Are you ready for Round 2?
The Steelers and Browns certainly are, though the combatants -- literally -- are going to be much different for the rematch from Cleveland's 21-7 win two weeks ago over the Steelers.
That game ended in a brawl that left 33 players fined, four suspended and a lot of bad publicity for both teams, and the NFL in general.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett? He's suspended indefinitely.
Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph? Benched in favor of Devlin "Duck" Hodges.
Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey? He's serving the last of the two-game suspension he received for his part in the brawl that ended that game in Cleveland Nov. 14.
Browns defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi, suspended one game for shoving Rudolph to the ground from behind during the melee, will be back, but the Steelers don't expect any carryover from what took place in Cleveland. There's too much at stake.
"No, it cannot," Steelers guard Ramon Foster said of any carryover from that game. "It will probably be flagged early, but I can’t see it coming from our end. We’re going to play ball. Look at what we’ve got. We’ve got a lot of different moving parts, especially on offense. It was our offense vs. their defense. We’ve got a very young group of guys and we’ve got to capitalize on every opportunity we’re going to get."
As the calendar turns over to December, the Steelers (6-5) currently have a precarious hold on the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC. The Browns (5-6), winners of their past three games, are nipping at their heels.
The Browns are viewed as one of the hottest teams in the league. But people seem to be overlooking the Steelers, who have won five of their past six, with that only loss coming at Cleveland.
With a win, the Steelers feel they can not only keep their own playoff aspirations alive, they can deal their rivals a serious blow to their own and avoid a two-game losing streak to the Browns for the first time since they lost the second meeting in 1999 and first in 2000.
"They won the last game," linebacker Bud Dupree said. "We want to win this one as a statement in the division and for the playoffs. This is a must-have game that we want to win."
But it obviously won't be easy.
As they did last week against the Bengals, the Steelers will again be playing without leading rusher James Conner, leading receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Pouncey, their only All-Pro player from a year ago.
And they'll have Hodges making his second career start after replacing an ineffective Rudolph in the third quarter last week.
Hodges led the Steelers to a 24-17 win against the Chargers in Los Angeles subbing for an injured Rudolph Oct. 13, but he's thrown just 40 NFL passes.
"I definitely think I’m better just because each and every day I can get better," Hodges said. "My first start, there was a lot to learn from."
The Steelers can't afford for that learning curve to include turnovers. Rudolph was pulled because he threw five interceptions in six quarters, including four in the loss to the Browns.
Both teams know they have no margin for error thanks to the way they started the season. The Steelers started 1-4 as they adjusted to life without Ben Roethlisberger, while the Browns won just two of their first eight games.
“A playoff atmosphere,” Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “This game means a lot to both teams. Looking at the bigger picture, we talk about the singular focus, but there is no hiding how much this one really means.”
There might still be some lingering bad feelings from the previous matchup. There might be some residual anger. But neither team is in a position to allow that to be an overriding factor.
There's just too much at stake. It is, as Mayfield said, like a playoff game.
That in itself should make the game more than intense enough.
"Definitely, especially when you’re playing teams that are in it, as well," Steelers guard David DeCastro said. "You know they’re going to give you their all.
"I think it naturally just happens. It’s the natural pace. There’s more to play for. Everybody plays harder."
THE ESSENTIALS
• When: 1:02 p.m.
• Where: Heinz Field
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Satellite: SiriusXM 227, Internet 826
• Lots open: 9 a.m.
• Will call open: 11 a.m.
• Gates open: 11 a.m.
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Odds: MyBookie.AG
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee, out), RB James Conner (shoulder, doubtful), CB Artie Burns (knee, questionable)
Browns: DB Eric Murray (knee, out), OT Greg Robinson (concussion, out), S Damarious Randall (coach's decision, out) WR KhaDarel Hogde (Achilles, questionable), DE Olivier Vernon (knee, questionable)
THE KEY VARIABLE
There was a lot of hoopla surrounding the Browns' trade for Odell Beckham Jr. in the offseason, adding him to go along with receiver Jarvis Landry.
And that duo has been good this season. Landry ranks second in the AFC with 843 receiving yards on his 59 catches, while Beckham is ninth with 776 yards on 54 receptions. Landry also has five touchdown catches, all of which have come in the past four games.
