Browns-Steelers Is Already Bigger Than it Looks With AFC North Lead Within Reach

Lights, camera, Thursday Night Football for it all!

Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (44) brings down a pass over Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Chuck Clark (21) during the first half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Week 3 in the NFL gave us some great games that involved a couple of teams moving to 3-0: the Bills, Chiefs, 49ers, Vikings, and Raiders all reached that mark. The Chargers, Texans, Dolphins, Titans, and Buccaneers are on the flip side, as every one of them is still searching for that first win of the season. 

Cleveland also captured a second straight victory, stunning the Panthers 21-18, and the Browns moved to 2-1 for the first time since 2023. In the rest of the AFC North, though, two of those teams were squaring off, while the other was in Rio!

The Steelers took down the Bengals in a surprisingly high-scoring game, 30-27. Pittsburgh’s offense looked smooth with Aaron Rodgers, as he threw for 290+ yards and three touchdowns. With this result, both teams moved to 2-1. Coincidentally, Baltimore also improved to 2-1, as they went down to Rio de Janeiro and pulled off a stunner, driving down the field with just 7 seconds left and setting up a 56-yard field goal that Tyler Loop nailed. 

The whole division is now 2-1, just as everyone expected, and Thursday became a whole lot more interesting. 

Cleveland will be hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football, and Browns fans should like that it’s on Thursday. Overall, the Browns are 10-6 on TNF; they are 8-2 in their last 10 and 9-1 at home. When mentioning home records, we need to mention that Cleveland is 4-0 at home vs. Pittsburgh; the Steelers haven’t won in Cleveland since 2021.

Now, the last time the Browns led the division after Week 4 was in 2021, when they moved to 3-1; they have another chance to do that on Thursday. 

While Cleveland is 2-1, their two wins have come against two NFC South teams: the Panthers and Buccaneers. Pittsburgh already has an AFC North win with that win over Cincinnati, so letting them get to multiple division wins before Cleveland can get one would not be ideal.

It’s a quick turnaround for both teams, but the stage is set, and you know the fans will be rocking. This time, it’s a little different what they’re cheering for; sometimes during these primetime games, the Browns aren’t competing for anything. On Thursday Night, the real rowdiness will be coming out in both fanbases cheering for the division crown, as I'm sure there will be lots of Steelers fans who make the drive.