The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Cleveland for a Week 17 contest with the Browns. Here’s everything you need to know for this week’s installment of the Turnpike Rivalry.
NOTE: Some items are subject to change based on the result of the Ravens’ game in Green Bay.
What: Pittsburgh Steelers 9-6 at Cleveland Browns 3-12
Where: Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, Ohio
When: Sunday December 28th, 2025 1pmET
Weather: 46 degrees and winds to 13mph. Some rain is very possible.
Surface: Natural Grass
Wagering Information: Steelers -3.5 O/U 33.5 (This is the lowest O/U for Week 17)
Last Week: The Browns took Buffalo to end before losing 23-20 in Cleveland. The Steelers went on the road to defeat the Lions in Detroit 27-22.
TV: CBS Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (analysis), Tracy Wolfson (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area (courtesy 506sports.com): RED
Radio: Steelers Audio Network Rob King (play-by-play), Max Starks (analysis), Missi Matthews (field reporter)
Head Official: John Hussey. He is the CEO of a Non-Profit and a graduate of Idaho State. This is his 11th season as a head official. He last officiated a Steelers’ game last month in Chicago. That was a 31-28 loss to the Bears that featured 13 total flags. His crew has thrown 199 flags in 2025 which ranks near the bottom. They throw an average of 14 flags per game which again, is near the bottom.
Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 5 Jalen Ramsey (Illness) – Questionable, No. 19 WR Calvin Austin III (Hamstring) – Out
No. 26 CB Brandin Echols (Groin) – Out, No. 42 CB James Pierre (Calf) – Out, No. 73 G Isaac Seumalo (Triceps) – Questionable
No. 90 LB T.J. Watt (Lung) – Out CLE: No. 44 TE Harold Fannin (Groin) – Questionable, No. 8 QB Dillion Gabriel (Left Shoulder) – Questionable, No. 26 Myles Harden (Shoulder) – Questionable, No. 92 DT Sam Kamara (Elbow) – Questionable, No. 85 TE David Njoku (Knee) – Out, No. 59 LB Winston Reid (Back) – Out, No. 22 RB Dylan Sampson (Hand) – Questionable, No. 77 G Wyatt Teller (Calf) – Questionable
* in the 21-day window designated to return from Injured Reserve
Injury Notes: No surprise with Watt being out. I’m still not confident that he will be available next week either… I’m hopeful Ramsey can go because the secondary is a mess with Echols and Pierre already out… Calvin Austin III being out really weakens an already weak receiving corps.
UPDATES:
2025 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 27th, CLE 30th
Passing Offense: PIT 21st, CLE 30th
Rushing Offense: PIT 26th, CLE 28th
Total Defense: PIT 28th, CLE 2nd
Passing Defense: PIT 30th, CLE 1st
Rushing Defense: PIT 15th CLE 14th
AFC North Standings:
Pittsburgh 9-6
Baltimore 7-8
Cincinnati 5-10
Cleveland 3-12
This Week in the AFC North: Baltimore at Green Bay 8pmET (SAT), Arizona at Cincinnati 1pmET (SUN)
What You Need to Know: The Steelers are 52-15 all-time when facing a rookie quarterback dating back to 1970… They’ve won 13 of their last 15 in such situations… Pittsburgh is 6-4 on natural grass this season… The Steelers are 9-3 in games in which they score 20 or more points in 2025… Since 1970, the Steelers have 42 seasons in which they’ve finished above .500.
Playoff Possibilities: A Baltimore loss on Saturday night gives the Steelers the AFC North Crown. A Steelers’ win Sunday regardless of the Ravens’ result also gives them the AFC North title.
Tomlin Time: Coach Tomlin is now one win away from tying Chuck Noll (193) for ninth all-time in head coaching victories… Tomlin is 76-35-1 all-time against the AFC North… He is 28-8-1 all-time versus the Browns.