The Browns are the only AFC team with two receivers in the top 10 in yardage, and those two account for half of the team's receptions and 53 percent of Mayfield's targets. The passing offense funnels through those two guys.
"That can make it easier to defend in some ways," Steelers cornerback Joe Haden told me. "You know the ball is coming your way a lot. And those guys are good. At the same time, it doesn't matter if we don't stop (Nick) Chubb."
Chubb leads the AFC and is second in the NFL with 1,117 rushing yards this season, just six yards behind Carolina's Christian McCaffrey. That includes 92 rushing yards two weeks ago against the Steelers.
"He looks like the same guy who was running at Georgia to me," Mike Tomlin said of Chubb. "I think it is just about opportunity, and sometimes that is the case. I thought when given the opportunity a year ago, he looked like a featured runner like the big-time runner that he has proven to be in 2019. It seems like he was at Georgia forever and he did it for a long time in the SEC, so I don’t think we are seeing anything new from him. I think sometimes it is just opportunity presenting itself."
Chubb has gotten plenty of opportunities. Despite former NFL rushing leader Kareem Hunt coming back from a suspension three weeks ago, Chubb has gotten at least 20 carries in six consecutive games. That includes a season-high 27 carries against the Steelers two weeks ago.
"(Chubb) is pretty good. Kareem Hunt has been good for them," Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. "They’re using him in a lot of different ways and are now probably expanding the plays for the personnel group. They’ve been pretty good at doing it."
The Browns have been using both Chubb and Hunt on the field at the same time since his return, with the feeling being that it makes opposing defenses less capable of disguising things.
"Having both backs in there at the same time kind of makes them show their hand," Mayfield said.
THE HISTORY LESSON
There have been some famous fines handed out as a result of the Steelers-Browns series, from what happened the last time these two teams met, to James Harrison being fined $75,000 for a hit on receiver Mohammed Massaquoi.
But there is no more famous hit and fine in the Steelers-Browns series than Joe "Turkey" Jones' gruesome spiking of Terry Bradshaw on Oct. 10, 1976.
Coming off back-to-back Super Bowl victories in 1974 and 1975, the Steelers got out of the gate slowly in 1976, winning just one of their first four games, that coming 31-14 over the Browns at Three Rivers Stadium in Week 2.
The rematch came in Cleveland three weeks later and Jones stamped his name in infamy in Pittsburgh and became a legend in Cleveland.
With the Browns leading 15-10 early in the fourth quarter, Jones, a defensive end, beat right tackle Larry Brown for a sack of Bradshaw.
Jones grabbed Bradshaw by the waist and as the two continued to wrestle -- there wasn't much of an "in the grasp rule" back then -- Jones lifted the Steelers quarterback off the ground and spiked him on his head.
Bradshaw suffered a concussion on the play, which drew a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty and later a $3,000 fine -- a considerable amount considering players made between the $21,000 minimum to a maximum of around $50,000 at the time.
Bradshaw left the game, being replaced by rookie Mike Kruczek, who completed 3 of 5 passes for 59 yards and also ran for a 22-yard touchdown.
But the Browns added a fourth Don Cockroft field goal and Kruczek's touchdown run only cut the score to 18-16. The Steelers fell to 1-4.
Bradshaw finished the game 10 of 18 for 75 yards and an interception, while the Browns limited Franco Harris (13 carries, 39 yards) and Rocky Bleier (8-25) to 21 carries for 64 yards.
Greg Pruitt had 76 yards rushing and Cleo Miller had 57 as the Browns rushed for 147 yards in the game.
Kruczek would win his six starts while Bradshaw was out as the Steelers didn't lose again in the regular season, finishing 10-4, going on one of the great defensive runs in NFL history.
After allowing 18 points to the Browns, the Steelers gave up 28 points in their final nine games, recording five shutouts.
But injuries mounted in the playoffs and the Steelers were beaten by the Raiders, 24-7, in the AFC Championship.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
Can the Steelers generate some offense behind Hodges?
A healthy rushing attack would help.
They got that last week as rookies Benny Snell and Kerrith Whyte Jr. combined for 140 yards on 27 carries, subbing for Conner in a 16-10 win over the Bengals. Overall, the Steelers had a season-high 160 rushing yards.
Whyte, signed off the Bears' practice squad earlier in the week, provided some splash plays in the run game with carries for 21 and 17 yards, while Snell was the grinder, especially in the fourth quarter, when he gained 55 yards on nine carries.
