The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cleveland for a Thursday night matchup against the Browns, marking the 150th all-time meeting between the AFC North rivals separated by 135 miles.
Both teams enter at 2-1. The game will air Thursday at 8:15 p.m. EDT on Amazon Prime, with the Steelers favored by 2½ points.
For Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, this represents his final scheduled Thursday night game of his NFL career. According to the report, Rodgers is 13-7 on Thursdays with 46 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He needs one more Thursday win to tie Tom Brady’s record of 14. Rodgers has thrown 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in five games against the Browns. Last week, Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy became the seventh quarterback-coach combination to win at least 100 regular-season games together since 1950.
McCarthy is 11-5 on Thursday nights, including wins in four of his past five games.
The Steelers have struggled on Thursday nights in AFC North road games, posting a 0-9 record in such matchups. Four of those nine losses came against Cleveland, including a 24-19 defeat two years ago played partially in a snowstorm.
Cleveland has won seven consecutive Thursday night games, tied for the fourth longest such streak in NFL history. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has four touchdowns and no interceptions over his past two games. However, Watson has lost all three of his starts against Pittsburgh while taking 18 sacks.
Key injury concerns include Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who was traded to Dallas on Wednesday night, and veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey, listed as questionable with a broken wrist. Steelers running back Jaylen Warren is coming off a career-high 176 total yards against Cincinnati. For Cleveland, center Elgton Jenkins will miss the game due to concussion protocol.
The defensive matchup centers on the Browns’ offensive line against Pittsburgh’s pass rush. Cleveland’s tackles have allowed a 13.5% quarterback pressure rate, second highest in the league. Steelers linebacker TJ Watt has 17½ sacks in 15 meetings against the Browns, while Alex Highsmith has 11½ in 11 games.
Key facts
- Steelers (2-1) at Browns (2-1) Thursday at 8:15 p.m. EDT on Amazon Prime
- Aaron Rodgers is 13-7 on Thursdays and needs one win to tie Tom Brady’s record of 14 Thursday victories
- Pittsburgh is 0-9 on the road facing AFC North teams on Thursday, with four losses to Cleveland
- Cleveland has won seven straight Thursday night games, tied for fourth longest streak in NFL history
- Deshaun Watson has thrown 4 TDs and 0 INTs in past two games but is 0-3 against Pittsburgh with 18 sacks taken