The Pittsburgh Steelers return home Sunday to host the Cleveland Browns, and the two sides are heading in opposite directions at the moment. The Steelers are 3-1, have remained stable and seem to be in complete control of the AFC North. The Browns are 1-4 and currently have a new starting quarterback in place with Dillon Gabriel.
Although the Steelers really should win this game if they hope to be a true contender, there’s a good chance it ends up being a close affair. ESPN’s Mina Kimes thinks the Browns will actually come out victorious on Sunday.
“I think the Browns are capable of disrupting the Steelers’ receivers at the line of scrimmage, to force Aaron Rodgers to hold onto the football,” Kimes said Friday on ESPN’s NFL Live. “If they don’t, he can quick game them to death, that’s what this comes down to… I think they’re gonna be able to run the ball on Pittsburgh. Quinshon Judkins has been really good at breaking tackles, and I’m still really suspicious of the Steelers’ run defense.”
Kimes was the only one on the NFL Live cast to pick the Browns, and she thinks they’ll win 20-17. Ryan Clark, Dan Orlovsky and Hannah Storm all went with Pittsburgh.
The Browns may be 1-4, but they’re not a team that’s just going to be walked all over. They’ve got a win over the Green Bay Packers and nearly beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the first week of the season. Even last week, they nearly came away with a win against the Minnesota Vikings in London if not for a late touchdown.
That performance came behind a decent showing from Gabriel. It was his first NFL game, but he’s much more experienced than most rookie quarterbacks, and it showed. He didn’t force the ball into any bad areas, played within himself, and was efficient in the process. Cleveland has plenty of younger pass catchers, and the Browns have spread the ball around through their first four games.
However, the run game and their defense is where the Browns would beat the Steelers on Sunday. Judkins has had a great start to his NFL career, with 347 rushing yards through five games on 4.8 yards per carry. Against a defense that hasn’t stopped the run well this year, he could be a problem for the Steelers.
Offensively, the Steelers’ offense is going to have their work cut out for them. The Browns have one of the best front sevens in the entire league and have stuffed the run all year. They also play a lot of physical, press man coverage. Without Calvin Austin III on the field, it may be hard for guys like Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek to find separation.
That said, the Steelers still should win this game. They’re rather heavy favorites and have much more proven talent as a whole. If they can come out with a win, it would be massive for the divisional race as well. They’ll hope to defy Kimes’ expectations to do so.
