The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped the first 2024 meeting against the Cleveland Browns in a snow-covered 24-19 upset that ended the five-game winning streak Pittsburgh brought into their Week 12 matchup. Mike Tomlin and his Steelers want payback against the Browns after a bounce-back win (44-38) against the high-powered Cincinnati Bengals offense. That seems much more likely than it did two weeks ago.
Steelers Want Payback In Round 2
The Steelers have all the divisional games jam-packed into the second half of the 2024 season, which means high-intensity, emotional battles with little time in between. Pittsburgh was coming off a stressful win over the Baltimore Ravens three days before their Week 12 game in Cleveland, which certainly showed. A 10-day break following the upset loss led to an offensive explosion against the Bengals and a more positive mood coming into Sunday’s AFC North meeting. The question is whether the Browns can sweep the Steelers without the weather and a short week both playing a part on the field.
George Pickens On the Injury Report
Everything pointed to Week 14 being one of the more healthy weeks the Steelers have seen until George Pickens popped up on the injury report with a hamstring issue. The star receiver will be questionable for Sunday’s game, but unless he is physically restrained, it is highly unlikely that Pickens will miss this AFC North rematch. How much will the hamstring impact what the Steelers’ leading pass-catcher can do against the Browns’ secondary? Behind Pickens is an amalgamation of receivers who are consistently inconsistent, which makes leaning heavily on the group a concerning reality going into the game.
Pickens is ninth in the NFL with 850 yards receiving in 2024, but the second leading receiver on Pittsburgh’s roster is Calvin Austin III, who only has 383 yards on the year yet leads the team in receiving scores (4). The Browns have the 19th-ranked pass defense (221 yards/game, 16 touchdowns), but that doesn’t mean the Steelers can afford any missed time by Pickens. Van Jefferson (1.4 catches/game), Mike Williams (0.25 catches/game), and Scotty Miller (0.22 catches/game) have all averaged less than two catches a game in 2024, so fans will be stressfully waiting for the decision on Pickens’ availability.
No Excuses On Sunday
Cleveland’s Week 12 stunner against the Steelers was due to numerous factors, but Pittsburgh had missed opportunities in all three phases leading to the Browns’ upset win. With 4:22 left in the fourth quarter, and the Steelers leading 19-18, Jameis Winston was intercepted by Donte Jackson. Instead of anything resembling a clock-eating drive, the offense stumbled to a three-and-out. Steelers Punter, Corliss Waitman, shanked a punt that traveled a mere 15 yards, giving Cleveland the ball at Pittsburgh’s 45-yard-line. Nine excruciating plays later, the defense allowed Cleveland into the end zone for the lead.
There are no excuses in the NFL, so weather and three days between games were simply facts and not reasons to hang the loss on. However, there is no question that a regular week between games and expected weather of around 50 degrees will impact the condition in which the Steelers enter Sunday’s chance at payback. Many saw the Week 12 loss in Cleveland as an aberration rather than an indication of what kind of team the Steelers are in 2024. Following the barnburner victory against the Bengals, a win at home over the Browns would ensure that the snowy loss becomes the exception rather than the norm.
Highsmith and Trice Jr. Return
The surprise of seeing Pickens on the Friday injury report overshadowed the good news, which is the team’s overall health going into Week 14. Not only is Alex Highsmith back and ready to rejoin the pass-rushing revolving door that is Highsmith, TJ Watt, and Nick Herbig, but Cory Trice Jr. will be back on the field. Trice, the 6-foot-3 “Avatar” cornerback, suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers and has been on IR ever since. The Steelers lead the NFL with 25 takeaways, 13 of which are interceptions, so getting Trice back means more chances for a team with a +15 turnover differential.
