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With a high-scoring Week 11 in the books for the NFL season, it is time to look ahead to the Week 12 slate of games. For Thursday Night Football this week, we have an AFC North rivalry. The Pittsburgh Steelers, the AFC North leader, will take on the Cleveland Browns. Let’s break down this AFC North clash while recapping their Week 11 game.
The Steelers had a first-place showdown in the AFC North, taking on the Baltimore Ravens. It was not pretty, like most Steelers games, but they won 18-16 on the back of six field goals from kicker Chris Boswell.
The Steelers defense was fantastic in this one, holding Lamar Jackson and company to 16 points on the day. However, the Steelers offense struggled to get moving all day, especially once they got into Baltimore territory. Quarterback Russell Wilson ended the day 23-36 for 205 yards and a costly interception in the end zone.
With Wilson struggling a bit, the rest of the offense did as well. Najee saw 18 carries but could only muster 63 yards, while Jaylen Warren also saw nine touches for 41 yards. The best player on the Steelers offense was George Pickens. He and Russell Wilson have a solid connection with one another, leading to an eight-catch day for 89 yards.
This Steelers team does not seem to ever win a game pretty. However, the good thing is they do not need to because their defense is elite and has led them to an 8-2 record.
As for the Cleveland Browns, they were not so lucky. They were blown out on the road against the New Orleans Saints 35-14. The defense for the Browns kept them in the game, as it was a 14-14 tie heading into the fourth quarter. The Saints scored 21 unanswered points, and the rest is history.
Some of us were hoping for a revenge game scenario for Jameis Winston, but his team came up short. Winston had a great day on paper, as he threw the ball 46 times, completing 20 of them for 395 yards and two touchdowns.
With Winston chucking it all over the field, his offensive weapons had big days as well. Jerry Jeudy led the receiving room with six catches for 142 yards and an 89-yard touchdown. We also saw David Njoku (9 catches for 81 yards) and Elijah Moore (six catches for 66 yards and a TD) have solid days. But all in all, the Browns defense let them down in the end.
This is the first matchup between these division rivals this season. Their seasons are also going in polar opposite directions. The Steelers look to continue their march toward the playoffs, while the Browns try to figure out what is best for them in the future with a 2-8 record.
One thing that sticks out to me for this matchup is that the Steelers secondary is elite. They just shut down one of the best offenses in the league this past week against the Ravens. Plus, the Steelers have allowed the fourth-fewest touchdown passes in the NFL and haven’t allowed more than one touchdown pass since Week 5 against the Cowboys.
With all that said, our Steelers @ Browns NFL pick is going to on Jameis Winston to throw for fewer than two touchdowns against the Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.