This story has been updated with official diagnosis on Mason Graham's injury.
CLEVELAND ― Mike Hall Jr.'s ankle hurt. It hurt the Browns defensive tackle that he needed to take a cart from the sideline back to the locker room.
What would've hurt Hall even worse was not being able to be on the field as his defensive teammates tried to overcome not one, but two different things. One was the Pittsburgh Steelers. The other was the early loss of teammate Mason Graham to a knee injury .
So Hall used the final 1:06 of the first half, and then all of halftime, to get himself ready to play. Then, in the second half, he did his part in a defensive effort that was good enough to help the Browns outlast the Steelers 27-24 on Andre Szmyt's 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining.
Subscribe to Browns Insider newsletter
"Yeah, I mean, well, first Mason went down, so that was unfortunate," Hall said afterward. "But, you know, when I went down and just thinking to myself, and I was just really just thinking like the situation is really bigger than me. So just fighting for my brothers. And also we were only down to two D-tackles."
The Browns front office will have a chance to add to the defensive tackle group between now and their next game, Oct. 11 at the New York Jets. They likely won't be able to do it with Graham, who sustained the left knee injury with 7:41 remaining in the first quarter.
Browns coach Todd Monken didn't have an immediate update after the game about Graham's short- or long-term status. However, the second-year pro, who came into the game tied for second in the NFL in sacks with four, left on crutches with a brace on his left knee.
The Browns announced Oct. 2 that Graham had sustained a sprained medial collateral ligament and a sprained ankle. He'll be evaluated on a "week-by-week" basis.
"It sucks obviously," defensive end Isaiah McGuire said. "A player like Mason, heck of a player, for him to go down, we know that we just have to increase who we are, and not necessarily rise up, but just meet who we are in our standard."
McGuire was one of those who did so in the moment, recording a second-quarter sack of Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers on third-and-4 from the Browns 24. McGuire's second sack of the season set up Pittsburgh for a 48-yard field goal attempt Chris Boswell missed to maintain a 14-7 Browns lead.
That was one of five sacks of Rodgers in the game. Every one of them was recorded by one of Graham's defensive line teammates, three of them by defensive tackles ― Hall, Maliek Collins and Adin Huntington ― and McGuire and Sam Williams both came off the left defensive end spot to get sacks.
Hall's sack with 2:04 left in the third quarter forced a fourth-and-25 punt by Pittsburgh. Huntington's sack also forced a punt on the preceding Steelers series.
"No, it feels great," Hall said of the defensive line sacks. "I mean, like I said before, it's unfortunate that Mason went down, but next-man-up mentality. And the whole D line, we rush as one, four equals one. That's the biggest thing we preach about."
That preaching will only get louder going forward. At 3-1, the Browns have a pathway to exceed external expectations, especially if they can continue see improvement out of quarterback Deshaun Watson and the offense, while also cleaning up the penalties that have hampered them through four games.
They also need the defense to continue its resurgence after a Week 1 disappointment against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It will certainly still involve the defensive line, regardless of whether or not Graham can return at some point.
To do that, there's only one way they can play, no matter who "they" may be on the defense.
"Just being who we are," McGuire said. "We got to rush fast, rush violent and win quick. We were able to do that and rush as a unit."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: How Browns defensive line can overcome Mason Graham knee injury
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
