Coming off their bye week, the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Cleveland Browns Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. It’s their first game against an AFC North opponent this year. While the Browns are 1-4, the Steelers aren’t guaranteed a win. The Browns managed to upset the Green Bay Packers earlier this season. Even though it’s still relatively early in the season, former Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon thinks the Steelers need to beat the Browns.
“If they lose to the Browns, I don’t know if they survive the next three games after that because they have the Bengals, Packers, and Colts,” Colon said recently on FS1’s First Things First. “You’re looking at this schedule, Sunday is a must-win in my eyes. Part of the anxiety I have is because I don’t know what the Steelers do well right now. They’re too inconsistent.
“They’re not really dominant up front, they don’t run the ball really well, especially with Jaylen Warren out of the lineup. Defensively, Jalen Ramsey is dealing with a hamstring, T.J. Watt has not been the dragon like we’re used to seeing. Aaron Rodgers said no momentum. You need momentum to carry you into these games.”
The Steelers are 3-1 and in first place in the AFC North. Even if they lose to the Browns, they’ll still be in first place. Would it be a disappointing loss? Yes, but it wouldn’t be the end of the Steelers’ season.
Colon is correct that the Steelers’ schedule gets more difficult after the Browns game, but those teams aren’t unbeatable. In Week 7, they’ll play the Cincinnati Bengals, who have looked rough since Joe Burrow went down with an injury. While they recently traded for Joe Flacco to be their starter, that probably won’t drastically improve them.
Therefore, if the Steelers lose to the Browns, they could bounce back against the Bengals. Also, the Browns haven’t beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh in the regular season since 2003. The Steelers have been inconsistent this season, but they’ve managed to win games despite that.
The Steelers’ offense has shown nice flashes, and in Week 4, it looked like things were starting to click. Warren was out, but their run game actually had its best day of the season. The Browns’ defense is talented, which could mean the Steelers’ offense won’t perform as well this week. However, the Steelers’ defense has been steadily improving, too. It has an opportunity to have a nice day against the Browns’ offense.
We’ll see how the Steelers look against the Browns. Maybe a loss would cost them all their momentum. It’s still a little early to call this week a must-win game, though. The Steelers have plenty of time to turn things around if they lose.
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