PITTSBURGH (5-4) at CLEVELAND (3-6)
Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, FOX, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video
OPENING LINE - Browns by 3
RECORD VS. SPREAD - Steelers 5-3-1; Browns 2-6-1
SERIES RECORD - Steelers lead 75-58-2
LAST MEETING - Steelers beat Browns 33-18, Oct. 28, 2018
LAST WEEK - Steelers beat Rams 17-12; Browns beat Bills 19-16
AP PRO32 RANKING - Steelers No. 13, Browns No. 23
STEELERS OFFENSE - OVERALL (28), RUSH (27), PASS (27).
STEELERS DEFENSE - OVERALL (12), RUSH (17), PASS (12).
BROWNS OFFENSE - OVERALL (19), RUSH (13), PASS (19).
BROWNS DEFENSE - OVERALL (17), RUSH (27), PASS (7).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Steelers have won 5 of 6 following 0-3 start. Second time in franchise history team has moved over .500 after opening 1-4. … Steelers 10-9 on Thursday nights, 2-1 vs. Browns. … Pittsburgh RB James Conner expected to return after missing two games with shoulder injury. Conner ran for 281 yards, four TDs in two meetings with Browns last year. … Steelers LG Ramon Foster should play after missing two games with concussion. … Pittsburgh’s 26 takeaways rank second in NFL. Steelers produced 15 turnovers in all of 2018. … Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick with defensive TD each of past two games, first Pittsburgh defensive player with scores in consecutive games since 1984. … Steelers have 33 sacks, most over first nine games since 2008. … Pittsburgh allowed Rams to convert just 1 of 14 third downs last week, tied for best performance in game with at least 14 third-down attempts in franchise history. … Steelers QB Mason Rudolph ninth player since 1970 merger with TD pass in first seven appearances. … Pittsburgh’s 11 sacks allowed tied for fewest in NFL (Dallas). … Steelers LB T.J. Watt leads team with 9½ sacks. Watt’s 22 quarterback hits rank first in NFL. … Watt’s 29½ sacks since entering NFL in 2017 tops in NFL among LBs. … Pittsburgh CB Joe Haden spent first seven seasons with Browns. Haden’s 129 passes defensed most in NFL since 2010. … Browns snapped four-game losing streak last week with win over Buffalo, Cleveland’s first at home this season. … Browns just 6-33-1 against Steelers since expansion rebirth in 1999. … Browns QB Baker Mayfield hasn’t thrown interception in past two games after having league-high 12 in first seven games. … Mayfield led Browns on game-winning, 82-yard drive in fourth quarter last week. … Mayfield and Rudolph faced each other three times in college with Browns QB leading Oklahoma to victories in each over Oklahoma State. … Browns RB Nick Chubb had 116 yards rushing last week and has 919 this season. … Chubb has streak of at least 75 scrimmage yards in nine straight games, league’s longest active run. … RB Kareem Hunt made debut with Browns last week and team intrigued by potential of him and Chubb in same backfield. … WR Jarvis Landry had nine catches for 97 yards last week. … WR Odell Beckham Jr. targeted 12 times last week, but only has 1 TD this season. Beckham had 10 catches in only game against Steelers in 2016. … Browns WR Antonio Callaway expected to return after being benched last week for disciplinary reason. … Browns have had red-zone issues all season, stopped on 12 plays inside by 5 Bills last week. … Fantasy tip: On short week, Hunt, who recently completed eight-game NFL suspension, could be major part of game plan because of fresher legs.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Please read our comment policy before commenting.