Don’t call it a trap game. The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t overlooking the Cleveland Browns. That’s for college squads and young NFL teams. But that doesn’t mean the Steelers will avoid a challenge tonight. Watching this team for 31 years, I’m hard-wired to be nervous and skeptical and disappointed but there’s real reason to be nervous.
Getting locked in for the game will be tough. An intense and physical game against the Baltimore Ravens took a lot out of this team. They had to bring everything they had to beat the Ravens and kudos to them for stepping up. Still, the Steelers will have to dig deep to get locked in for the Browns four days later.
Cleveland is dealing with the tight turnaround, too. But they’re the home team. They didn’t have to deal with the additional logistics of travel, the Steelers taking a bus Wednesday night to a Cleveland-area hotel. The Browns can enjoy being at home and playing in front of their crowd.
This season, the Thursday night home team is 7-4 and some of those losses were predictable: the Spencer Rattler-led New Orleans Saints falling to the Denver Broncos, the Miami Dolphins defeated by the Buffalo Bills after losing Tua Tagovailoa.
The 2-8 Browns aren’t a good team. But they’re a better team now that Jameis Winston is their quarterback. Streaky as he is, the best of his game makes him dangerous. This offense is more potent and explosive than it was with Deshaun Watson. They can hit the big play. They can pick up chunk yards. Defensively, there’s talent. A group not living up to expectations but DE Myles Garrett, CB Denzel Ward, S Grant Delpit. There are good players who know the Steelers well.
That familiarity closes the gap. Cleveland’s shown it will play the AFC North tough. The Browns upset the Baltimore Ravens, 29-24, in Week 8. The week before, they hung with the Cincinnati Bengals in a 21-14 loss, though there was a late Cleveland touchdown that slightly skews the box score (the Browns also started Watson and played three quarterbacks so it all washes out).
Pittsburgh isn’t taking Cleveland lightly. I’m confident saying that. But that doesn’t mean this game is going to be easy. It’ll be messy, ugly, and tight late in the game. Winning on a short week on the road is impressive no matter how it’s done. If the worst thing we’re talking about Friday morning is a close ‘W,’ sign me up. It sure beats a loss. But if the Steelers drop this one, disappointing as it’ll be, I won’t be shocked.
