Steelers vs. Browns: Deja vu for Manziel, Jones
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Landry Jones (3) on the sideline during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Cleveland Browns’ Johnny Manziel speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, in Cincinnati. The Bengals won 31-10. (AP Photo/Frank Victores)
PITTSBURGH – What do the 2013 Cotton Bowl and today’s game between the Steelers and Browns at Heinz Field have in common?
Plenty.
First and foremost will be the matchup at quarterback,
Landry Jones will get the start for the Steelers (5-4) in place of injured Ben Roethlisberger. Johnny Manziel will play in place of injured Cleveland (2-7) starter Josh McCown.
That was the matchup in the Cotton Bowl, as Jones led Oklahoma against Manziel’s Texas A&M team.
“I hope it goes better than that game,” said Jones, who will make his second start this season in place of Roethlisberger, who is out with a sprained foot.
In that 2013 game, Manziel threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 17 times for 229 yards and two scores as Texas A&M defeated Oklahoma, 41-13.
Jones was OK in the game, throwing for 278 yards and a score, but he won’t be asked to be everything for the Steelers as Manziel was in that game for the Aggies.
They’ll just ask Jones to improve on what he did in his first start a month ago at Kansas City, when he threw for 209 yards and a score in a 23-13 loss. Jones threw two interceptions and lost a fumble late in the game on a blindside hit, but offensive coordinator Todd Haley saw plenty of positive signs.
“I know we didn’t win the game, and the quarterback’s No. 1 job is to win, but Landry went into a hostile environment with a brand new left tackle against a pretty formidable defense that was very good against the run,” said Haley. “I thought he moved the football. He threw a touchdown. He had another one that was dropped. He did a lot of good things.
“He had us in position until late in the game. I thought for his first start in the NFL, it was a positive one for the most part.”
What would make this start even more positive would be yet another big game from running back DeAngelo Williams and/or receiver Antonio Brown.
Subbing for injured Le’Veon Bell, Williams rushed for 170 yards on 27 carries last week in a win over Oakland, while Brown set team records with 17 receptions for 284 yards. Williams added 55 yards receiving, while Brown had 22 rushing, as they became the first duo in NFL history to top 200 and 300 total yards in the same game.
“The playmakers on that side of the ball is really what has driven that offense,” said Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine. “Certainly you have to be well aware where Antonio Brown is. The last time I checked, he is playing. DeAngelo Williams has done a heck of a job filling in for Le’Veon Bell.”
For the Browns, it hasn’t much mattered who the Steelers’ playmakers are when they travel to Pittsburgh. They haven’t won a game at Heinz Field since 2003, though the Steelers’ won narrowly at home last season, 30-27, on a last-second field goal by Shaun Suisham.
The Browns returned the favor a month later, whipping the Steelers, 31-10, in Cleveland in what was perhaps the high point of their season and the low mark for Pittsburgh.
In those two games, the Browns rushed for a combined 349 yards.
The Steelers aren’t likely to forget about how the Browns celebrated after that win in Cleveland, even though it was just their first over Pittsburgh since 2012 and second since the 2009 campaign. Pittsburgh has won 26 of 32 games against the Browns since they came back into the NFL in 1999.
“We went back and looked at the tape from last year and they got 300-something yards on us in two games in the running game,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler. “If I’m them, if I’m their head coach, I’m coming off the bench running the ball.
“If I looked at the film from last year, I would try to run the ball as much as I can, try to shorten the game and try to win the game the best they could. They’re capable of doing it. They’re a good football team.”
Odds and end zones
The Steelers are fifth in the NFL in rushing offense. Cleveland is 32nd in rush defense. … Last week’s win over Oakland was Pittsburgh’s 325th over an AFC opponent since 1970, the most of any NFL team. … The Steelers are 0-2 against AFC North teams this season. … Tight end Heath Miller enters the game with 6,339 career receiving yards, good for third place on the team’s all-time list. Brown has 6,261.