The Cleveland Browns have a chance to start an NFL season 2-0 for the first time in 30 years when they travel to Acrisure Stadium on Monday Night Football to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In week one, the Steelers were beaten handily by the San Francisco 49ers, 30-7, while it was the opposite story in Cleveland as the Browns ran away with a comfortable 24-3 triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Match preview
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Week one was a game to forget if you are Mike Tomlin and the Steelers, who had trouble containing the Niners offence throughout the contest, losing their first season opener since 2019.
That year was also the last time this team began a regular season with an 0-2 record, while the Steelers are coming off a 2022 campaign in which they only captured one of their three home contests versus AFC North opponents, with that one win coming in their season finale versus the Browns (28-14).
Defensively, they gave up nearly 400 total yards versus San Francisco (391), while looking susceptible against the run and through the air, conceding 152 yards on the ground to Christian McCaffrey, while Brock Purdy threw two touchdown passes and had a rating of 111.3 against the Steelers.
Being down by 13 points going into half time forced this team to abandon perhaps their greatest offensive weapon, their running attack, as Pittsburgh only carried the ball 10 times last Sunday, while the offensive line had all kinds of trouble containing the Niners defensive unit, as the Steelers gave up five quarterback sacks, with Pittsburgh averaging a mere 3.9 yards per play.
One of the things which kept the Steelers in the postseason hunt throughout 2022 was their ability to create takeaways, finishing in the top 10 regarding turnover differential (+4), but they made countless mistakes in that department last Sunday, failing to convert two fourth downs and also throwing a pair of interceptions.
Starting quicker is likely to be a point of emphasis for them heading into this encounter, and that is something the Steelers have struggled to do, scoring a total of three points in the opening quarter of their last four regular-season outings, a streak which began on Christmas Eve 2022 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Coming off his worst season as an NFL head coach (7-10), Browns boss Kevin Stefanski has been tasked with rebuilding this team back into a playoff contender, while developing some chemistry within a group that have plenty of new faces on the defensive side this year.
The team, along with the new faces, passed their first test in Cincinnati with flying colours, holding the league's highest-paid player, Joe Burrow, to only 82 yards passing and a meagre 52.2 rating, while only allowing six first downs and just two third down conversions against an offence that many have pegged to be perhaps the most dangerous in the NFL.
It is a good thing their defence was so dominant because, offensively, they struggled moving the ball through the air, as no one had more than 50 yards receiving, while they were heavily dependent on the ground game, finishing with 206 rushing yards.
In the span of 60 minutes on Monday, Cleveland can end a pair of lengthy streaks, as the Browns have not won a regular-season contest in Pittsburgh in almost 20 years (33-13 win in 2003), while they have not begun a season 2-0 since Bill Belichick was their head coach in 1993.
A win on Monday would also give them their first road victory against an AFC North opponent in nearly three years, with their last one coming in Cincinnati during the 2020 campaign (37-34).
Cleveland have not won consecutive games versus their division in the same season since 2019 when they defeated the Baltimore Ravens and Steelers in late September and mid-November.
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Team News
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Cameron Heyward has been ruled out for Pittsburgh after hurting his groin in the loss to San Fran, Diontae Johnson is listed as doubtful due to a sore hamstring, Anthony McFarland did not practice this week as he is dealing with a problem in his knee, Larry Ogunjobi has an issue with his foot, Pat Freiermuth saw limited time at practice with a chest injury, while Chukwuma Okorafor might not be available because of a concussion.
Kenny Pickett was under duress throughout their opening game, as he faced a pressure rating of 45.1%, which seemed to affect his accuracy, with the 25-year-old tossing two interceptions, while posting a QB rating of 68.4, Allen Robinson had five catches for 64 yards to lead the team in his first regular-season game as a Steeler and Najee Harris was limited to just six carries for 31 yards.
TJ Watt was one of the few bright spots for them in week one, registering three sacks, while Elandon Roberts and Kwon Alexander had six and seven tackles respectively, the most among Steeler players.
Amari Cooper hurt his leg in the Browns' victory last Sunday, Juan Thornhill missed practice this week due to a calf strain, Jedrick Wills has a sore foot, Maurice Hurst is dealing with a hamstring strain, Shelby Harris may not be available because of an issue in his Achilles and Myles Garrett is probable despite a minor foot injury.
Deshaun Watson went 16/29 for 154 yards with a rushing score, one interception and a TD pass to Harrison Bryant, while Elijah Moore had three catches for 43 yards to lead all Cleveland receivers and Nick Chubb racked up 106 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Garrett and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo each had a sack on Burrow last weekend, while Grant Delpit led the team with seven tackles.
Head To Head
These teams have faced each other plenty of times over the years, with the Steelers owning the overall record by a count of 80-62-1, winning the previous meeting at the end of the 2022 regular season when Derek Watt and Najee Harris each ran for a score, while Pickett found George Pickens for a 31-yard TD pass in the opening quarter, helping Pittsburgh emerge with a 28-14 victory.
Although they have not won a regular season encounter in the Steel City in quite some time, Cleveland have a recent road victory over Pittsburgh in the playoffs, when Kareem Hunt ran for a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, while Baker Mayfield tossed a TD pass to both Chubb and Austin Hooper, giving the Browns a 48-37 triumph in the 2020-21 Wild Card Round, their first postseason win in 26 years.
During the 1986 season, the Browns ended a 16-game losing streak against Pittsburgh at the old Three Rivers Stadium in Pennsylvania, thanks to a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown by Gerald McNeil, while Earnest Byner ran for a four-yard score and Bernie Kosar hit Webster Slaughter for a 15-yard touchdown pass, enabling Cleveland to win 27-24.
We say: Pittsburgh Steelers 17-20 Cleveland Browns
These are two solid defensive units that can stifle opposing offences, so we believe that moving the ball for each will be difficult.
The Browns' rushing attack, along with the scrambling ability of Watson, is what has us leaning towards them ending a lengthy regular-season losing run in the Steel City.