Highsmith’s return means that Watt can have more snaps to catch his breath, but perhaps just as importantly, it represents an immediate boost to the Steelers’ run defense. Herbig is a human wrecking ball who has been superb in the small sample size seen so far, but Highsmith’s experience will be crucial against Nick Chubb and a gritty Cleveland offense. Pittsburgh held Cleveland to 85 rushing yards, with Chubb gaining 59 of those yards while adding two scores on the ground, but still lost. If victory for Pittsburgh hinges on stopping the run even more, having Highsmith back is a monumental returning defensive piece.
Can Russell Wilson Keep Cooking?
Going into Week 13, Pittsburgh knew that winning would mean scoring points in bunches against Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Russell Wilson turned in his best performance in years, turning back the clock with 414 passing yards and 3 touchdowns for a 126.4 rating. Ten different Steelers caught at least one pass, and Wilson’s pocket awareness was elite throughout the game. That was last week, though, and the Browns can taste a season sweep of the division-leading Steelers. Pittsburgh won’t need to score 44 to win on Sunday, but the team needs Wilson to avoid regressing to his Week 12 self.
Pittsburgh still has the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles on the schedule, plus a second meeting with Burrow and the Bengals, so Week 13 won’t be the last time this offense will be called upon to stack touchdowns. The defense may be where the money is spent in Pittsburgh, but in 2024, the franchise is learning to score like an NFL team despite investing one of the lowest amounts in the offensive side of the ball ($73.6 million). Wilson is leading a scrappy, possibly overachieving unit that is one of the reasons for Pittsburgh’s success rather than the team winning despite the offense.
Payback Or Trap Game?
The Browns are sitting at the bottom of the division with a 3-9 record, and the 9-3 Steelers are on the other end of the spectrum. However, AFC North games are always their own microcosms, so records and statistics can often be thrown out the window when these rivals clash. The fact that Pittsburgh is 9-3 instead of 10-2 riding a long winning streak is proof of that, with Week 12 standing out as the lone loss since Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Whether because of Cleveland’s record or the upcoming games that could be considered more enticing, such as the Eagles, Chiefs, and Ravens, Sunday could once again be the perfect setting for a trap game. Pittsburgh can smell the playoffs, which the team isn’t usually doing until the season’s final week. If the Steelers take the Browns lightly, even for a moment, there is nothing that Cleveland would like more than to put another dent in a surprisingly successful 2024 Steelers’ campaign. A level-headed, prepared performance will put all that to rest, but this is the AFC North, so nothing is for certain until the final whistle.
Can Steelers Stop Garrett This Time?
Myles Garrett managed to wreck the game in Week 12 with 3 sacks, and most of his game was spent in Pittsburgh’s backfield. Pittsburgh’s offensive line seemed to have shaken off whatever happened against Cleveland in the snow and put together a cohesive, commanding performance against Cincinnati. If Wilson is crucial to the game turning into Pittsburgh’s 10th win of the season, then keeping him upright is the number one focus of this young but talented group of blockers.
Broderick Jones had a mature, energetic showing last week, and even though Bengals’ defender Trey Hendrickson remains the NFL’s sack leader (11.5), he was neutralized along with the rest of the Cincinnati defense. Cleveland is a much better group defensively than the Bengals, which means if this Pittsburgh offensive line can continue to show growth as a unit, Wilson and the passing attack will keep improving along with the running game. Garrett is a game-wrecker and will require plenty of attention, but he shouldn’t dominate like he did at home in the snow.
Final Thoughts and Prediction
Besides Pickens, who will remain a genuine worry until his availability is confirmed or bad news is reported, this Pittsburgh team is getting healthy at precisely the right time. Steelers’ fans will remember the many times the team limped into the playoffs and the first-round exits that would follow.
Tomlin navigated this roster through some brutal injury moments, and while depth has been one of the leading factors for Pittsburgh’s 2024 success so far, being healthy is always preferable. Don’t expect a rested, nearly healthy Steelers team to let the Browns get the season sweep on Sunday. Prediction: Steelers 34 – Browns 17
