To say that the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of a historically difficult second half of the 2024 season would be an understatement. After beating the Baltimore Ravens in a classic AFC North battle, the Steelers must avoid an embarrassing trap game in a Thursday Night Football 12 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Steelers Can’t Take Browns Lightly
The Steelers and Browns are coming into Thursday night’s contest from drastically different ends of the NFL spectrum. Cleveland is 2-8 and suffering the impact of betting the house on Deshaun Watson, while Pittsburgh has surprised more than a few people with a 2-8 record and a 1.5-game lead in the division. However, AFC North games played are a microcosm. Records, stats, the season as a whole; none of that matters every time these division rivals meet. Nothing would make the “Dawg Pound” happier than to bring the Steelers’ five-game winning streak to a screeching halt.
On paper, especially by record, these teams are miles apart regarding execution and fundamental football, but historically, this specific circumstance presents an uphill battle for the Steelers. Pittsburgh has only won one game against the Browns since 2018 (1-4-1), but that isn’t the most concerning statistic. Under Tomlin, the Steelers are 1-7 in “Thursday Night Football” road contests. With games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs coming up later in the season, it seems far too easy for this team to overlook the last-place team in the AFC North. If that happens, those negative records will only get worse.
On the Verge Of History
Head Coach Mike Tomlin may have a pristine record of non-losing seasons, but he has also overseen teams that tend to play down to lesser opponents at the worst times. At 8-2, the Steelers and Tomlin are aiming much higher than simply fighting for a last-minute record that is barely better than .500, but history is on the line in Cleveland. Not only will a victory continue to establish the black and gold as legitimate contenders in both the AFC and NFL, but it will mark Pittsburgh’s 21st straight non-losing season. That would tie the 1965-1985 run by the Dallas Cowboys.
While the Steelers haven’t finished under .500 since the 2003 season (6-10), that doesn’t mean it has been easy. Tomlin overcame potential 2024 trap games against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8), the New York Jets (3-8), and the New York Giants (2-8). This is different, though; it will be Pittsburgh’s second game in 10 days, both against physical AFC North opponents. Tying the NFL-best streak, especially with a historical rival like Dallas, would be a nice cherry on top, but the aim is to win and keep the momentum going.
Browns’ Blocking Woes
Cleveland’s offensive tackle problem snowballed quickly, beginning with Dawand Jones’s ankle injury against the New Orleans Saints in Week 11. Jones will now need season-ending surgery on that ankle. Fifth-year tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. was in line to start with Jones sidelined, but the Browns ruled Wills out with a knee injury on Wednesday. This means that Cleveland’s third-string Left Tackle, German Ifedi, will go up against Nick Herbig and Preston Smith. Ifedi isn’t new to the game by any means, though, and will bring eight years and 83 starts to the field on Thursday night.
However, that isn’t where most of the Browns’ blocking focus will be. Jack Conklin, a 30-year-old NFL veteran of nine seasons on two teams (Tennessee Titans and Browns), has only started five games in 2024 but has a decent 69.4 PFF grade. Health has been an issue for Conklin, and while he has performed well for the ailing Browns, going up against TJ Watt is easily the biggest test he’s faced since returning to the lineup on October 13. Watt never gets much less than double-covered every play, but Cleveland still expects Conklin to contain Watt in a collaborative sense.
Defense Key To Avoiding Embarrassing Loss
As pressing as the pass blocking will be against Pittsburgh’s defense, the Browns will also need to find a way to get the now-healthy Nick Chubb going early and often. The Steelers have the fourth-best rushing defense in the league (90.8 yards/game), and Chubb is still returning to NFL speed with a 3.1 yards per carry average in the four 2024 contests he has been in. How he stands up to the stingy Pittsburgh run-stoppers will be a big test of where Chubb is on his journey back to full health from a gruesome injury.
