The Steelers take on the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland on Thursday Night Football. The Steelers are in the heat of a playoff race; so, they can’t let up.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will travel 130 miles to Cleveland to play the Browns at Paul Brown Stadium. The Browns have had a tough year, but they are coming off a win against the Buffalo Bills. This is the first time in 2019 that these teams will meet.
Playing on a short week is an interesting test as neither team gets to recover from the previous game fully. The team usually gets Monday off, and then there is a significant practice Tuesday followed by a walk-through on Wednesday. This doesn’t give either team much time to prepare.
From an injury standpoint, a short week is stressful because it gives the team less time to recover from a previous injury. The Steelers are banged up at running back and have become banged up at outside linebacker.
Baker Mayfield has disappointed this season as he was better in 2018. The Browns are also only 3-6, which is a disappointment considering how many writers picked them to win the AFC North. Baker Mayfield has also shown frustration.
The Browns have had a lot of draft picks in previous years, and that has accumulated a lot of talent. The problem is this team is having trouble putting that talent together to win.
The Browns have had a lot of mediocrity from players that should be shining. Those players include Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Denzel Ward, and Baker Mayfield. None of them have been bad, but none of them have been great either.
Let’s take a look at my five burning questions for this week to see the storylines for the Browns game.