Pittsburgh (9-6) at Cleveland (3-12)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.
BetMGM NFL odds: Steelers by 3.
Against the spread: Steelers 8-6-1; Browns 6-9.
Series record: Steelers lead 83-64-1.
Last meeting: Steelers won 23-9 on Oct. 12 at Pittsburgh.
Last week: Steelers beat Lions 29-24; Browns lost to Bills 23-20.
Steelers offense: overall (27), rush (26), pass (21), scoring (11).
Steelers defense: overall (28), rush (15), pass (30), scoring (17).
Browns offense: overall
(30), rush (28), pass (30), scoring (31)
Browns defense: overall (2), rush (14), pass (1), scoring (20)
Turnover differential: Steelers plus-9; Browns minus-6.
RB Kenny Gainwell. “Kenny G” is hitting all the right notes during Pittsburgh's three-game winning streak. The versatile five-year veteran is averaging nearly 100 yards from scrimmage during the Steelers' late-season surge. Gainwell's 62 receptions also lead the team, and they're not just checkdowns. Just look at his diving one-armed grab on a 45-yard touchdown late in the first half last week against Detroit as proof.
DE Myles Garrett. With 22 sacks, the All-Pro pass rusher needs one to pass the single-season record held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan (2001 with the New York Giants) and Pittsburgh’s TJ Watt (2021). Garrett, who also leads the league with 32 tackles for a loss, has never sacked Aaron Rodgers in two meetings.
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. Garrett. Rodgers has been pressured on a league-low 21.9% of his drop-backs this season. He’s averages 2.63 seconds to throw, the fastest in the league. Garrett has not sacked Rodgers the two times he has faced him and has had only four quarterback pressures.
Steelers: LB T.J. Watt will miss a third straight game as he recovers from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung. ... WR Calvin Austin III (groin) ,LG Isaac Seumalo (triceps), CB Brandin Echols (groin) and CB James Pierre (calf) have also been ruled out. ... LB Nick Herbig (hamstring) could return after missing the win over Detroit.
Browns: RB Quinshon Judkins (leg) was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery on Tuesday. ... TE Harold Fannin Jr. (groin) and QB Dillon Gabriel (shoulder) were injured in practice on Friday and are likely to be game-time decisions. ... TE David Njoku (knee) has not practiced this week and will miss his third straight game. ... CB Denzel Ward (calf) is expected to return to the lineup after missing the past two weeks. ... RB Dylan Sampson's (hand) status is uncertain.
The Steelers have dominated the Browns since Cleveland’s return to the NFL in 1999, but Pittsburgh has found the going a little rough on the road lately when playing its oldest rival. Cleveland has won 5 of 6 at Huntington Bank Field against Pittsburgh, including three straight. ... The Browns are 4-1 against the Steelers in December. Pittsburgh's last visit to Cleveland in December came in 2009, a 13-6 Browns victory. ... Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers is 4-0 all time against the Browns, throwing for 11 touchdowns without a pick.
Pittsburgh has won three straight to take control of the AFC North with two weeks to go. The Steelers can clinch their first AFC North title since 2020 this weekend with a win or a Ravens loss to Green Bay. ... Pittsburgh will have to do it without star receiver DK Metcalf, who has been suspended for the team's final two games following an in-game altercation with a fan in Detroit. ... Pittsburgh is 6-2 all time in division-clinching games under Mike Tomlin. ... Tomlin is one win shy of tying Hall of Famer Chuck Noll for the most regular-season victories in franchise history. Noll’s 193 regular-season wins rank ninth all time. Seven of the eight men ahead of Tomlin and Noll on the list are either in the Hall of Fame or will be (Andy Reid, Bill Belichick). ... Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers has bounced back strong after a dismal performance against Buffalo on Nov. 30. The 42-year-old has completed 73 of 102 passes for 774 yards with five touchdowns and no picks during Pittsburgh's three-game winning streak. ... Eleven different players have caught touchdown passes this season for the Steelers, tied with Tampa Bay for the most in the league. ... The Steelers are 52-15 when facing rookie quarterbacks since 1970, including a victory over Cleveland on Oct. 12 when Dillion Gabriel started for the Browns. Cleveland QB Shedeur Sanders will be the third different rookie to face Pittsburgh in the past five meetings between the longtime division rivals. ... The Steelers have been strong finishers over the past eight seasons. Pittsburgh's 17 wins across Week 17 and Week 18 during that span are tops in the NFL. ... The Steelers defense has dominated the third quarter in each of the past two weeks, holding Miami and Detroit to a combined minus-23 yards of offense. ... Cleveland is on pace to be led by rookies in pass attempts, rushing carries and receptions. The only other team to do that is the 1968 Buffalo Bills. ... QB Shedeur Sanders is 1-4 as the Browns' starting QB. He has six touchdown passes and eight interceptions on the season. ... Cleveland has allowed a league-high 45.3% QB pressure rate, the third-highest rate in a single season by any offense since Next Gen stats started tracking in 2018. ... RBs Raheim Sanders and Trayveon Williams combined for 105 scrimmage yards last week after Judkins' injury. ... WR Jerry Jeudy has at least five catches in his past three games against the Steelers. ... LB Carson Schwesinger leads NFL rookies in tackles (137) and tackles for loss (11). ... Cleveland's defense has generated pressure on 39% of pass drop-backs, the fifth-highest rate in the league.
Cleveland TE Harold Fannin Jr. is one of just three NFL players to play at least 45 snaps in the backfield, lined up at as slot receiver, out wide or at tight end. He has been targeted on 24.8% of his routes and has 367 yards after the catch. He has a TD catch in three of the past four games and had seven receptions for 81 yards in the first meeting against Pittsburgh.
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