"That's huge," right tackle Matt Feiler told me. "To be able to run the ball effectively in the fourth quarter with a lead, it's a mindset. We love it."
But is it something that can carry over from one game to the next?
"We'll see," Feiler told me. "You'd like to think that physicality, that mindset can."
Snell was coming back from an injury of his own after missing the previous three games following an arthroscopic knee surgery. The 21 carries were a career high for him, as were his 97 rushing yards.
"Can’t say enough about the contributions of Benny Snell Jr. coming back from a knee injury," Tomlin said. "Young guys coming off of an injury and performing to expectations is a really good thing. I thought that he did that. I thought he was a catalyst of some positivity in the run game."
The plan wasn't to give Snell that many carries, but the more he ran, the more he gained steam. His 97 rushing yards were more than all but one game in Le'Veon Bell's 2013 rookie season. Bell had 124 yards in a game at Green Bay that season.
"Oh man, you talk about the spark. Now we can talk real spark," offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said of Snell. "His spark and just his run demeanor. The idea of coming back from injury and not blinking from the first time he stepped on the practice field through the game. He ran with strength, he ran with power. I think he’ll feel better in time. I know that happens with most guys with injury, especially when you get operated on. You’re kind of a little hesitant. I didn’t see anything like that."
And he kept asking for the ball.
"He kept begging. When he’s begging, you feel good," Fichtner said. "It’s kind of like that wideout, that quarterback going, 'Hey, I got it today. Let’s go. I feel good.' So there’s a confidence level there that he shared with us."
Sure, it was against the Bengals. But the Browns allow 4.8 yards per carry, compared to 4.9 for the Bengals. Both are in the bottom 10 in the league.
Giving Hodges a rushing attack to keep him out of third-and-long situations would help the young quarterback -- a lot.
"There is tape on him. There was tape on him last week when he came in," Browns head coach Freddy Kitchens said of Hodges. "He did a good job of sparking them, so I am sure he will bring passion and energy to the game and good decision making. We do not need to worry about who it is in particular. We need to worry about our job and doing our job. Everybody needs to do their job, and we will be fine.”
THE QUOTES
• "This is new to me, but it’s welcomed. There have been guys who have been benched before. I think all of us as a whole, a city, Pittsburgh Steelers fans, have a whole new appreciation for Ben Roethlisberger and what a franchise quarterback means. It’s across the board. Finding a guy, the guy, is hard as hell. We’ve witnessed that for sure. Whatever your criticisms of No. 7, whatever team you’re on with your franchise quarterback, can it. It’s hard. This is a hard league. When you have sure guys, you work with them always." -- Foster
• "Nobody probably thought I could be in this situation. There’s probably just a select few in my corner that thought that. I’m ready for the game." -- Hodges
• "They really feed off of the energy of the crowd at home. I think the stat was 30 of their 38 sacks were at home so that just goes to show they feed off of that momentum, and they play well at home, so we have to do our job.” -- Mayfield on the Steelers
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• The Steelers have 38 sacks this season, 30 of which have come in six home games, though they did have four last week at Cincinnati.
• The Steelers are plus-10 on turnover/takeaway ratio for the season, including plus-9 at home. The Browns are minus-4 on the road this season.
• The Steelers have forced six fumbles on first down plays this season, the most in the league. They also have five interceptions on first down plays, giving them 11 turnovers on first down, tied with New England for the most in the NFL.
• The Steelers are one of just six teams to not allow a run of 40 or more yards this season. The 3.8 yards per carry they allow also is fifth in the NFL.
• The Steelers allow 19.3 points per game, eighth fewest in the NFL. The Browns are 18th at 22.9 points per game.
• Of Hodges' 40 passes this season, just three have traveled 20 or more yards downfield.
• The Browns have not swept the Steelers since 1988. Since that time, the Steelers have swept the Browns 14 times.
• Linebacker Joe Schobert, who did not have an interception and had one pass defended in Cleveland's first nine games, has four interceptions and eight passes defended in the past two.
• Of players with at least 25 catches entering Week 13, James Washington's 18.0 yards per catch average ranks fifth in the NFL.
• T.J. Watt leads the league with nine forced turnovers (interceptions, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries) this season. Minkah Fitzpatrick is tied for second with Cardinals defensive lineman Chandler Jones with eight. Devin Bush is tied with seven other players for third with seven.
