Two rivals do battle on Sunday night football in week two, as the 1-0 Steelers travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns. The Steelers have won 9 straight over Cleveland, and hit the field running last week scoring 38 points and dominating the Texans at home 38-17. The Browns were run over by Tony Romo and the Cowboys 28-10. That score was a bit deceiving as the Browns D allowed 497 yards to Dallas.
So what can the Browns do to break the streak by the Steelers? They have to be as physical as the Steelers, which is not easy to do, and pressure Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger. The Browns went out and got themselves some beef up front in the offseason in Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams, and against Dallas they were pretty much held in check. If Roethlisberger gets time to throw, he’ll have success against a weak Browns secondary.
Look for the Steelers to do what they like to do – run the football. Willie Parker is great against the Browns, and has run for at least 100 yards in each of his last three games against Cleveland. He rushed for a career-high 223 yards in a 27-7 win over the Browns in 2006. The Browns have to stop him, and then force pressure on Roethlisberger to get him to make some mistakes.
On offense for Cleveland, they will test the Pittsburgh secondary without Deshea Townesend. Bryant McFadden gets the start, probelm is the Browns are banged up at WR, and it appears that Donte Stallworth will miss his second straight game. That puts more on QB Derek Anderson to force the ball to his big two targets, WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow. Look for Steelers safety Troy Polamalu to shadow Winslow all day.
Jamal Lewis will look for holes in the running game vs the Steelers, and if he can have some success, that will make Anderson and a Browns offense a week ago a lot more dangerous. Josh Cribbs back for Cleveland is a lift, and if he can give them a spark on special teams, and may go a long way in putting the Browns in a much better position to pull off the win.
The Steelers in this 9-game winning streak have won by an average of 15.6 points. They have a lot of momentum after week one, and the Browns are banged up. It’s another Steelers win in week two, and they will top the Browns again by 10-14 points.
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Peno
September 13, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Steelers will beat up the Browns, even with their re-vamped team.
Tom
September 14, 2008 at 3:45 am
Peno,
I am a browns fan but it’s funny to me when I read all these comments from steelers fan. I should let you know I lived in pittsburgh for 3 years and worked down the street from hinez fields. Also went to every steelers home game in 05 (for free of course I would never pay).
Now, All I read from steeler fans is how the browns don’t have a chance this and that.” The cowboys beat up on the browns they look terrible, the steelers looked awesome against houston.” You do know that even though they are from the same state the cowboys are a much better team than the texans. I think pittsburgh is a good team but to just write the browns off because they shot themselves in the foot against one of the best teams in the NFL is crazy.
Good luck tomorrow.
Love a browns fan.
Peno
September 14, 2008 at 9:37 am
Ok, i’m not disregaurding the browns, they are definately an up-and-coming team, I just think right now steelers have the edge and momentum. I think we’ll win but next time we play things should be different because the steelers have the hardest schedual and will probably not be in the best of spirits.
Good luck tonight
(i didnt mean for my comment to sound so harsh)
Steelers Today
September 14, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Great site guys. Love your writing. Keep up the good work.
I’ve added you to my blogroll. Hope you don’t mind.
BTW, Steelers are going to kill the Browns. Go Steelers!!!
Peno
September 15, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Ha well I think I was on target. We barely pulled this one off. Our defense really stepped up during the brown’s last run. Overall good match and it’ll be a good next time around, not like it wasn’t before. If you would still like to keep talking about games, browns or steelers, ill be here.
Talk to you later,
Peno