The Cleveland Browns have won their last two games, and a big reason why is the performance of the defense. After a Week 1 scare, where Cleveland’s defense was dominated by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the unit has responded with two straight games that have fans confident that the group has returned to its elite 2025 form.
Of course, the Browns will have to continue to prove that’s the case for the rest of the season, and their next opportunity to do so will be on a big stage against a rival. Cleveland will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 4, and Pittsburgh’s offense provides a necessary test for the Browns.
The Steelers struggled offensively in the first two weeks of the season, but seemingly found something in Week 3. Pittsburgh will be hoping to carry that momentum, and Cleveland will be trying to send them back to square one.
Browns defense must halt Steelers’ momentum to prove Cleveland is for real
In Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh scored 20 points in its win, but one touchdown came from a defensive score, and the other came after the offense was given a short field because of another turnover. Aside from that, the Steelers offense only accounted for 264 yards and two field goals, and were 3-of-13 on third downs and 0-of-2 on fourth downs.
Pittsburgh’s offense followed up with an even smellier stinker in Week 2 against the New England Patriots, losing 20-3. The Steelers had just 235 yards of offense, were 2-of-12 on third down, and just looked absolutely lost on the field.
However, in Week 3, Pittsburgh’s offense found something against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that was cosplaying as a good unit for the first two weeks. The Steelers posted 411 total yards of offense, went 7-of-12 on third down, and scored 30 points. So it’s unclear if the Bengals are just still bad on defense, or if Pittsburgh has fixed its offense.
The Browns will have the opportunity to weigh in on that discussion. If Cleveland struggles to contain the Steelers just like Cincinnati did, it’s possible that Pittsburgh just fixed things fast. However, if the Browns come out and shut down the Steelers, it will show that they are a good defense who won’t let struggling units find a groove against them.
Cleveland is certainly hoping that’s the case, because the team needs the defense to be consistently good to have a successful season. The Browns defense has the perfect stage of a primetime game to prove they are once again an elite unit that can lead Cleveland to wins.
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