Browns talented CB duo present next challenge for Steelers minus Diontae Johnson

Not only will the Pittsburgh Steelers be without top wide receiver Diontae Johnson when they play the Cleveland Browns on Monday night, in his absence they will face a defense that allowed the fewest passing yards in the AFC in Week 1.

Joe Burrow, fresh off signing a $275 million contract extension, threw for just 82 yards against the Browns, who scored one of the surprise wins of the opening weekend when they beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-3.

Overall, the Browns allowed 67 net passing yards. Only the Dallas Cowboys allowed fewer (63).

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin knew precisely where to direct the credit when he previewed this week’s matchup at his weekly news conference.

“To be blunt, I thought the corners won the game for them last week,” Tomlin said. “Their ability to stand on the line of scrimmage and challenge the Cincinnati Bengals, I thought it was really impressive. They stood up time and time again.”

Tomlin was referring to Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II, first-round picks who have been with the Browns for six and three years, respectively. Ward was the fourth overall pick of the 2018 draft and has two Pro Bowl selections on his resume. Newsome, who joined the Browns as the No. 26 overall selection in 2021, is entering his third year as a starter.

Together, they helped limit Cincinnati’s star receivers — Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — to five catches for 39 yards. All five receptions were produced by Chase as Higgins didn’t have any catches despite being targeted eight times by Burrow.

“You guys know how good those wideouts are,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said, “so the fact they weren’t able to connect on those balls that they do pretty much through the course of the game over their history — to everybody they play against — it shows how good their corners were.

“They challenged them, and they were really good.”

The Steelers will try to figure a way to prevent a duplicate performance from Ward and Newsome, and they will have to do it minus Johnson, who injured his hamstring in the third quarter of the season-opening loss to San Francisco. Johnson, who averaged 16 yards on three receptions before his injury, is expected to miss multiple weeks.

“We’ve got a tremendous challenge,” Canada said. “We’ve got to answer that and go out and play much better football at a much higher level than we did.”

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It wasn’t until the sixth possession that the Steelers got their initial first down after being held to 1 yard through five series. And they were shut out in the second half after getting a touchdown late in the first while Kenny Pickett ran the two-minute offense.

With Johnson out, Calvin Austin III will join George Pickens and Allen Robinson among the Steelers’ starting three receivers. Austin had six catches, and Pickens and Robinson finished with five apiece against the 49ers.

“We’ve got good wideouts, and we feel very good about our quarterback,” Canada said. “I’m just talking about guys that are elite in the game: They were able to stop them, so we’ve got a tremendous challenge to go (against) that.”

The Steelers had just two pass plays that covered more than 15 yards, and that came in the second half. One was to Johnson, who left with his hamstring injury after a 26-yard gain.

Now, Pickett will be tasked with facing the Browns’ cornerback duo without one of his favorite targets.

“A ton of respect for those guys, and (they have) a great defense, a great team,” he said. “They held a really good offense to three points. Obviously, it’s a tall order, but we have to execute and play well. I’m confident we can go out there and put points up on the board.”