Browns players' meeting turns into second-half defensive gem in shutting down Steelers

CLEVELAND − Talking amongst themselves on the field was a problem for the Browns' defense in each of the first two games.

It resulted in one game in which they needed to come from behind after having been up two scores in Week 1 at Carolina. It resulted in one game in which they managed to blow a two-score lead with less than two minutes left in Week 2 against the New York Jets.

So those defensive players decided to talk amongst themselves in private two days before Thursday's prime-time showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers. What exactly was discussed in that players'-only meeting?

"Pretty girls and fast cars," defensive end Myles Garrett joked after Thursday's 29-17 win over the Steelers.

The actual conversation that took place will forever been known pretty much only to those who were in the meeting. However, the results of that conversation showed themselves against Pittsburgh, especially in the second half.

The Browns limited the Steelers to just 111 yards on 26 second-half plays. That included 63 yards on seven plays on Pittsburgh's last true possession, which ended in a Chris Boswell 34-yard field goal to make it 23-17 with 1:48 remaining.

Throughout the game, the Browns defenders regularly huddled up to make sure the call was relayed properly. They also seemed much more visible in sending hand signals to help each other out, something that could be much more common going forward.

“I think you have to get the call and communicate," safety John Johnson III said. "It was sending and receiving. It was a lot better than last week so I think we have to."

That's why it was fitting the exclamation point came from one of the defenders who was right in the midst of the biggest communication controversy from Sunday's loss to the Jets. Cornerback Denzel Ward was one of two Browns defensive backs, along with safety Grant Delpit, mixed up on Corey Davis' 66-yard touchdown that kick-started New York's comeback.

On Thursday, Ward put the final nail in the Steelers' coffin when he fell on a fumbled lateral in the end zone for a touchdown on the game's final play.

"Obviously, there was emphasis on finishing the game from last week," middle linebacker Jacob Phillips said. "I feel like we did a good job of that. Anytime we can come together as a collective unit and talk to get things figured out, it is going to help.”

Phillips' own role in that going forward took on a much bigger role just under 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter. That's when defensive co-captain and starting middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. was carted off the field after suffering what coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game was a sprained knee.

That opened the door for Phillips. And Phillips helped to close the door on the Steelers with two big plays.

On third-and-3 for Pittsburgh from its own 13 with just over five minutes remaining, Phillips forced a punt by dropping quarterback Mitch Trubisky for a 6-yard loss on a sack. On the next series, with the Steelers facing third-and-5 from the Browns 21, Phillips rallied back to break up what would've been a first-down catch by tight end Pat Freiermuth.

That play helped force a 34-yard Chris Boswell field goal. While the kick pulled Pittsburgh within 23-17 with 1:48 remaining, they never got any closer.

"I think he's very talented as a player and he's a specimen physically able to make plays all across the field," Garrett said of Phillips. "And him being able to communicate the defense and being where he’s supposed to be, him working on his coverage drops and being a complete backer has really evolved this year and he's really adapted more to the game and really you’re seeing what he's been working on in the offseason and what he’s continued to work on each week. So I just love seeing him grow and develop and become this complete backer who's really showing up."

That's goes beyond just replacing Walker. He was one of three Browns defenders who went down with injuries, all within the same third-quarter series.

Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah departed earlier with a groin injury, which he told the Beacon Journal he'll have an MRI on Friday. Defensive tackle Taven Bryan, meanwhile, left around the same time with a hamstring issue.

Those losses, though, weren't fatal to the Browns' defense. That drive, specifically, ended in a punt after going no deeper than the Cleveland 41.

"To have two of our starters go down just like that," linebacker Sione Takitaki told the Beacon Journal. "JOK went down, and then a couple plays later, Anthony went down. It just shows you that those guys behind them got to be ready, and, man, just like that everything can kind of shake up the room. Now we're on the sideline to piece up things, but I felt like we kind of handled it right. I don't think JOK was serious, and he'll be ready to go.”

The same, the Browns hope, that can be said about the defense when they next take the field in Atlanta.

Beacon Journal sports writer Nate Ulrich contributed to this report.

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns defenders turn meeting into win against Pittsburgh