Get ready Pittsburgh, this is the perfect game for the Steelers to look past. They are on a five-game win streak, which dates back to October 13th. That means the city hasn't felt a loss in over a month, which is impressive. During that time, the black and gold defense has been up and down at points, and they have changed their starting quarterback from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson.
The Steelers are coming off a tough win against the Baltimore Ravens at home. It seems like any injury that was suffered during the victory in Week 11 should be good to go for their game on Thursday night. Their availability in practice will be the final guide to tell if any players will miss time. It is also a short week for Cleveland, and that will also affect their availability with injuries.
When you dissect the history of these two clubs on Thursday night matchups in Cleveland, it is bad news for the Steelers. Since Mike Tomlin took over as Pittsburgh's top football coach, they are 0-3. There are different reasons as to why they lost, with the recent two games had Pittsburgh starting Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky. This remains a trap game for the away club.
Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland Week 12 prediction: Steelers 24, Browns 21
With Tomlin's history of struggling against poor opponents, don't predict a blowout victory for the Steelers. They are going into a tough environment in an AFC North battle. No matter how good or bad the Browns are, they will give their rivals everything they have. Being on a short week is going to affect both sides, but Cleveland being at home should help them stay in this fight.
Jameis Winston has started for three weeks in a row for the Browns, and they have seen a slight uptick in production. He is dangerous because he is willing to take shots downfield even if it might hurt his team. Sometimes your best offense will come from those not afraid to move the ball downfield. Winston should be able to gain a lot of yardage against the Steelers secondary.
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Cleveland's run game has started to get a little better since Nick Chubb returned from injury, but the Steelers need to shut them down. Their ability to slow down the home team's rushing attack will directly affect the outcome. If they can't then Winston will have more opportunities to find open receivers. Pittsburgh must find ways to stop the run and force Winston to turn over the football.
When it comes to the offense of the black and gold, they need a rebound performance. Cleveland still has a respectable defense both against the run and pass. That being said, Pittsburgh should be able to force open some run lanes. If the black and gold can run the ball effectively then that will open the pass game. An effective rushing attack that lasts the entire contest could lead to huge results.