The Pittsburgh Steelers must defeat the Cleveland Browns to clinch the AFC North after the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Green Bay Packers. Should they lose their fourth straight game in Cleveland, the Week 18 matchup between the Steelers and Ravens will be for the division. Will Pittsburgh win its first division title in five years? Our staff weighs in.
Ryan Parish: At this time last year, everything in Steelers Nation was crashing and burning over a painstakingly compacted late-season collapse.
I’m still not certain this team will be able to make any noise in the playoffs, but everything is seemingly falling into place for the Steelers to punch their ticket to the dance. Cleveland isn’t as painfully incompetent as the Raiders, Giants, and Titans of the world, and yet they’re in the running for one of the top two picks of the 2026 draft. This is a team that the Steelers should beat easily if they’re serious about making a playoff run, and over the last month, Pittsburgh has been handling their business as we had all hoped it could. Cleveland isn’t motivated to win, and Pittsburgh doesn’t want to leave any doubt about their playoff aspirations. Steelers get this one done 28-13.
Alex Hanczar: As the I-76 rivalry hits the conclusion of its 2025 chapter, the AFC North may be all but locked up by kickoff. A Saturday night contest between Green Bay and Baltimore could conclude the Ravens’ season if they are to lose. However, Detroit’s somewhat surprising loss to Minnesota makes the Packers’ need to win slightly less dire.
Regardless, there is a strong chance the Steelers hold fate in their own hands with a contest against the Browns on Sunday afternoon. While the black and gold trumped Cleveland earlier this season, plenty of things have changed. Most notably, Shedeur Sanders has taken over at QB. The 2025 fifth-round pick has not seen the best results, but has kept the Browns in games more so than fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel has.
With the Steelers’ offense and defense carrying plenty of momentum into Cleveland, I have a hard time believing the Browns will be able to put in an adequate effort to defeat the black and gold. Steelers, 26, Browns, 17
Mike Nicastro: Difficult game here to predict ahead of time due to the major playoff implications that will be determined Saturday night when the Ravens and Packers square off. I’m going with the Packers to win, which means Pittsburgh wins the AFC North and essentially has nothing to play for on Sunday.
In that case, I’m guessing Mike Tomlin elects to rest key vets – such as Aaron Rodgers, Cam Heyward, and Jalen Ramsey. Either way, we’ve got a rock fight on our hands – with ultimately the biggest storyline being Myles Garrett’s sack record. He gets it, but the Steelers punch last. Steelers 16, Browns 13.
Joey Bray: The Steelers have themselves in as good a position as you could ask for at this point. This game could very well end up being meaningless for the Steelers by the time the game kicks off.
Aaron Rodgers is playing as well as he has all year, but the offense should look different this week, considering the absence of DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin. I could see Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell replicating their performance against Detroit last week.
The Browns aren’t playing for anything but the single-season sack record at this point. I would be lying if I said I am confident in Dylan Cook going up against Myles Garrett, even though Cook has looked phenomenal in his limited action so far.
I do believe we will see all healthy starters play at least for the first half, even if the division is already locked up. Regardless, this is going to be a game the Steelers will do just enough to be able to squeak out a victory.
Steelers 17, Browns 10.
Ryland Bickley: We now know without a doubt the Steelers will be playing their starters in this game, but it’s still hard to feel too optimistic. We’ve seen that the defense can survive without T.J. Watt, but how will the offense hold up with two starting offensive linemen and D.K. Metcalf out? I have more trust in Aaron Rodgers than I did in Russell Wilson in 2024, but this situation is similar to when the team lost George Pickens late last season, and productivity cratered. Against a still-elite Browns defense, moving the ball won’t be easy.
All that to say, the Browns are still 3-12 for a reason. Playing in Cleveland, it won’t be an easy win for the Steelers, but I think Pittsburgh ekes it out, 25-17.
Jarrett Bailey: It will be rainy in Cleveland with multiple Browns stars out of the lineup on a team that already isn’t good. That’s not to say this will be a blowout, but this is a game the Steelers should win. As winners of their last three games, they are on a roll and have the better roster. They get the hats and t-shirts as winners of the AFC North. Steelers 20, Browns 6.
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