Derrick Henry was held to 65 yards in the Ravens’ loss in Week 12, so this defensive unit has more than enough confidence to go around. Jameis Winston is a reliable quarterback who is a significant upgrade from the best that Watson brought to the offense. If the Steelers force the Browns into being one-dimensional, it will be hard for Cleveland to do anything offensively. Chubb will most likely be where Pittsburgh’s defensive coordinator, Teryl Austin, will focus, and considering how this group is playing, that is a massive challenge for the Browns to overcome.
Garrett Must Be Blocked
The debate over whether Watt or Myles Garrett is the better defender is a never-ending rabbit hole of frustration, especially when PFF becomes involved. However, that doesn’t diminish the danger Garrett can pose to opposing offenses. Even the best pass blockers struggle against the Browns’ star pass rusher, and offensive tackle has been a position of turnover and issues. Rookie Troy Fautanu was lost for the season, leaving the bookend blockers as Broderick Jones and Dan Moore Jr., and either would have their hands full with Garrett. This means more tight ends and running backs used as blockers instead of targets.
Jaylen Warren is an exceptional pass blocker, and Darnell Washington is practically a pass-catching offensive lineman. Both will be invaluable in Pittsburgh’s blocking scheme, but the more they are in the backfield, keeping defenders away from Russell Wilson, the fewer routes they can run. The Steelers’ offense has seen growth since Wilson got under center, but the inability to find the endzone when inside the 20-yard-line is becoming more of an issue by the week. Chris Boswell can score every point, but that is rarely the ideal outcome from an NFL offense.
More Justin Fields, Please
Justin Fields may have slid too early near the end of Pittsburgh’s win over the Ravens, but that doesn’t mean his snaps weren’t effective. The Browns showed that Garrett and company could not defend against the kind of threat that Fields would present by letting Saints’ Taysom Hill run wild (206 total yards, three rushing touchdowns). One area that is needed the most is the red zone, where the Steelers are 30th in the league, only converting 44.4% of the time.
Four trips to the red zone against Baltimore resulted in zero touchdowns, and while Boswell and the defense got a well-earned victory, that isn’t a sustainable model for success. Fields and Wilson have led the team to 11 red zone situations each, but while Wilson only has four touchdowns, Fields has eight touchdowns in those tries. The former Chicago Bears quarterback may not be the starter in Pittsburgh at the moment, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be the reason why the team’s red zone offense improves going forward.
Anyone Not Named George Pickens?
George Pickens came into 2024 wanting to prove that he was a bona fide NFL star receiver, and through 10 games, he has fully backed that up despite playing in the league’s 28th-ranked passing offense. Other than Ja’Marr Chase (1,056 yards), Justin Jefferson (912 yards), and CeeDee Lamb (774 yards), Pickens’ 728 receiving yards rank fourth in the NFL. Those household names are the kind of company Pickens believed he belonged among, and so far, nothing about his 2024 season has shown otherwise. It is almost guaranteed that Pickens will be deeply involved in the offense, but who else will step up?
The gap between Pickens and every other receiver on Pittsburgh’s roster is widening by the week. The next closest to him is Calvin Austin III, with 276 yards (27.6 yards/game) followed by Van Jefferson who has only managed 139 yards (13.9 yards/game). Mike Williams made a game-winning splash play on his first catch as a member of the black and gold but then didn’t have a target against the Ravens. The Steelers have a potent rushing offense (8th in the NFL), but on gameday, the passing attack boils down to Pickens and a different x-factor from the assortment of receivers with no way to guess which.
Final Thoughts and Prediction
Alex Highsmith will miss another game as he heals from an ankle injury, and Cory Trice Jr. will be waiting one more week at least to rejoin the defensive unit on the field. Depth has been one of the reasons why the Steelers are 8-2 with an excellent chance to keep the streak going in primetime. The Browns’ 24th-ranked rushing defense hasn’t shown that it will be ready for Najee Harris and Warren, which leans directly into Pittsburgh’s strength. Tomlin has shown that the typical trap game might be in the past, but a win against Cleveland on a short week would solidify that belief. Prediction: Steelers 31 – Browns 10