Cleveland Browns Names to Know: QB Shedeur Sanders, DE Myles Garrett, TE Harold Fannin, Jr, WR Jerry Jeudy, WR Isaiah Bond, K Andre Szmyt, LB Carson Schwesinger, CB Denzel Ward, S Grant Delpit, DL Mason Graham
What’s at Stake: Myles Garrett is a sack away from breaking the NFL season record for sacks. Doing it against the Steelers would be a nice reward for him personally. For the Browns, the game means little other than Draft positioning and a win over their rivals. For the Steelers, it’s all about the playoffs.
All-Time Series: Steelers lead 84-63-1, Browns lead 42-29-1 in Cleveland
Last Meeting: October 2025 in Pittsburgh. Steelers 23 Browns 9
Postseason History: Steelers lead 2-1
Steelers Regular Season Game Highs vs CLE:
PASSING: 417 yards Ben Roethlisberger 10/18/2019
RUSHING: 223 yards Willie Parker 12/07/2006
RECEIVING: 187 yards Antonio Brown 01/03/2016
SACKS: 4.0 T.J. Watt 01/03/2022, Jerrol Williams 12/22/1991
INTERCEPTIONS: 3 Darren Perry 09/11/1994, Richard Shelton 12/22/1991, Donnie Shell 11/22/1981
Check out the latest SCB Steelers Podcast for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
–Get Out Early. The Browns are literally playing for nothing other than pride and while I don’t expect them to roll over, they’ve had a history of ‘letting up’ in games against the Steelers when they got behind. This appears to be the perfect scenario for this to occur again. If the Steelers make mistakes and allow Cleveland to hag around and get momentum then they’ll be in a for a 60-minute brawl.
–Keep It Rolling Teryl! Much maligned Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin has been really good over the last three weeks. Limiting the Lions to just 15 yards rushing was something none of us saw coming. This week, the challenge will be forcing Sanders into poor decisions and hopefully those lead to turnovers. This doesn’t dismiss the Browns’ running game – you always stop that first – but limiting his targets to Harold Fannin, Jr and Jerry Jeudy will be vital.
–Bounce Back Bos. Last we see Chris Boswell, he missed badly on a field goal in Detroit that could have put his team up by eight. He had already made a 59-yarder, but a kick more than 20 yards shorter eluded him. The one thing about him is that he usually bounces back quite well. His experience on the poor conditions at Acrisure Stadium will serve him well in Cleveland. While it’s going to be relatively mild for late December, winds off Lake Erie are expected to present some issues. I fully expect him to be called upon several times on Sunday.
The ‘X’ Factor: Each week I will select a player from each team who I believe will need to play above and beyond in order for his team to win.
X-Factor Steelers: Wide Receiver Room. With D.K. Metcalf serving the first of his two-game suspension, the rest of the wide receiving corps will have to step up. That doesn’t mean I’m expecting someone to have huge day, but whether it’s one or two or three guys, someone has to get open. In a perfect world, the Steelers’ running game will be dominant and Aaron Rodgers can just throw a few balls to his tight ends. Best laid plans right? Adam Thielen, Scotty Miller and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will have to make a few plays on Sunday.
X-Factor Browns: Shedeur Sanders. This isn’t difficult. He has to be their most important player on Sunday. He cannot hold the ball too long, taking bad sacks and he cannot turn the ball over. It’s really that simple; if he doesn’t play well the Browns will have little chance in this one.
Prediction: Let’s keep in mind… The outcome of the Ravens-Packers’ game will not change my prediction that I made earlier this week on the Podcast. I do believe that a Packers’ win will force Mike Tomlin to make some personnel changes in the name of rest and injury protection. All that said, games in Cleveland are almost always “ugly.” I expect this one to be no different. I expect an inconsistent flow in the game with plenty of punts but in the end I expect some Browns’ turnovers and mistakes to be the difference.
Steelers 22 Browns 13
Season Prediction Record: 8-7
