Thursday night in Week 4 brings a sharper edge to the AFC North than anyone might have expected a couple weeks ago. The Cleveland Browns are back home, the Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off an upset of their own, and both teams enter at 2-1 after Week 3 wins that changed the mood around the division.
Pittsburgh’s 30-27 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals gave the Steelers a second straight road game as a favorite, and it also showed a different version of their offense. After opening the season ranked dead last in the NFL in EPA/Play on offense through two weeks, the Steelers finally broke through with 30 points in Week 3. Aaron Rodgers led the charge in the first half and finished with three touchdown passes in the win.
Cleveland, meanwhile, kept building on its own turnaround. Deshaun Watson threw two touchdowns in a Week 3 win over the Carolina Panthers, including the go-ahead score in the final minutes.
He also added a two-point conversion and ran for 45 yards on 11 carries while going 16 for 30 for 144 yards. That was the kind of performance that gave the Browns another upset win, this time as a home underdog after already beating Tampa Bay as dogs in Week 2.
Watson has looked noticeably better in 2026 than he did in his earlier seasons in Cleveland, and the Browns have started to look like a team that can hang around when the game stays tight. The touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr. that put Cleveland ahead of Carolina was the kind of throw that stood out in a game with real pressure attached.
That sets up a tough test for a Pittsburgh defense that was among the league’s best in EPA/Play earlier this season before slipping some against the Bengals in Week 3. If Watson keeps giving Cleveland enough at quarterback, the Browns could keep forcing people to rethink them.
The betting picture reflects that possibility. Pittsburgh opened as a 2.5-point road favorite, while the total sits at 38.5. That’s a low number, and it fits a game where points may be hard to come by and big plays in the passing game could be scarce for the Steelers.
There’s also the short-week angle. Pittsburgh has a number of veterans who may not recover as well by Thursday, and the team was already without running back Rico Dowdle in Week 3. Add in the fact that Cleveland is 2-1 against the spread as an underdog, and the home side starts to look live to keep this close.
The Steelers have not exactly inspired confidence on offense either. They scored just three points in Week 2 and were sitting with the league’s worst EPA/Play over the first two weeks of the season. Even after the Week 3 burst, it’s still fair to question how consistent that unit can be.
These teams have split their last 12 meetings, which only adds to the case for taking the points with the Browns in a game that looks built for a grind.
In Other News...
Browns Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Crowded QB Room
The Browns are taking a clear line on their quarterback depth chart, and for now it does not include shopping either of their young passers. Even with Deshaun Watson still established as the starter, Cleveland is choosing to keep Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in house, a sign the team still values having multiple options available behind its top quarterback.
In a league where injuries can turn a room upside down in a hurry, that approach makes sense from a roster-building standpoint. The Browns have watched other teams scramble for help at the position, but they are not treating that market as a reason to move either Sanders or Gabriel, preferring to keep both around as depth while the season takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
Denzel Ward Is Finally Being Used Like Browns Fans Always Wanted
Under new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, Denzel Ward is being deployed the way Browns fans have long wanted, with more freedom to shadow opponents top wideouts instead of staying locked into a more rigid assignment. It has given Clevelands best corner a chance to lean into the part of his game that has always stood out most, and it showed in the Browns 21-18 win, where he drew a major share of the coverage work against Tetairoa McMillan.
McMillan finished with just one catch for 12 yards, another reminder of how disruptive Ward can be when hes allowed to travel with a No. 1 target. He has often been underrated in past seasons, but his coverage ability and pass breakup production have consistently placed him among the leagues best corners, and this new approach only adds to the sense that Cleveland is finally maximizing a key piece of its defense. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Monken May Already Be Changing Something In Cleveland
The Browns got a win over Carolina in Week 3, but it came with plenty of the usual reminders that this offense still has work to do. The home crowd saw a low-output performance and a handful of penalties, while the individual evaluations from the game painted a mixed picture for both rookies and established starters. Even in a victory, the sense around the building is that the margin for error remains thin.
What has drawn attention is the early coaching imprint Todd Monken appears to be leaving on the group. The article points to a possible shift in how Cleveland is being shaped offensively, even as the team turns quickly to the next challenge in Week 4. For a Browns team trying to stabilize its identity, the bigger question may be whether the changes already showing up can hold up once the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]