There was plenty to love about the Cleveland Browns' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12. The snow was a nice touch to a classic AFC North clash between two tough defenses. The Browns ultimately won out behind some excellent scores from Jameis Winston and Nick Chubb, and as the Steelers were unable to capitalize on the time remaining for them to score and win in the fourth quarter.
Aside from one hiccup on defense that led to a touchdown from the Steelers, the team was overall extremely precise and locked in for the victory. There were several winners from the win, with some obvious and some understated. Let's dive into those four, and the one loser, from Week 12.
Winner: Myles Garrett
Garrett is a clear winner this week, and possibly the biggest winner for the Browns. He recorded his seventh season in a row with at least 10 sacks - emphasis on at least, since he still has five games left to run that number up. He joined elite Hall of Fame company with that milestone, ensuring that he'd be in the conversation for the same honor once he was hanging up his cleats.
Hopefully, that's not for a long time, and not before the Browns can make some noise with Garrett in the postseason in the future. While that's not going to happen this season, getting this level of production out of Garrett for the second time in three games is a great sign that he's back to 100 percent health.
Winner: Jack Conklin
Conklin was a bit of an unsung hero against the Steelers and specifically against T.J. Watt. He managed to allow just one pressure from Watt on Winston all game long, and he barely had to double team the former Defensive Player of the Year. Conklin has been a steadying force on an oft-changing offensive line, and his performance against Watt was a great example of what he can offer to Cleveland as a cheap option on the O-line headed into 2025.
Winner: Nick Chubb
Chubb was another beneficiary of Cleveland's O-line really showing out. He didn't get too much yardage, but it was clear he was finding holes that weren't being provided in previous games. He also most notably ended up with two touchdown runs. The last one was allowed by the Steelers' defense as to save them time to come back in the game, but that only came after Chubb chugged his way down to the one yard line. Seeing him confident and explosive with the ball in his hands is sure to excited him, Cleveland, and Browns fans.
Winner: Jerry Jeudy
Jeudy has continued to showcase his ability to mesh with Winston better than anyone else in the Browns' receiving room. He's seemingly dipped into some fountain of "youth," which is said lightly since Jeudy is only 25 years old. He is, though, dipping into some bag he hadn't been able to access previously with Deshaun Watson, and it's contributing to some excellent performances. In Week 12, despite having no scores, he did finish up with 85 receiving yards on 14.2 yards per reception.
Loser: Grant Delpit
Delpit ends up on the loser list for one play - him taunting George Pickens and it ending up in a huge gain on a penalty for Pittsburgh late in the game. That led to a touchdown for Russell Wilson, and it threatened to cause a really heartbreaking loss for Cleveland had they not responded with a Chubb touchdown on their following possession.
Look, it's clear that the Browns are only going for moral victories the rest of this season. So, it's understandable that Delpit was really hyped after a big play on George Pickens in coverage. But, those silly penalties are a terrible look, especially since the secondary has been a weak spot for the defense all season long. Surely, Delpit's slap down of Wilson's Hail Mary pass saved him some words from the coaching staff in the locker room after the game, but it was still something to clean up ahead of Week 13.