FANTASY CORNER
I hit on Sam Darnold at quarterback, Chubb at running back and that was about it last week in a tough outing. We'll try to do better this week. We'll be picking players from the Sunday and Monday contests again this week on a DraftKings slate since there were three games on Thanksgiving.
Quarterback: Nick Foles ($5,700) -- A Jacksonville quarterback? Against Tampa Bay at home, absolutely. The Jaguars have flipped the script and are more of an offensive team now than they are defensive. And this game has the makings of a track meet.
Running backs: Le'Veon Bell ($7,200), Ronald Jones ($5,100) -- We just saw that Bengals rushing defense last week. Bell is averaging around 80 total yards per game -- down from the 130 or so he averaged for the Steelers -- but he should be good in this game. Jones, meanwhile, faces a cheesy-soft Jacksonville run defense.
Wide receivers: D.J. Chark ($6,600), Tyreek Hill ($8,900), Mike Williams ($4,600) -- Chark has been really good in a breakout season for the Jaguars and stacks with Foles. Hill returns from a hamstring injury this week against the Raiders. He should feast. And Williams has a nice price for a guy who is good for a couple of big plays per game.
Tight end: Dallas Goedert ($4,100) -- Goedert and the Eagles should fly high against the Dolphins as Philadelphia pulls into a tie with Dallas for the NFC East lead.
Flex: Philip Lindsay ($5,000) -- Lindsay has been getting 15-plus touches for the Broncos over the past month and the Chargers are 27th against opposing running backs this season.
Defense: Ravens ($2,800) -- I don't love the matchup for the Ravens defense against the 49ers, but I do know they'll blitz Jimmy Garoppolo a lot. That could lead to mistakes and sacks.
Dale Lolley (6-5): In Duck they trust? Not a great deal considering Tomlin's "he doesn't kill us" statement earlier this week when announcing the QB change. But the point was that they can't turn the ball over. If the Steelers do that, they're tough to beat because of the defense and special teams. Don't be surprised if the Steelers pull out all of the stops in this one. Wildcat. A fake on special teams. There's no sense in leaving anything in the playbook. The Browns not having Garrett is huge. He was very disruptive in the first meeting two weeks ago. And that will be the difference. The Browns were stuck on 14 points in that game until a late turnover gave them a very short field. The Steelers will take care of the ball and find a way to get it done. Steelers, 19-17
Christopher Carter (4-7): The Steelers’ best chance is to get up early and let the defense play with the lead, even if it’s a single score. Many of the defense’s mistakes early in their last loss to the Browns came from miscommunications and small correctable errors. My theory is the short week has a lot to do with that, and now having a full week and being at Heinz Field, the defense will be revving at full throttle. Steelers, 17-10
Hunter Homistek (7-4): Despite Rudolph’s horrendous game in Cleveland, the Steelers were in that one until late — and that was with the defense generating no turnovers. Now with Hodges at quarterback and no Garrett on the other side, I can envision an improvement from the first showdown. But I still don’t think it’ll be enough. This Steelers team has squeaked by on the backs of splash plays on defense too much this season. You just can’t count on that forever, even with a defense as talented as this one. The offense will still struggle, the defense will get a couple sacks and a pick or two, but it won’t be enough. Browns, 24-17
Matt Sunday (7-4): I have zero doubts at all that Watt, Dupree, Minkah and Co. are going to be better in this game than they were the last -- and they weren't bad. Mayfield didn't hit the turf enough for them to be the deciding factor in the game, though. I think Duck is going to be big-time juiced for this one, his first start in front of the home crowd who has begged for him, and the Browns' defense just can't keep pace with the Steelers in the shutting down of offenses. The Browns have many more available weapons on the offensive side, but I like the Steelers' ability to cause a couple turnovers and feed off the crowd. Steelers, 27-17
Dejan Kovacevic (6-5): It's impossible to conceive of any NFL team counting continuously on a defense to generate takeaways, even a defense that does it better than any. And that thinking, naturally, puts it all on the offense. Which isn't a good place to put anything these days. The Duck thing is cool, and it'll be a blast the first time something goes right in that regard. But no JuJu, no James, no sign that the offensive line will regain form, and I'm not feeling that amounting to anything substantive. Browns, 24-13
