things up for Jones.
Cleveland also isn't likely to have much success on offense, where it has struggled all season. With Josh McCown still dealing with a rib injury, Johnny Manziel is expected to start for a second straight week. At this point, he still is struggling with consistency, completing just 51.8 percent of his passes, and having to deal with an offensive line that has allowed 30 sacks in nine games.
Pittsburgh doesn't have a great pass rush, recording 22 sacks in nine games, but Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt should be able to get significant pressure on McCown. One thing that will help the Steelers rush the passer -- as it has helped just about every team that has played the Browns -- is Cleveland's lack of a running game.
The Browns average just 3.5 yards per carry, with neither Isaiah Crowell nor Duke Johnson able to move the ball on a consistent basis. Crowell has one of the Browns' two rushing touchdowns, with McCown picking up the other. Johnson is at least a good receiver out of the backfield, which should help in an offense that doesn't have a big-play wide receiver.
If the Steelers take care of business, they will go into the bye week having survived two injuries to Roethlisberger without falling out of the Wild Card race. At 6-4 with a chance for both their quarterback and Williams to rest up for a few days, Pittsburgh will have established themselves as a favorite to get into the postseason, and could be a threat if they get healthy.
Cleveland, of course, is reduced to playing spoiler at this point, and will eventually need to find out if it has a potential starter in Manziel. He hasn’t shown that ability yet, but Sunday will provide him a chance to step up in a tough situation.
How to watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
Network: CBS
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Evan Washburn
Online: NFL Game Pass
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