The last time the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers matched up, Thursday Night Football wasn’t entertaining for most outside of Cleveland with the Browns 29-17 victory. At that point, Cleveland moved to 2-1 on the season while Pittsburgh dropped to 1-2.
Now, 15 weeks later, so much has changed for both teams. Sunday has very little meaning for the Browns but a ton for the Steelers who hold on to slim playoff hopes and a chance to keep Mike Tomlin’s no-losing-seasons streak alive.
In Week 3, Jacoby Brissett and Mitchell Trubisky led the two teams at quarterback. In Week 18, Deshaun Watson and Kenny Pickett will be behind center. Pittsburgh didn’t have T.J. Watt in Week 3 and hadn’t yet traded away Chase Claypool.
Except for a lot of injuries, especially at the linebacker position, Cleveland is a similar team outside of Watson at quarterback.
Pittsburgh’s defense has been playing great while the offense has been getting just enough from the rookie Pickett. Fellow rookie George Pickens has stepped into Claypool’s role well at receiver while the Steelers run game continues to be hit or miss.
For Cleveland, finding a way to stop the run and make things difficult on Pickett will be key. Giving Watson time to throw, especially with Jack Conklin’s injury concern, could be difficult for the team.
This post will serve as our Story Stream. Every article related to the Week 18 matchup between the Browns and Steelers can be found right here.