Dorian Thompson-Robinson has had a rough go of his rookie season. As most Cleveland Browns quarterbacks are, he was thrown into the fire. His one and only regular season start came mere hours after being told Deshaun Watson wasn’t playing against one of those most ferocious defenses in the league in the Baltimore Ravens.
He got his “Welcome to the NFL moment” by getting sacked four times and throwing three picks in Cleveland’s 28-3 loss in Week 4.
Fast forward seven weeks and with Watson sidelined for the season, he’s set to face one of the league’s best pass-rush units of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on Sunday. Hey, at least he’s had a few days to prepare.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ plan is likely the opposite of Cleveland’s — force them to run the ball.
“We try to put it all on his shoulders,” Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said on Good Morning Football. “By doing that, you got to stop the run. I know they don’t have Nick Chubb, but they have that big offensive line that does an amazing job for them.”
The Steelers’ defense is focused on making things “uncomfortable” for the rookie.
“We got to make sure we make him feel uncomfortable. Make sure he has to pass the ball. He can’t just rely on that run game. Then getting sacks, turnovers — a storied remedy for a long day for a quarterback.”
With 27 sacks, Pittsburgh ranks 12th and has only had one game with zero sacks (Houston Texans).
