The Pittsburgh Steelers will play their first divisional game of the season this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, and the two teams could not be having more different seasons so far in 2025.
Pittsburgh has stormed out of the gate at 3-1, albeit not in the most dominant fashion. The Browns, meanwhile, are floundering at 1-4 and have already gone to rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel to try and help their struggling offense. Cleveland's defense has done its best to keep them in games, but it hasn't been enough.
The one thing that the Browns have going for them offensively, however, is rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. He is averaging 86.8 rushing yards per game, good for fifth in the NFL. He is coming off his best game as a pro, racking up 110 yards on the ground in the loss to the Vikings.
If the Steelers want to avoid a close game against an inferior opponent, stopping Judkins is the key to keeping Cleveland off the scoreboard.
Pittsburgh Steelers will dominate the Browns if Quinshon Judkins can be kept quiet
Defending the run looked like a monumental task for the Steelers' defense in their first two games, but they have gotten things back under control over their last two contests. They allowed just 70 rushing yards to the Vikings in Dublin, and they forced four fumbles in their Week 3 game against the Patriots.
Stopping Judkins won't be easy, but facing a rookie QB who is very limited as a thrower should allow them to keep more players in the box. To be fair, the second-round back is used to dealing with stacked boxes, but Pittsburgh's size and speed on defense will be a tough test.
Many point to Mike Tomlin's impressive 26-6 record against rookie QBs as the biggest reason to pick the Steelers to win on Sunday, but the situation for the Browns is different. They aren't asking Gabriel to win the game with his arm; they want to run the football consistently so that they can allow him to just take what the defense gives him.
That's why stopping Judkins has to be the top priority. The offense goes as he goes, and the Steelers can remove all doubt about the outcome by keeping him under wraps.