Will the Browns prevail under the bright lights of prime time?
This Thursday, the Cleveland Browns take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Below, we analyze a few advantages, disadvantages, or general thoughts about the two teams before getting to our predictions for the game.
Game Analysis
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Not the Feeling You Want
- There was such a long stretch in my early Browns fandom where you built up hope that Cleveland could be a bad team, but they were just a step behind the rest of the league. The real juice during those seasons came when it was Steelers week, hoping you could beat your division rival. And yet, I find myself feeling a bit lifeless heading into Thursday night’s game against Pittsburgh. Sure, I’ll get amped up as the game is about to start, but it’s hard to get motivated prior to that knowing that Cleveland is 2-8 with disappointments on offense, defense, and special teams. This team lost its identity, and instead of making another run at the playoffs, we’re here debating who the quarterback will be next year, whether the coaching staff will be back, etc. It’s not the feeling you want.
- I find myself going back to a crutch that I often used when the Browns were bad, and trying to justify why an upset could happen: the weather. As of the time I’m writing this article, the forecast is calling for the temperature to feel like 30 degrees, with 95% chance of rain/snow mix and decent winds. That obviously can throw off the passing game and prevent teams from getting the best footing. I think back to the messy weather that Cleveland had in Week 1 of the 2023 season, when the Bengals could do nothing against the Browns’ defense. Could we see a repeat of that?
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
Finding Answers
- It’s funny how in just a few weeks, the offense has turned into the most stable unit on the team, with the wide receiver group looking compelling. With that said, as much as I appreciate the improvement of the passing game, we still haven’t seen the running game be much of an identity this season, and it hasn’t been impactful in a game once to my recollection. That is insane, but also something I feared when the Browns turned to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey this offseason. The writing on the wall was that Cleveland wanted to phase out the dedicated approach to the ground, and go for an aerial assault instead. It hasn’t panned out.
- Defensively, the Browns remain a frustrated mess. The group can be dominant at stretches, but the domination means nothing when they’ll, out of no where, give up three huge plays. Then, you have a situation like the Saints had last week, where misdirection beats Cleveland’s defense again with ease. Don’t you think the Steelers are going to take advantage of that when Justin Fields is in for some packages?
- And then, there is the special teams unit. Before Dustin Hopkins missed any of his field goals this past Sunday, it’s not a good sign that, when the Browns scored their first touchdown to make it 7-6, I just had visions of thinking Hopkins was going to miss the kick. Instead, the Saints jumped offsides and Cleveland tried a two-point attempt. Still, Hopkins badly missed — in a dome — on his next three kicks (only two counted, one was nullified by a penalty). We know Hopkins was great last year, and hence received a lucrative deal this offseason. But now, how can you trust him? Corey Bojorquez has been money with his punts, but the coverage units have been crap too often.
Quick Hitters
- Devil’s advocate: if Cleveland beats Pittsburgh and then beats Denver, in a best-case scenario, Cleveland would be two games out of the wildcard with five games to go. Certainly don’t count on a miracle, but there’s still a sliver.
- Curtiss Brown looked at three Steelers who can cause problems for Cleveland.
- Matt Wilson looked at how Jack Conklin has been a bright spot for the Browns.
- According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, the Browns are 3.5-point underdogs against the Steelers.
Predictions
Here are predictions from multiple staff members at DBN.
Chris Pokorny: “AFC North football — anything goes; just look at the Browns upsetting the Ravens a couple of weeks ago. I am taking the Steelers to win this game, though. Pittsburgh has found a good formula, and if they saw Taysom Hill run for three touchdowns in the Wildcat on Sunday, then they’d probably love to try the same with an even faster Justin Fields on some plays. I can’t imagine Cleveland’s defense corrects that issue so quickly. And then offensively, even though Jameis Winston gives this team a chance to move the ball, he struggled with turnovers against the Chargers two games ago, so I expect a similar setback against a good Steelers defense. The weather could be something that makes the game up-for-grabs, but we’re also talking about a Browns kicker in Dustin Hopkins who missed a 32- and 27-yard field goal this past Sunday in a dome.” Steelers 20, Browns 13
Jared Mueller: “An ugly loss on Thursday Night Football that fuels more Kevin Stefanski discussion. This time, ugly is losing in a very dumb way (penalty, random fumble, blown coverage) as the Steelers are not that good but know how to win. While there is a part of me that is jealous of Pittsburgh, I also know they have close to zero chance to win the AFC much less a Super Bowl so it is also a less than great situation for their fans at the same time.
TNF will be good for Steelers fans, however, with a victory in the AFC North which is tough for most teams.” Steelers 21, Browns 20
Curtiss Brown: “Since Browns fans are expecting a blowout based off how the team played last Sunday, allow me to be reasonable. As far as last Sunday goes, yeah it wasn’t great for the Browns but it’s not like the Pittsburgh Steelers played great last week. Baltimore gave the game away more than the Steelers took it. Offensively, the Steelers are better than what they were last year but it has flaws. Quarterback Russell Wilson has been playing well after being named the starter over Justin Fields but the past two weeks Wilson hasn’t played well at all. As far as the receiving options go, wide receiver George Pickens and tight end Pat Freiermuth are the only ones that concern me. Defensively, the unit is stout as always.
Do I think Jameis Winston will play well in back to back weeks? Probably not. Do I think the Browns will get blown out on a Thursday night? Not necessarily. I think the overreactions surrounding the Browns are unnecessary but the Steelers haven’t been the team to blow teams out as of late. This game could be close. I think. I’ll take a walk and think about it.” Steelers 20, Browns 19
Damon Wolfe: “Do we really think Jameis Winston is going to have back to back great games? Things could get uglier after Thursday night in Cleveland. Based on the way the Browns played on Sunday, I have little hope in them matching the Steelers physically. I think the Steelers will put the exclamation point on this season by beating the Browns.” Steelers 27, Browns 13
Ezweav: “Boy oh boy does it all look lousy right about now. We’ve reached the phase where defensive and special teams breakdowns are wrecking things worse than the offense. Klint Kubiak really cleaned Jim Schwartz’s clock for a lot of that one, and that can’t be the norm moving forward.
Probably won’t be this week because we’re playing Russ, and Russ only has one offense he can run – the Russ Offense, and that consists of sideline shots, running around until someone pops open, and ignoring the middle of the field. If we let that eat us up then everyone on that side of the ball needs a gut check.
Offensively, Jameis is fine but sorta whiffed when it got tough at the end. We could probably grind out a winning ground-and-pound gameplan with the guy but we just seem not to want to do that this year. Thus, we should win but we won’t” Steelers 13, Browns 12
Who do you think will win, Browns fans? Let us know in the comments section below.