The Pittsburgh Steelers kick off their AFC North schedule this weekend against the Cleveland Browns, but only about half of the country will have access to the game. According to 506 Sports’ weekly broadcast map, the Steelers and Browns are only available on the east coast, as well as parts of the south and midwest.
It’s somewhat surprising that Los Angeles Chargers vs. Miami Dolphins is being shown to a larger portion of the country given the relatively limited fan bases for both teams, and the Dolphins’ 1-4 record in a non-divisional game.
The Steelers and Browns were projected by many to the bottom dwellers of the division entering the season with Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson ruling the AFC North. Both the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens have dealt with injury issues, perhaps leaving this as the heavyweight bout between the two best teams in the division between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
The Browns are on their second starting quarterback of the year with rookie Dillon Gabriel getting his second NFL start on Sunday, but they at least have one of the league’s best defenses that can keep them in games.
Cleveland just played a game in London without a bye week in between. The Steelers last played in Ireland, but are coming off a bye week and will host the Browns. That rest discrepancy could play a big role in this game.
Will the Steelers’ offensive line be able to keep Aaron Rodgers upright and find running room for Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell against Myles Garrett, Mason Graham, and Maliek Collins? Perhaps they will once again employ the jumbo package with plenty of Darnell Washington and Spencer Anderson acting as third and fourth tackles at the end of the line of scrimmage. The Browns have one of the league’s best tandems at corner to prevent anything cheap over the top of the defense.
If the Steelers win, they will advance to 4-1 with a decisive lead over the division and a chance to go 2-0 in the AFC North on Thursday against the Cincinnati Bengals. If they lose, it will be looked at as a team crashing back down to earth and the division blown wide open for anybody to take.
J.J. Watt and Ian Eagle will be calling the game, the third time they have covered the Steelers so far this season.
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