The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2020 season ended, needless to say, in a way that nobody around here particularly wanted. After winning their first 11 games of the season, they finished the regular season on a 1-4 slide, and then were bounced out of the postseason 48-37 by the Cleveland Browns, who hadn’t won a playoffs game in 25-plus years.
While the five turnovers by the offense obviously played a dramatic role in the loss—Maurkice Pouncey’s botched snap on the first play of the game immediately produced seven free points for Cleveland—the defense’s inability to contain the Browns’ offense is very much on the hook as part of the blame for the dismal result.