The AFC North spotlight shifts to Cleveland on Thursday night, where the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns will meet with something more substantial than rivalry bragging rights at stake.
Both teams enter the Week 4 matchup with 2-1 records, and the winner will emerge from Thursday night sitting atop the division heading into Week 5.
For Pittsburgh, simply winning in Cleveland has become a challenge of its own. The Steelers have managed only one victory in their last eight trips to Cleveland dating to 2018. Their recent Thursday visits have been particularly frustrating, adding another layer to a rivalry that rarely needs additional drama.
Mike McCarthy will try to change that trend in his first season coaching Pittsburgh. His personal history on Thursdays is considerably brighter, with seven consecutive victories in Thursday games as a head coach.
The Steelers also arrive with some offensive momentum after putting 30 points on Cincinnati in Week 3.
Aaron Rodgers delivered one of his strongest performances since joining Pittsburgh, finding success even when pressured and producing a pair of deep touchdown passes. That vertical passing attack had been largely absent during the opening two weeks.
Repeating that performance against Cleveland could be considerably more difficult.
The Browns have continued generating substantial pressure despite the absence of Myles Garrett. Defensive tackle Mason Graham has quickly emerged as a major piece of that effort, recording four sacks through Cleveland’s first three games.
Pittsburgh could counter that pressure by leaning more heavily on Jaylen Warren. The running back produced a career-high 176 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches against Cincinnati and repeatedly made defenders miss.
Cleveland has its own offensive questions to answer.
Deshaun Watson has helped guide the Browns to consecutive victories while throwing multiple touchdown passes without an interception in both games. Yet Cleveland remains near the bottom of the NFL in several major offensive categories, including total offense, passing, rushing, third-down efficiency and red-zone touchdown percentage.
That makes Watson’s mobility especially important. He ran 11 times for 45 yards in Cleveland’s Week 3 victory and could again need to escape pressure against a Pittsburgh defense capable of attacking from several directions.
The Browns will also be without starting center Elgton Jenkins, potentially giving Pittsburgh’s defensive front an inviting matchup. T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Cameron Heyward give the Steelers plenty of options for testing a Cleveland offensive line that will not be at full strength.
Pittsburgh has injury uncertainty of its own. Veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey revealed this week that he is dealing with a broken wrist, although he did not immediately rule himself out of the matchup.
All of it sets up an unusually meaningful early-season chapter between two familiar rivals.
Pittsburgh wants to prove its offensive surge against Cincinnati can travel. Cleveland wants to demonstrate that its surprising start is more than an early-season flash.
By the end of Thursday night, one of them will have something even better than another rivalry victory: first place in the AFC North.
