Bold prediction: Jameis Winston causes problems for Steelers defense

As the Steelers head into their Week 12 matchup against the Browns, both teams go into this game on opposite paths. Cleveland is coming off a beatdown last week that sunk their record further to 2-8. Pittsburgh on the other hand increased their division lead with an impressive win against a tough Ravens club. Now the black and gold sit at a record of 8-2, which is one of their best in years.

One thing that has been highlighted since Pittsburgh beat Baltimore was the performance of the Steeler's defense. They held the Ravens offense to only 16 points, which is only more impressive when you look at how well Baltimore's offense has been producing since Week 2 of the regular season. One thing Steelers Nation should know better than is to look past inferior opponents, especially after big games.

Cleveland comes into this contest after getting destroyed by the New Orleans Saints last week by a score of 35-14. Injuries and other dysfunction have led to Brown's quick decline this year. Many around their organization are worried about their job security. It seems like everything should swing into the Steelers' favor on a short week, but they can't take the Browns lightly going into this game.

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Since Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles earlier in the season, Jameis Winston has gotten most of the starting snaps. It makes sense as he holds the wealth of experience for the remaining quarterbacks in Cleveland. He is not afraid to throw the ball downfield, which has helped the Browns offense in certain aspects. They might not have won a lot of games since he took over, but there are slight improvements.

When you look at the Browns, they are going to want to run the football. Pittsburgh is going to do its best to slow that part of their game down. Going into this matchup off a physical performance against the Ravens will only make that task tougher. If any semblance of Brown's rushing attack gets going, then it will open up plenty of opportunities for Winston and Cleveland's offense.

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Perhaps Winston's biggest tag with his name is the turnovers he has produced throughout his career. He might get your team touchdowns, but he will also make plenty of mistakes along the way. The Steeler's defense needs to find ways of playing well in the secondary and forcing Winston into poor decisions. Going into this game on the road and a short week will only make things more difficult.

Winston is a known commodity around the NFL, and the Browns have a solid backup option with him. He has been producing a lot of passing yards during his first three starts with Cleveland this season. He is averaging over 44 passing attempts per game and adding an average of over 321 passing yards each contest. He is still making mistakes and losing most of his starts, but he will get numbers against the Steelers.