Cleveland Browns vs Steelers Week 8 Predictions: Can the Browns get back in the North race?
By Randy Gurzi
Writer: Mike Lukas
It’s difficult to seriously predict the 2-4-1 Cleveland Browns to win this Week 8 matchup against the 3-2-1 Pittsburgh Steelers, but, as an optimistic Browns fan, I’m willing to give it a try.
The two teams have met a total of 133 times and the Steelers are 74-58-1 in this one-sided ‘rivalry’ that’s gone on since the 50’s. Besides the awkward 2018 Week 1 tie, the Steelers have won nine of the last ten matchups. In fact, it’s been five seasons since the Browns have beaten the Steelers, a 31-10 hometown whipping in October of 2014.
So how on earth are the Browns going to beat them in Pittsburgh on Sunday?
It won’t be because the Browns are a better overall team, because clearly, they aren’t right now.
No, for the Browns to win at Three-Rivers on Sunday, they’ll have to rise above their current youthful capabilities and play the game of their lives against a team of surly, well-oiled veterans.
Myles Garrett, Emmanuel Ogbah and company will have to sack Big Ben at least three times, though more would be awfully nice.
Denzel Ward, Jabrill Peppers, and company will have to intercept Roethlisberger at least twice and totally shut down the routes of the always open Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Jamie Collins, Christian Kirksey, and company will have to figure out the problem that is rookie running back James ‘What’s a Bell?’ Conner.
Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, and company will have to play like they’ve known each other for longer than a few months.
The entire defense and special teams will have to decide that blocking opponents in the back and holding them is an ineffective way to play professional football.
But most importantly, rookie Baker Mayfield will have to take advantage of a well-rested Steelers defense that has struggled without their injured ‘quarterback’ Ryan Shazier. Mayfield will have to stay on his feet despite the Steelers’ second-year linebacker phenom TJ Watt, who’s had three of his best four games against the Browns. Basically, Mayfield will have to have a game worthy of a post-win, midfield flag-planting.
If, unlike in most of their 2018 games, the Browns score in the first quarter and keep their penalties to less than a half a dozen, they could catch the Steelers by surprise and steal a win in the fourth quarter.
If all goes well, expect to see a perfect example of ‘any given Sunday’ unfold.
But if the Browns play sloppy and like the youthful team they are, it’s not going to be pretty.
Either way, it’s a Browns-Steelers matchup, so truly anything can happen.
Let’s hope that ‘anything’ is a shocking upset that causes the Steelers to start taking the Browns a little more seriously.
It could happen.
Final score prediction: Browns 24, Steelers 21