The Cleveland Browns are heading into a divisional showdown this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is the second time these two will have matched up this year, with the Browns winning the first time around.
However, this game feels like it has more riding on it. The winner of this game will sit alone in first place in the AFC North. It’s also a chance for Cleveland to take a two-game advantage in division games, which is a critical playoff tiebreaker.
What fireworks can we expect in this game? Here are my three bold predictions.
Jared Verse gets on the board
Aarong Rogers is the most sacked quarterback in NFL history. He would rather eat the ball and take a sack than put the ball in harm's way by throwing a rushed pass that could be intercepted. We saw a taste of
that when the Browns sacked Rogers 5 times when they played earlier this year.
I’d imagine that the Steelers will change up their game plan after giving up 8 sacks in the last two games as well as the previously mentioned 5 to Cleveland earlier this year. So it could be a new name that gets his opportunity to sack Rogers.
Jared Verse does not have a sack yet this season. His production is undeniably down this year, although he has shown flashes of still being a disruptive player. This feels like an opportune time for him to break through and get his first of the season.
KC’s back-to-back big days
KC Concepcion looked great in the Browns win over the Titans last week. He showed the yards-after-catch ability that we knew he had coming out of college. His quickness is a matchup problem, and now that he is adjusting to the speed of the NFL, we might be seeing that more and more.
I am betting that the needle is pointing up for Concepcion after his first career 100-yard receiving game last week. So much so that I believe he will repeat that performance and go for over 100 yards again. This first-round pick has all the ability in the world, and we are watching him come into his own before our eyes.
Bust out the brooms
The Browns have not swept the season series against the Steelers since 1988. This weekend they will have a chance to break that streak, and I believe that they will.
Pittsburgh has been a very middle-of-the-road team this year. Their passing game is pedestrian, and they don’t do any one thing especially well. They are ripe for the picking.
The thing that gives me the most optimism this week is that I believe that the Browns have the coaching advantage. Todd Monken has this team believing in themselves, and we have seen that reflected in several late-game, one-possession wins this season. When push comes to shove, I think Cleveland is just the more mentally tough team right now.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: 3 bold predictions for the Browns against the Steelers in Week 8
