Steelers vs. Browns prediction, best bets: Two dull offenses set up for a Thursday-night rock fight
Aaron Rodgers looked like he belonged on the Wheaties box again last week. The Steelers had entered Acrisure Stadium against Cincinnati ranking dead last in EPA per play before the future Hall of Famer aired 292 passing yards and three touchdowns in their 30-27 victory.The rushing attack was also to thank as the Steelers averaged six yards per carry and finished with 138 rushing yards, while Jaylen Warren exploded for 127 yards on just 17 attempts.His counterpart Rico Dowdle remains day-to-day heading into Thursday’s AFC North date with the Browns, and it’s likely the Steelers will lean on the ground game again.That’s mostly because they shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken, but also because expecting a 42-year-old Rodgers to carry the offense on three days’ rest is… optimistic.The Steelers’ 30-point outburst also deserves some context following two poor weeks: As of the start of 2025, Pittsburgh has averaged 31.7 points per game against Cincinnati compared to just 20.9 against everyone else.
In fact, they averaged just 13 against Cleveland last season. Rodgers failed to complete a deep ball on nine attempts through the season’s first two games.All of a sudden, he wired two touchdowns of 20-plus air yards in the first quarter Sunday. Cleveland is equipped to cause disruption from the interior via defensive tackle Mason Graham’s four sacks in three games.
This can stunt Rodgers from comfortably stepping into deep throws and force him toward checkdowns and shorter possessions.It’s not often you can say the Browns have back-to-back wins.First-year defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg has helped right the ship and held a burgeoning Carolina offense to just 4.9 yards per play and recorded three sacks on Sunday. With two offenses that remain tricky to trust, this game shares the lowest point total on the Week 4 slate with Vikings vs.
Dolphins at 38.5. Bear in mind that the Browns were still outgained 360-259 at home by Carolina and needed a ques...