Fresh off an ugly Week 1 loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to host the division-rival Cleveland Browns in the nightcap of a Monday Night Football doubleheader.
Pittsburgh fell to the San Francisco 49ers at home last week by the score of 30-7. Led by quarterback Kenny Pickett, the team couldn’t do much of anything on offense. It was surprising given how much this unit was clicking during the preseason.
On the other side, Cleveland dominated the defending AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. That included holding the Bengals to 142 total yards and six first downs in a 24-3 win. One could say that the Steelers will be up against it at home Monday night.
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Below, we preview this rivalry game to conclude Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season. That includes a look at key players, top storylines and a final prediction.
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers: Kickoff time, TV information and odds
- Date: Monday, September 18, 2023
- Time: 8:15 PM ET
- Television: ABC
- Point spread: Browns (-2.0)
Top Cleveland Browns players to watch
Here, we look at two Browns players to watch as the team looks to move to 2-0 on the season.
Deshaun Watson, quarterback
Watson was decent in his 2023 opener, completing 16-of-29 passes for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception. But this still isn’t the iteration of the veteran quarterback that Cleveland expected when it handed him what was then the richest contract in NFL history ahead of the 2022 season.
The former Pro Bowler looks somewhat limited in head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense. Through his first seven games in Cleveland, Watson has thrown just eight touchdowns compared to six interceptions. The Browns are averaging a mere 17.4 points during that span. They can’t continue to rely on the defense to be as dominant as we saw last week. At some point, Watson needs to up his game.
Denzel Ward, cornerback
Speaking of upping your game, that’s what we saw from Ward in Week 1. He yielded just four catches on nine targets for 25 yards in the win. He’s one of the reasons Ja’Marr Chase was held to a mere 39 yards on nine targets.
Pittsburgh will be without starting receiver Diontae Johnson Monday night due to injury. This means that second-year pass-catcher George Pickens will be asked to step up. In two games against Cleveland last season, he caught 6-of-13 targets for 111 yards and a touchdown. Should Ward shut Pickens down, the Browns will likely find themselves at 2-0 on the season.
Top Pittsburgh Steelers players to watch
The Steelers want to avoid an 0-2 start Monday night. Here is a look at two key players who could help them get it done against Cleveland.
Kenny Pickett, quarterback
Pickett led Pittsburgh to a touchdown on all five of his preseason possessions. It led to the widespread belief that the second-year quarterback was set to take that next step in 2023. If one game is any indication, that might have been a bit premature.
Pickett was in over his head against San Francisco in Week 1, throwing for just 232 yards on 46 attempts while tossing two interceptions. He was erratic with the ball, struggled finding open receivers and didn’t have the necessary pocket presence in what was an ugly 30-7 loss. Pickett knows he’s must play better Monday night if the Steelers are going to grab their first win of the season.
“We got behind and we were trying to play catch up. That goes back to us just being successful on early downs, staying out of third-and-longs, and playing on time with the football. So, (running the ball) is a task that we got to get on earlier in the game,” Pickett said about last week’s loss.
The onus is now on him to turn it around and perform better. It will be a difficult task against a Browns defense that dominated Cincinnati in Week 1.
T.J. Watt, edge
Speaking of domination, Watt recorded three sacks of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy last week. He was a consistent force on the offensive backfield throughout the game doing his part to keep Pittsburgh within striking distance.
Watt is now slated to go up against a Browns offensive line that yielded five quarterback hits and three sacks of Watson in Week 1. With veteran All-Pro Jack Conklins sidelined for the season, rookie Dawand Jones will get the start at right tackle against Watt. While he played well last week, this is not a great matchup for the former Ohio State star. It’s in this that Watt needs to play at a high level to help Pittsburgh get its first win of the season.
Top Cleveland Browns storyline
The Browns’ defensive front was an absolute force last week, getting to Joe Burrow for 10 quarterback hits. Myle Garrett (four hits, one sack) and Za’Darius Smith (four QB hits in Browns debut) did the heavy lifting for Cleveland.
The two will now go up against a Steelers offensive line that yielded nine hits and five sacks of Pickett last week. If Cleveland is able to dominate in this regard, it will go into Pittsburgh and come away with a win.
Top Pittsburgh Steelers storyline
Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada has been on the receiving end of criticism over the years. That came out in droves following Pittsburgh’s brutal offensive performance in Week 1.
“Not what we expected, obviously not acceptable, especially after camp and all those things. We were always playing from behind. We did not get into our routine, our plan, you guys all know that, but that’s just the facts. Disappointed in what we did.”
Pittsburgh Steelers’ Matt Canada after season-opening loss
Canada will need to bring his a-game against the Browns’ defense come Monday night. This means scheming to get Pickett out of the pockett and finding early success on the ground with Najee Harris. That was not the case in Week 1.
- Final prediction: Cleveland Browns 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 20