Welcome to our live coverage of tonight's showdown between the Steelers and Browns. Tonight's game is the latest chapter in one of the NFL's longest and most heated rivalries.
This game will also determine first place in the AFC North through the season's first four games. While every team in the North is 2-1, the Steelers are technically in first place as the only team with a divisional win. The Browns (who haven't won a division title since 1989) can leapfrog the Steelers for first in the North with a win tonight.
Cleveland has had Pittsburgh's number on Thursday night. The Browns are 4-0 all-time against the Steelers at home on Thursday night. Cleveland has also won six of its last seven home games against Pittsburgh. The Steelers' last win in Cleveland was during Ben Roethlisberger's final season back in 2021.
The Steelers are hoping to improve their luck in Cleveland with new coach Mike McCarthy, whose 17 wins on Thursday night is an NFL record. Most of the wins came with Aaron Rodgers, who, with a win tonight, can tie Tom Brady for the most Thursday night wins by a starting quarterback.
Which team will come out on top? To find out, follow along in our live blog below, as we'll be providing updates, highlights and analysis throughout the evening.
The Prime broadcast just dropped some pretty crazy Deshaun Watson stats when trailing this season. Watson is completing 76% of his throws with a 4/0 TD/INT ratio with a 126.2 passer rating when trailing this year.
It's an unseasonably warm night in Cleveland. It'll be 80 degrees at kickoff and 76 by the time the game is slated to end. That's odd as the weather in the midwest usually dips considerably after sunset this time of year.
There's also little wind, which is significant given the possible lake effect.
Despite their 2-1 record, the Browns' running game has yet to get going. They have yet to run for a TD and are 29th in the NFL in YPC average (3.5).
Quinshon Junkins is back following last year's nasty ankle injury, but he hasn't played up to his standard so far. He's averaging just 3.0 yards-per-carry, although he has caught each of his 9 targets.
I can't see the Browns winning this game if their running game is a non-factor. With that in mind, expect the Browns to try to utilize Deshaun Watson's mobility. Watson is the first mobile QB the Steelers have faced this season, so he gives them a unique challenge.
Mike McCarthy said Monday that he considered having his team make the 2-hour drive to Cleveland Thursday night. But a largely unknown NFL rule says that teams must arrived in the host city 19 hours prior to kickoff. So, Steelers arrived in Cleveland last night.
Can't blame McCarthy for trying to do something different given Pittsburgh's struggles in Cleveland. They haven't won in Cleveland since 2021 and are 0-4 in Cleveland on Thursday night. McCarthy's 17 wins on Thursday night is the most in NFL history.
T Tytus Howard (knee) and DB Grant Delpit (shoulder) are active after being limited earlier in the week. No surprises for Browns.
No surprises on Steelers' inactive list. Dowdle will miss his second straight game, so Jaylen Warren will carry the load once again. Warren -- despite playing with a banged up shoulder -- ran for 127 yards on 17 carries during last week's win over the Bengals.
DB Jalen Ramsey will play despite breaking his wrist against Cincinnati. I'll be curious to see how impactful he is and if he will be on a snap count b/c of the injury. Fellow DB Brandin Echols will also play after spending part of the week in the concussion protocol.
Welcome to our coverage of tonight's big TNF showdown between the Steelers and Browns. Believe it or not, the winner of this game will lead the AFC North through four weeks!
Be sure to follow along all night, as we'll be feeding this live blog all night with updates, highlights and analysis. We'll have both teams' inactive reports shortly.
