If you liked the Pittsburgh Steelers’ chances already, the news about Jalen Ramsey makes it better. Meanwhile, the Browns will try to prove they aren’t a 2-1 fluke. These teams will battle on Thursday Night Football, and here are the odds and a prediction for the Week 4 contest.
Both teams enter with a record of 2-1, and they are tied for first place in the AFC North. The Steelers are coming off a tough win over the Bengals, while the Browns surprised the Panthers for their second straight close victory.
It should be an entertaining battle between these fierce rivals
Steelers vs. Browns Odds
Despite being at home, the Bears are a sizeable underdog, according to BetOnline.
- Steelers: -2.5
- Browns: +2.5
- Over: 38.5
- Under: 38.5
It looks like the oddsmakers don’t like a lot of points in this one. It’s probably a lack of faith in the Browns’ offense going up against a fairly stout Steelers defense.
However, on Thursday Night Football, weird things happen. It wouldn’t be surprising for the Browns to put up more points than expected, especially at home. That doesn’t mean they’ll win the game. But if they score 17 points, that Over line looks juicy.
It will take a decent game from Deshaun Watson. He’s played better than expected at times this year. But the Steelers might crush him with a pass rush.
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Steelers vs. Browns key injuries
The biggest news here is that cornerback Jalen Ramsey will be available despite a broken wrist, according to ESPN.
“I got to be able to protect it, obviously,” Ramsey said. “[It's a] broken wrist, so it's not like I can't really do anything about it. It's just going to be about seeing if I'm able to protect it and also still be myself in a good enough capacity where I feel like if I go out there, I won't be letting any of my teammates down.”
However, the Steelers won’t have running back Rico Dowdle again this week. That means more touches for Jaylen Warren, who stepped up last week, according to Steelers.com.
“He was huge,” said Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. “He was the focal point. You guys are at practice, and you can see how he just was limited in certain things. He came up big. He was huge for us.”
Warren said it’s teamwork.
“We were all on the same page, and that's what it looks like when we are,” said Warren of the running game. “A big part of it was scheme, leverage on the defense, and just taking advantage of it.”
Defensive lineman Yahya Black is questionable for tonight’s game. Cornerback Brandin Echols has been cleared to play.
On the Browns’ side, they will be without three players. Wide receiver Tylan Wallace will miss the game with a knee injury. Center Elgton Jenkins is dealing with a concussion. And Guard Teven Jenkins is out with a back injury.
CB Tyson Campbell, S Grant Delpit, and OL Tytus Howard managed full participation in Wednesday’s practice after being limited earlier in the week.
Steelers vs. Browns betting trends
Pittsburgh is 2-1 ATS and 2-1 to the Under while the Browns are 2-1 ATS and 2-1 to the Over.
Article Continues BelowOn the road, the Steelers are 3-6 ATS and 5-4 to the Over since the start of the 2025
season. Meanwhile, the Browns are 7-2 ATS at home since the start of 2025 and 6-1 as a home underdog.
Keys to Steelers vs. Browns matchup
It’s very basic for the Browns. They must be able to run the football to have a shot at the win. And that’s going to be tough because the Steelers will want to force the outcome into Watson’s hands.
In three games, Watson has completed a solid 68.3% of his passes for 587 yards. He has five touchdown passes and only one interception. He has played better than expected. But the Steelers likely won’t respect these stats coming into the game.
Watson said he still believes he can succeed in the league, according to ESPN.
“I feel like I have a lot of football left in my game, in my career, and that's how I approach the game,” Watson said. “That's how I approach my preparation on and off the field. I feel like I'm 10 years in, but still got a lot of football to play, definitely for myself.”
Browns head coach Todd Monken said he’s pleased with Watson.
“I’m happy for Deshaun,” Monken said. “The way he's played, I expect improvement, and I expect continued improvement. There's a lot of football left in him. He just hasn't played in a while.
“And learning our system and trying to get him consistent with his drops and his reads is part of the process. He's like every player. I see him as a young player. I know people don't want to see it that way, and I haven't been here, but I see him as still a very young player that is going to continue to grow.”
When the Steelers have the football, it’s pretty simple, too. They need to feed Warren. And that will give Aaron Rodgers opportunities to find DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., and Roman Wilson for chunk plays.
Steelers vs. Browns prediction and pick
The Steelers couldn’t buy a TNF road win under Mike Tomlin. But they have McCarthy now, and things should be different.
Look for Rodgers to set the tone with a fairly long touchdown pass early in the game. Then the Steelers will go about their business of eating clock and playing sound defense.
If the Browns have an avenue to an upset, it comes in the form of Denzel Boston beating the Steelers deep twice for a score and a long gain. But even with that, they’ll need a good game from their offensive line and running back Quinshon Judkins.