The Pittsburgh Steelers need help from the Buffalo Bills to have a chance of advancing to the playoffs, but the Cleveland Browns can make it a moot point by spoiling things for the Steelers by themselves. For the Steelers to advance they would have to beat the Browns and the Buffalo Bills would have to beat the New York Jets, but the playoff situation is just one aspect of this game.
One that developed Wednesday is Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel will likely miss the game after being diagnosed with a concussion Wednesday. Manziel was injured at an unspecified time in the game with the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished the game and ended up running 11 times for 108 yards - a franchise record for quarterbacks. He was 13 of 32 passing for 136 yards with an interception.
Looking back on it, head coach Mike Pettine does not want even a quarterback as mobile as Manziel running nearly a dozen times.
"We don't want it to be 10-12 (times)," Pettine said. "Every quarterback, it's going to be a certain number. For the guys that are mobile, you want it to be three or four because those can be some big plays in your favor."
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Austin Davis is practicing as the starting quarterback.
Another storyline is the uncertainty of Pettine's future as head coach of the Browns after Sunday. Pettine is doing his best to block out all the outside noise, including a story from The Bleacher Report saying he is safe but general manager Ray Farmer will be fired.
"There are reports out every day," Pettine said. "I think every possible scenario has been reported on. I have a job to do and the job is to prepare this team as well as I can to play the Pittsburgh Steelers. I don't get caught up in that."
The Browns are 3-12 this season and 3-17 over their last 20 games under Pettine. He did not make the remark to campaign for his job, but he insists the Browns are "planting seeds for moving forward." He uses the improved run offense as an example; the Browns rushed for 230 yards while beating the San Francisco 49ers, 24-10, on Dec. 13, and 232 yards while narrowly losing in Kansas City, 17-13, last Sunday.
"I just think if you look at our youth, and also just the offensive system that Flip (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) has put in, I think the guys have really bought into it," Pettine said. "You just look at our young players that are getting on-the-job training. The obvious one is Johnny (Manziel), but then you go to (fullback) Malcolm Johnson before he got hurt, (running back) Duke Johnson, defensively (linebacker Nate) Orchard, (nose tackle) Danny Shelton, (defensive tackle) Xavier Cooper, (safety) Ibraheim Campbell, and even the second-year guys whether it's (linebacker Chris) Kirksey, (left guard Joel) Bitonio before he got hurt, (running back) Isaiah Crowell.
"We have a lot of guys on this team that are first-, second-, third-year players that are playing a lot for us. All that experience can do nothing but help as we move forward."
Orchard is an example of a player that has shown improvement in December. The second-round pick had 18.5 sacks at Utah last year but did not get his first sack in the NFL until the game against the 49ers earlier this month. He had a sack and an interception in Kansas City.
"It's a long season, and the only thing you can do is get better week by week," Orchard said. "The last thing you want to be is complacent and happy with your playing time and what you're doing. Me, personally, I want to make the most of every opportunity I get."
Orchard is listed first on the depth chart at an outside linebacker spot for the game with the Steelers.
SERIES HISTORY: 126th regular-season meeting. Steelers lead series, 67-58. Johnny Manziel passed for 372 yards last month when the Browns and Steelers met in Pittsburgh. Despite the best passing day of his NFL career, he put only one touchdown on the board in a 30-9 loss.
