We begin October with a prime-time matchup steeped in higher stakes than anyone expected when the schedule was first announced, thanks to the Browns’ surprising 2-1 start. The vibes are trending upward in Cleveland and Pittsburgh with both squads pulling off Week 3 upsets, but they’re about to get even better for one team. Thursday night’s winner will officially lead the AFC North entering Week 5, regardless of other results.
Will the Steelers begin exorcising some nearly decade-old demons in Aaron Rodgers’ final NFL season? Can the Browns — above .500 for the first time since 2023 — shock the world by rising to the top of the only division in which every team has a winning record entering Week 4?
Three must-know storylines
1) Can Pittsburgh shake the ghosts of Cleveland trips past? Just in time for spooky season, the Steelers are about to enter what’s become their house of horrors. Pittsburgh has won only one of its last eight games in Cleveland dating back to 2018, with three of those losses coming in Thursday night games.
The Steelers scored a season-low six points when they visited Huntington Bank Field on a rainy Sunday late last season. Perhaps Mike McCarthy has the mojo to break the franchise’s TNF curse in his first year on the job. McCarthy has won seven straight Thursday games as a head coach (with the Cowboys), and he’s apparently leaving no stone unturned as he looks for an edge in his first prime-time game as coach of his hometown team, including consideration of a day-of-game bus trip before ruling it out.
2) Will the Steelers’ offense wither under the Browns’ pressure? Pittsburgh erupted for 30 points in this past Sunday’s win over the Bengals, but was it just a mirage? After all, since 2025, the Steelers have scored 31.7 points per game against the Bengals and 20.9 points per game against all other opponents.
The triumph over Cincinnati was one of Rodgers’ best games since joining the Steelers prior to last season. The four-time MVP tied for his most passing yards under pressure in a game since Week 10 of 2020, and he threw two deep (20+ air yards) touchdown passes in the first quarter after he had failed to complete a deep throw on nine attempts in the first two weeks.
Cleveland’s defense might be starting to cook again, though, as it learns to live without Myles Garrett. The Browns have the second-highest QB pressure rate in the league (42.2%), and DT Mason Graham — the fifth overall pick in the 2025 draft — appears to have arrived, posting four sacks in the first three games (tied for second-most in the league).
Steady heat from the interior — or any direction, really — would spell doom for the 42-year-old Rodgers, but one way to wear down the Browns’ front would be to pound the ball on the ground. With Rico Dowdle sidelined by a toe injury against Cincy, Jaylen Warren posted a career-high 176 scrimmage yards on 20 touches, forcing 10 missed tackles. He could find the sledding tougher this week.
3) Does the Browns’ offense have another gear? Cleveland ranks among the bottom five offenses in total yards per game, pass yards per game, rush yards per game, third-down conversion rate and red zone touchdown percentage. So, while Deshaun Watson just became only the fourth Browns QB in the last 35 seasons to throw multiple TD passes and no interceptions in consecutive wins, there’s obviously still a long way to go for Todd Monken’s offense.
There are budding Browns playmakers who could pose problems for Patrick Graham’s defense. Rookie receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion are promising talents, but they each were held to two catches in Week 3’s win over Carolina. Harold Fannin Jr. is one of the best young tight ends in the league. Cleveland could use a jolt from the Quinshon Judkins-led running game, but it won’t help matters if starting center Elgton Jenkins (concussion protocol) is unable to play against the Steelers. (EDITOR’S UPDATE: Jenkins has been ruled out of Thursday’s game.) Pittsburgh still can throw T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Cameron Heyward at a Cleveland offensive line that probably won’t be operating at full strength. And keep an eye on Steelers second-year DT Derrick Harmon, who sealed the win over the Bengals with a strip-sack of Joe Burrow. It’s worth watching Jalen Ramsey’s status, too. The eight-time Pro Bowl DB revealed on Tuesday that he has a broken wrist but didn’t rule out playing through it.
Watson had his best performance of the season as a runner last week (11 rushes for 45 yards), and his ability to create with his legs will be essential for the Browns to counter the Steelers’ pressure.
lets go