The final home game of the Cleveland Browns’ 2025 season could end up being chaotic for all the wrong reasons.
Weather could play a significant factor in Sunday’s game, with rain expected to fall throughout the day and wind gusts exceeding 20 miles per hour. Game-time temperatures won’t be a problem, but field conditions and ball security definitely could be.
AccuWeather says there’s a 70 pct chance of rain and that winds will be around 20 MPH gusting to 28 MPH for Sunday’s Browns - Steelers game in Cleveland.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) December 27, 2025
I forecast a 77 percent chance that the Steelers don’t throw a pass over 3 yards with Myles Garrett chasing the sack record.
The Week 17 matchup of AFC North rivals could turn into a de facto preseason game by Sunday morning. The Steelers can clinch the division title before kickoff, if the Baltimore Ravens lose their road game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night; that would essentially clinch the No. 4 seed for Pittsburgh, which could change its approach to the Browns game in terms of how much key starters — like quarterback Aaron Rodgers — play against Cleveland on Sunday.
The Browns, meanwhile, will clinch at least a top-two draft pick in 2026 if they lose their final two games, and could find themselves falling to No. 1 overall with some outside help in Week 18.
With all that said, the game will definitely mean something to defensive end Myles Garrett, who sits one sack shy of 23 on the season for the all-time NFL single-season record. Week 17 also has a ton of meaning in the world of fantasy football, with Sunday’s weather report potentially swaying decisions on Browns players like tight end Harold Fannin Jr., and running backs Dylan Sampson and Raheim Sanders.
Myles Garrett’s hunt for NFL history just got a lot harder
When it comes to avoiding sacks, Rodgers is among the best in the business.
For starters, he’s 42 years old and would rather not take hits at this point in his career. According to Next Gen Stats, he leads all NFL starters this season with an average time to throw of 2.63 seconds. Pittsburgh’s 5.5 percent sack margin on drop-backs this season ranks 11th-best in the NFL, per Team Rankings.
Factor in Sunday’s weather report, and the Steelers missing their top two wide receivers for this game in D.K. Metcalf (suspension) and Calvin Austin III (hamstring), it’s fair to wonder how many opportunities Garrett will even have to get close to the QB in this game.
The weather complicates matters for fantasy football managers
Those currently locked into championship matchups likely planned on starting Fannin in the TE spot if they have him, but his new groin injury that popped up in Friday’s practice is an obvious cause for concern; add in rain and wind — a brutal combination for the passing game — and it would behoove Fannin’s fantasy managers to explore pivot options.
Sampson feels like a high-upside play with Quinshon Judkins now on injured reserve, but he’s missed Cleveland’s last two games with hand and calf injuries, and wasn’t able to log a full practice this week. If active, Sampson could still be an option in PPR leagues as a potential check-down king for Shedeur Sanders this week, but Raheim Sanders, who got 11 carries in the second half of last week’s game against Buffalo, could end up getting the most overall touches in the Judkins role.
Browns-Steelers might not have a ton of meaning this week, but things are sure to get interesting at Huntington Bank Field on Sunday afternoon.