The Steelers don’t need a history lesson to know what’s at stake in Week 8, but the numbers make the picture pretty clear. A loss to the Browns would mean a season sweep and a hit to Pittsburgh’s playoff outlook. Even so, the past says the Steelers have reason to feel good about Sunday.
Cleveland already got the first punch in this matchup this year and comes in at 5-2, but the Browns have not won a regular-season game in Pittsburgh since October 5, 2003. That’s more than 23 years ago, and it’s the kind of road drought that hangs over a matchup like this no matter how different the rosters look now.
The one Cleveland mark that stands out even more is the sweep. The Browns have not swept the Steelers in the regular season since November 20, 1988. That was nearly 38 years ago, back when Chuck Noll was still coaching Pittsburgh and Mike Webster, Gary Anderson, and Craig Wolfey were still on the roster.
That streak has survived multiple head coaches and plenty of starting quarterbacks, and it’s still alive heading into this week. So while this is a new Steelers team with a new head coach and a new coaching staff, the old pattern remains hard to ignore.
There is one wrinkle, though: Pittsburgh is coming off a trip back from Paris, France, after its Week 7 win over the New Orleans Saints. That kind of travel can complicate a short-week reset.
Still, this doesn’t feel like a spot to predict a runaway. The Steelers have had their own issues putting teams away once they get control. But with Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy at home and the season picture getting tighter, history says Pittsburgh should be the one walking away with the win.
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Steelers Defense Must Set The Tone In A Huge AFC North Test
The next AFC North test brings the kind of familiar tension Pittsburgh has to embrace if it wants to control the game early. Against Cleveland, the Steelers defense is being asked to do more than just hold its ground, with the spotlight on creating an uncomfortable afternoon for Deshaun Watson and setting the tone before the Browns can settle in.
For Pittsburgh, the formula is clear even if the execution is not. Winning the turnover battle and turning pressure into mistakes will go a long way toward deciding whether this matchup stays on the Steelers terms, and the defense will need to be disruptive from the start to make that happen. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Hit Bye Week In First Place With One Clear Concern
The Steelers went into their bye week with a 27-6 win over Cleveland, a 6-2 record and first place in the AFC North at the seasons midpoint. It was the kind of result that reinforces what Pittsburgh has built so far under Aaron Rodgers and T.J. Watt: a team that can find different paths to a win and keep itself in position in a tight division race.
Still, the comfort level is not complete. Rodgers pointed to the offenses uneven showing after the Browns game, even in a victory that widened the gap in the standings, and the Steelers know the schedule does not get any softer coming out of the break. Cincinnati is next, and with key divisional matchups still ahead, Pittsburghs margin for error will stay slim if the offense cannot become more consistent. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Could Make A WR Deadline Swing Fans Will Debate
The Steelers are still looking for ways to bolster a wide receiver room that has been hit by injuries and uneven production, and Brian Thomas Jr. has surfaced as a name worth watching ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Pittsburghs interest in the Jacksonville pass catcher fits the kind of swing a contender can consider when it wants more juice on the outside without waiting for the market to settle.
Thomas has not been a major factor in Jacksonvilles passing game this season, which is part of why his availability is even being discussed in the first place. The Jaguars have not committed to moving him, so any deal would still require the kind of return that makes a trade worth their while, leaving Pittsburgh to weigh how aggressive it wants to be if it believes the upgrade is there. [Read more 🡒]