Week 11 of the National Football League season is here and as the temperatures turn colder, the games get more crucial. This week the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns. Here’s everything you need to know for the game.
What: Pittsburgh Steelers 6-3 at Cleveland Browns 6-3
Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium Cleveland, OH
When: 1pmET Sunday November 19th, 2023
Weather: Sunny and 48 degrees. Winds to 10mph
Wagering Information: Browns -1 O/U 33
Last Week: The Browns went into Baltimore and came back from double digits to defeat the Ravens 33-31 while the Steelers held on to beat the Packers in Pittsburgh 23-19.
TV: CBS Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Charles Davis (analysis), Evan Washburn (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area: Check out 506sports.com.
Radio: Steelers Nation Radio/WDVE Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play), Craig Wolfley (analysis), Missi Matthews (sideline),
Max Starks (sideline)
Head Official: Shawn Hoculi. He’s a financial adviser and son of former “muscle-armed” referee Ed Hoculi. He’s in his sixth season as a head official and last called a Steelers game in the 2022 season opener in Cincinnati.
Key Injuries/Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 31 S Keanu Neal (Rib) – Out, No. 39 S Minkah Fitzpatrick (Hamstring) – Out, No. 57 DT Montravius Adams (Ankle) – Out, No. 88 TE Pat Freiermuth (Hamstring) – Questionable CLE: No. 68 G Michael Dunn (Calf) – Questionable, No. 3 WR Marquise Goodwin (Concussion) – Out
No. 79 T Dawand Jones (Knee) – Questionable, No. 1 S Juan Thornhill (Calf) – Out
Injury Notes: Both teams have issues. The Browns are extremely thin at offensive tackle while the Steelers are incredibly banged up at inside LB and in the secondary.
2023 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 27h CLE 14th Passing Offense: PIT 30th CLE 26th Rushing Offense: PIT 22nd CLE 3rd
Total Defense: PIT 9th CLE 4th Passing Defense: PIT 21st CLE 1st Rushing Defense: PIT 23rd CLE 7th
AFC North Rankings: Baltimore 8-3, Cleveland 6-3, Pittsburgh 6-3, Cincinnati 5-5
This Week in the AFC North: Baltimore 34 Cincinnati 20 (Thurs Night)
What You Need to Know: Mike Tomlin is 26-6-1 all-time against the Browns… The Steelers are 16-7-1 in Cleveland Browns Stadium… Pittsburgh has won all six of their one-score games this season…The Steelers are 5-2 on natural grass this season… Pittsburgh is 5-0 when they allow 19 points or less… Since 1970, the Steelers are 49-14 in games where they face a rookie starting QB… Mike Tomlin is 24-5 in games against a rookie starting QB.
Cleveland Browns Names to Know: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB P.J. Walker, RB Kareem Hunt, WR Amari Cooper, DE Myles Garrett, CB Greg Newsome II, S Grant Delpit, TE David Njoku
What’s at Stake: With the Ravens moving to 8-3, keeping pace is huge even with several games to go. Cleveland is moving forward knowing they will be without their QB while the Steelers are dealing with defensive injuries and sub par QB play. This is a classic case of “win ugly” and move on.
All-Time Series: Steelers lead 81-62-1 Browns lead 40-29-1 in Cleveland
Last Meeting: September 2023 in Pittsburgh. Steelers 26-22
Postseason History: Steelers Lead 2-1
Steelers Game Highs vs CLE: PASSING: 501 yards Ben Roethlisberger 01/10/2021 RUSHING: 223 yards Willie Parker 12/07/2006 RECEIVING: 187 yards Antonio Brown 01/03/2016 SACKS: 4.0 Jerrol Williams 12/22/1991 INTERCEPTIONS:3 Darren Perry 09/11/1994
Check out the latest Steel City Blitz Steelers Podcast for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
1. Arms Race. With the Browns starting rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the Steelers must immediately do two things. First they have to make sure they keep their contain on the edges and they must also force DTR to beat them with his arm. With our banged up secondary, that’s probably easier than we’d like but where this young man really excels is with his ability to make plays with his legs. Conversely, Kenny Pickett is going to need to make big time throws in this game. The Browns are one of the top defenses in pro football and the run won’t be there as it has in recent weeks. Therefore, Pickett is going to need to make crucial throws to extend drives and hopefully get the Steelers to the end zone. In other words, the arms of the two QBs will be under heavy focus.
2. Next Man Up. Rumor has it that Trenton Thompson will get the start at safety this week. At very least, he’s going to get a lot of snaps. Mark Robinson will get a lot of snaps with Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb out for the season but don’t be surprised to see Mykal Walker get snaps too. When this game is over, Mike Tomlin will no doubt be asked to comment on the performances of these guys and he won’t make excuses. They will have either risen to the challenge or they will have not, it’s that simple. The ‘Next man up’ mantra is something Tomlin has always preached and he will stick to his guns regardless of the outcome.
3. No Excuses on the Edge. There’s no denying that T.J Watt produces more at home than he does on the road but he also has a 9-1-1 record when he plays against Cleveland. The Browns are banged up big time at offensive tackle and rookie Dawand Jones, who is likely start across from Watt, is questionable. The bottom line here is that both Watt and Alex Highsmith have to produce the type of game we saw from them in week two where they both scored touchdowns. Now I’m not saying they’ll do that again but they need to create turnovers and force the Browns into long yardage situations. If these two have pedestrian games the Steelers will lose.
Prediction: Every bone in my body says the Browns, despite not having Deshaun Watson, will win this game. But then I remember the type of games the Steelers win. One score rock fights are what Mike Tomlin and his team do best and I have a hard time seeing this one be anything but. I fully expect this game to go down to the wire and be incredibly ugly as well. But somehow, some way, the Steelers get it done.
Steelers 17 Browns 16
Season Prediction Record: 5-4
