Steelers vs. Browns: Week 4 game picks

The Steelers are 0-4 on Thursday night games against the Cleveland Browns , and their last win in Cleveland came in 2021. Will they be able to get the monkey off their back in their first short-week game under Mike McCarthy? Our staff weighs in.

Ryan Parish (1-2): Stop me if this sounds familiar: The Steelers are coming off an impressive win, and are now looking at a Thursday night game against Cleveland they should have no business losing. Well, turns out the Steelers are 0-4 all time in Thursday Night Football games hosted in Cleveland, which happens to be the location for this game. Once again, the Steelers should be expected to win this one. Cleveland has managed a couple of ugly wins against NFC South opponents, but their offense, at least on paper, should be no match for the Pittsburgh defense. This will be a great opportunity for Mike McCathy to prove that was a problem that's out the window with the old regime. I'm tempted to continue the reverse jinx and pick against the Steelers again this week, but I'll dare to be openly optimistic instead. Steelers 27, Browns 17 .

Austin Bechtold (2-1): The Browns are 11-1 on Thursday night at home and 4-0 against the Steelers. The Steelers are 3-16 on the road on Thursday night since 1970, the worst record of any team. Deshaun Watson is surprisingly playing well and Denzel Boston is emerging into a legitimate playmaker in his rookie season. The Steelers finally put the Joey Porter Jr. flame out, but hurts their defense long-term. The Browns pass rush isn't as good as years past without Garrett, but something always feels weird about these games in Cleveland. All signs on paper say to pick the Steelers. Until I see it, I don't believe it. Browns 17, Steelers 16 .