Four Week 4 Storylines For Browns vs. Steelers as First Place Hangs in the Balance

It’s not April Fool’s Day, the calendar is turning over to October, and the Cleveland Browns will face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the AFC North division.

The Browns and Steelers both head into the primetime game with a 2-1 record. Neither team has looked pretty in every game so far this season, but the wins were all that mattered. The nation will be paying attention to these storylines during the 60-minute battle for first place.

New Rivalry

The Browns play against a Steelers team with a new head coach for the first time since 2007. Mike Tomlin had a 28-9-1 record against the Browns during his long tenure. Tomlin alone outlasted eight Cleveland head coaches (not including interim coaches) and the rivalry has been mostly one sided. Two new head coaches will put their stamp on the latest chapter of the rivalry.

Although Tomlin is not on the sidelines, Todd Monken will not forget his “Browns is Browns” comment and the team will use the bulletin board material as a rallying cry against Tomlin’s former team. In the past handful of seasons, the Browns and Steelers have split the season-series by holding home field. Thursday’s game will be in Cleveland and they will look to utilize their home-crowd advantage.

Protecting the Quarterback

Rookie Spencer Fano will have his hands full against TJ Watt. Fano has looked solid in the first few games of his career, but Thursday’s game will be his biggest test yet against an established pass rush. Dawand Jones may have to start at right tackle, and he will be tested against Alex Highsmith. Jones has not started a game since early last season and Highsmith will present a challenge with Fano receiving most of the extra help on the line.

Luke Wypler will have to start at center due to injuries. Wypler has struggled in his limited time on the offensive line and he will match up against veteran nose tackle Cameron Hayward. The 37-year-old is still a big presence on the defensive line and Wypler will need to be able to hold his own for the offense to have any success. The offensive line needs to cut down on penalties and starting drives behind the chains.

Old Vs. Young

The Steelers enter the game as one of the oldest rosters in the NFL, and the Browns come in as one of the youngest. Their young pass rushers in Mason Graham, Jared Verse, and Isaiah McGuire, will have to get after the 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers to disrupt any chance at a big play. The rookie-receiver duo Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion will face off against veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

The Browns’ young players can show that they will be a threat in the division for years to come with a good performance against the veteran-laced Steelers.

Number 4

Deshaun Watson has played his best football as a Brown when his back has been against the wall. He has led the Browns to back-to-back come-from-behind wins. Watson has not started games well and did not play well until the fourth quarter last week. If the Browns wish to get to first place and stay there, then Watson will have to put together complete games.

All eyes will be on the quarterback in primetime and so far, Watson has handled the pressures of facing off against Baker Mayfield and then coming back home to a crowd that was ready to boo him off the field should he not of won. A primetime game to prove himself in front of the nation will be his next test.

The page turns on the rivalry and the Browns new faces can change the old ways against the Steel City. Thursday night has a chance to prove that the “Browns are no longer the Browns”.

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