The Steelers are staring at a familiar test in Week 4: a short week, a road trip to Cleveland, and a Thursday night setup that has not treated them kindly. Pittsburgh can move to 3-1, but the backdrop is hard to ignore. The Steelers are 0-4 on Thursday night games against the Browns, and their last win in Cleveland came in 2021.
Still, the staff’s picks lean heavily toward the idea that this is a chance for a different Steelers team to break through under Mike McCarthy.
Ryan Parish sees the matchup as one Pittsburgh should handle, even with the Browns at home on Thursday night. He pointed to Cleveland’s ugly wins against NFC South opponents and said the Browns’ offense should not match up well with the Steelers defense.
“This will be a great opportunity for Mike McCathy to prove that was a problem that’s out the window with the old regime.” His pick: Steelers 27, Browns 17.
Joey Bray also backed Pittsburgh, calling this the kind of game that could tell the fanbase this is a different team. He cited McCarthy’s 17-8 career record on Thursday Night Football and said the Steelers’ Week 3 performance against Cincinnati gave him some confidence they can grind out a win. His call was Steelers 20, Browns 17.
Mike Nicastro took the same side, pointing to the Browns missing two offensive linemen and the way that could play into Pittsburgh’s defense. He expects Jaylen Warren to carry the load on the ground, with that run game helping open things up through the air.
Nicastro also projected Michael Pittman Jr. to score his first touchdown in a Steelers uniform and Deshaun Watson to throw two interceptions. His pick: Steelers 20, Browns 16.
Ryland Bickley acknowledged the history in Cleveland but wondered whether new head coaches on both sides might help break some of those old patterns. He noted that Pittsburgh is trending upward after the win over Cincinnati and likes the matchup against a Browns team without Myles Garrett, especially with Cleveland dealing with offensive line issues. He still expects a low-scoring game, but landed on Steelers 17, Browns 13.
Jarrett Bailey framed it as a collision between ugly trends, with the Steelers’ Thursday night woes, McCarthy’s strong track record, and Watson’s 0-3 mark against Pittsburgh all in the mix. He sees one of those streaks ending and believes the better team is the Steelers. His pick: Steelers 23, Browns 13.
Austin Bechtold was the lone pick for Cleveland. He noted the Browns’ 11-1 record on Thursday night at home and their 4-0 mark against Pittsburgh, while also pointing to Watson’s play and Denzel Boston’s emergence as a rookie playmaker.
He added that the Steelers finally put the Joey Porter Jr. flame out, but said that hurts their defense long-term. Even so, he didn’t see enough reason to trust Pittsburgh in this spot.
His pick: Browns 17, Steelers 16.
In Other News...
Steelers Defense Just Took A Brutal Hit Against The Browns
A Thursday night collision with the Browns brought an early injury scare for Pittsburgh, as defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was carted off with a foot injury and quickly listed as questionable. The timing could not have been worse for a defense already trying to slow Clevelands momentum, with the Browns taking a 21-10 lead into halftime.
Harmons exit leaves the Steelers with a bigger problem than just one missing body in the middle. His presence matters in both the run game and the pass rush, and Pittsburgh now has to adjust on the fly while trying to keep Cleveland from controlling the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Just Complicated One Steelers Blame Game
Aaron Rodgers added a layer to the Steelers postgame frustration after the late possession in the loss to Cleveland, pushing back on the idea that the play was simply about Jaylen Warren being the intended answer on second down. Rodgers said five players were running routes on the snap, a reminder that what looks obvious from the outside can be a lot messier once protection, timing and route distribution come into play.
For a Pittsburgh offense still trying to sort through what went wrong in a tight, late-game sequence, that matters. The ball ending up with Warren does not automatically tell the full story of the design, and Rodgers explanation points to the kind of breakdown that can involve more than one player and more than one decision. In a game that already invited blame, the more interesting question may be how much of that play was about execution, and how much was about the pressure closing in around it. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Already Have A Rodgers-McCarthy Sideline Problem
The Steelers got a little reminder in Week 4 that bringing familiar faces together does not always mean smooth sailing. During Thursday nights game against the Browns, Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy were caught in a heated sideline exchange after Rodgers grew frustrated over a delayed play call, and McCarthy fired back with a profane retort.
For Pittsburgh, it was the kind of moment that can linger because of how much history is wrapped into it. Rodgers and McCarthy won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay before reuniting in Pittsburgh, so the chemistry was never going to be a mystery, but neither was the possibility of old competitive habits resurfacing when the pressure ratchets up. Fans who were hoping for a clean reunion got a glimpse of something a lot messier, and it will be worth watching how that dynamic plays out moving forward. [Read more 🡒]