An anticipated return by Jake Delhomme was not seen until 25 seconds left in the second quarter. Did I say anticipated? In a game and a half, Delhomme has throw four interceptions to one touchdown and has a quarterback rating of 48.2 good for 37th in the NFL. There was an obvious reason for Coach Eric Mangini and General Manager Mike Holmgren decision to go with Seneca Wallace for the start. Wallace is fresh, and almost untested as a fulltime starter in the NFL. In fact, Wallace is ranked as the fourteenth best passer rating in the NFL. Better than players such as Matt Schaub, Donovan McNabb, and Eli Manning.
The Browns may have been far better off had Wallace not gotten injured as they were leading the game heading into the second half. Although when Delhomme came in he led a good drive in the Browns opening possession of the third quarter, but fumbled at the two yard line and the Brown were forced to settle for a field goal. Mistakes happen. However, after the offense failed to take off, where was Josh Cribbs? Arguably the Brown’s best player, he ran the wildcat only three times. He had one pass for 10 yards, a reception for eight yards, and two rushes for 11 yards. If Delhomme was performing so badly, why was Cribbs not running the game? It certainly worked against a Steelers team last year, which had a twelve game winning streak against the Browns.
Peyton Hillis looked good as he had a thigh injury and played against the tenth-ranked defense in the NFL. The Browns defense, gave up 140 yards rushing to Michael Turner who only had 19 carries. Had the defense held, there might have been more of a shot to win and not give up the lead. The Browns have had leads going into the second half four out of the five games they have played. This just goes to show the defense still needs a lot of improvement.
Looking at next week, Wallace appears to be on the mend with his ankle injury, Delhomme does not look fully recovered or even comfortable in the pocket to play, look for Colt McCoy to make his NFL debut Sunday. The Browns have a lot of work to do this week to prepare for a Pittsburgh team that went 3-1 without starter Ben Roethlisberger.
Final Score, Steelers 17 Browns 7