The Pittsburgh Steelers wilted in the second half and were defeated 29-17 by the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Here are some critical takeaways from their Thursday Night Football setback in Week 3.

Following this Week 3 loss to the Browns, the Steelers fell to 1-2. Pittsburgh's offense struggled yet again, and it also resulted in a fatigued and beaten defense.

Overall, the Steelers delivered another dismal showing. With just three games into the season, there is surely still a lot of time to turn things around. However, some changes might need to be made for things to finally click.

Here are our four takeaways from the Steelers' Week 3 loss vs. the Browns.

4. Najee Harris shows promise

On Thursday night, it was a breath of fresh air to watch Najee Harris move like a true, solid NFL running back. Harris' style is based on momentum, and when he pauses his feet and makes those jump cuts, he loses whatever advantage he has over the defender. However, Harris' finest runs on Thursday were downhill with rapid cutbacks and constant forward motion.

His stat line won't reflect his true greatness — 56 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown — but Harris can provide a lot of motor for the Steelers' struggling offense.

3. Get Pat Freiermuth the ball

Mitch Trubisky waited until there were nine minutes left in the game to target tight end Pat Freiermuth. Why it took so long for him to do that, nobody knows.

The basic truth is that when you have one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the AFC, you must involve him more in the offense. Freiermuth made two great receptions in a row late in the game, but both were too little, too late.

In terms of yards per catch, this was Freiermuth's best at a whopping 20.5. However, he also had a season-low two receptions only. It's really simple: get Freiermuth the ball!

2. Porous Steelers defense

The Steelers' defense was always meant to be their calling card. However, after three games, it's evident that the club needs more if they want to make a postseason push. With the way the defense is playing right now, they can stay competitive. Until T.J. Watt returns soon, however, all they'll do is survive. With an offense that has been inconsistent, it's their defense that has to shine through.

Of course, it's not really fair to expect this Watt-less unit to play with the same intensity against a runner like Nick Chubb for 60 minutes while your offense fails to produce anything significant in the second half. However, that's where the Steelers find themselves. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but until the offense delivers on its promises to improve, the defense must be flawless for this club to win.

Pittsburgh's defense allowed the Browns to finish with more total yards, passing yards, and rushing yards. Cleveland also dominated time of possession at +12 minutes compared to the Steelers.

1. Sticking with Mitch Trubisky

This game had everyone pumped for Mitch Trubisky and the offense during the first half. However, the offense sputtered in the second half, and Trubisky reverted to the tragic patterns of the previous two games. Trubisky has only averaged 5.5 yards per attempt through three games, which is poor even by Steelers passing standards. If now isn't the moment to make a change, when will it be?

Mike Tomlin has stated quite strongly that there would be no changes at the quarterback position. That said, with nine days before their next game, there are no more excuses for the offense to not chug along.

If Trubisky fails to lead a successful offense for a whole game, the Steelers have to give Kenny Pickett a chance to start, right? If they lose to the New York Jets in their next assignment, the city of Pittsburgh might begin to give up. If that happens, the Steelers organization may have to deal with a lifeless club.

Yes, Trubisky's leash is short, but maybe not short enough.