The Pittsburgh Steelers were off to an amazing start, they were 11-0, on top of the entire league. Then a funny thing happened: they were defeated at home by the Washington Football Team. Even before that game, there were talks that the Steelers weren't as good as advertised, as their wins were sluggish and very narrow. The bottom fell out in the home stretch, as the Steelers only won one game in their final five. That one win, however, was the win that gave them the AFC North, and they are now about to face the Cleveland Browns for the third time this season, and the second Sunday in a row.
The year was 2002. World Wrestling Federation became World Wrestling Entertainment. The Houston Texans joined the NFL and played their first season, while the Seattle Seahawks moved to the NFC, and as for the Browns, they played their most recent playoff game--also against the Steelers. In the time that passed, they only had one 10-win season (2007), and their 2016 and 2017 seasons saw them win once in 32 games. The winning returned in 2018, giving the Browns potential--a thing they finally reached this year, with their first playoff appearance in 18 years. Cleveland defeated the Steelers in Week 17 to lock in their playoff spot.
2020 Statistics
Pittsburgh Steelers
Total Offense: 5,354 yds; 334.6 ypg (25th) Passing Offense: 4,003 yds; 250.2 ypg (15th) Rushing Offense: 1,351 yds; 84.4 ypg (Last) Total Defense: 4,893 yds; 305.8 ypg (3rd) Passing Defense: 3,110 yds; 194.4 ypg (3rd) Rushing Defense: 1,783 yds; 111.4 ypg (11th)
Cleveland Browns
Total Offense: 5,913 yds; 369.6 ypg (16th) Passing Offense: 3,539 yds; 221.2 ypg (24th) Rushing Offense: 2,374 yds; 148.4 ypg (3rd) Total Defense: 5,735 yds; 358.4 ypg (17th) Passing Defense: 3,962 yds; 247.6 ypg (22nd) Rushing Defense: 1,773 yds; 110.8 ypg (9th)
Ooh boy. The run has been Pittsburgh's main problem all season; dead last in the entire league. The defense has been mostly leading the way for Pittsburgh, and their losses have been caused by the defense being overworked due to the offense being nearly nonexistent. With Cleveland's run D being in the top 10, the Steelers' only hope of winning this game is passing and especially defense. While the Steelers have a higher turnover ratio and are 2nd in takeaways, the Browns aren't giving the ball away this year. While the two teams split the season series, the Steelers didn't have Big Ben out there in Week 17. Ben and the defense will be the ultimate difference.
Prediction: Steelers by 3
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