Steelers must prepare game plan for runaway Baker Mayfield



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The Cleveland Browns are a first-pass team and have one of the best with Nick Chubb. The Steelers had the luxury of facing the Browns without Chubb in their first game of Week 6. He’s averaging 5.6 yards per attempt this season, the best of his three-year career. Take off the 47-yard touchdown, in which the Steelers missed several tackles; Pittsburgh held Chubbs relatively in check with 61 rushing yards.

But after Sunday’s game, the Steelers have a new wrinkle to plan: quarterback Baker Mayfield slipping out of the pocket and taking off. In his previous four games against Pittsburgh, Mayfield totaled 4 carries for 17 yards. This week, he’s had six carries for 44 yards – three to his left and one to the right.

Mayfield, who had more rushing yards than Kareem Hunt, drove a big 28-yard rush into the Steelers’ territory, ultimately setting them up for a scoreline. And, of course, the third critical conversion with a minute left in the game. His three-yard run helped the Browns cut the time for the win.

“I thought we needed to contain Mayfield better,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said at his weekly press conference. “He hurt us with his legs. Not only the big race, like the big race in the latter part of the third quarter that produced a touchdown, but also the conversion races, the third downhills when he jostled and converted. We know he can. So our rush needs to be better, not only in terms of applying pressure, but also containing it, minimizing this component of the game.

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