Behind the Steel Curtain
The Pittsburgh Steelers must defeat the Cleveland Browns to clinch the AFC North after the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Green Bay Packers. Should they lose their fourth straight game in Cleveland, the Week 18 matchup between the Steelers and Ravens will be for the division. Will Pittsburgh win its first division title in five years? Our staff weighs in.
Ryan Parish: At this time last year, everything in Steelers Nation was crashing and burning over a painstakingly compacted late-season collapse. I’m still not certain this team will be able to make any noise in the playoffs, but everything is seemingly falling into place for the Steelers to punch their ticket to the dance. Cleveland isn’t as painfully incompetent as the Raiders, Giants, and Titans of the world, and yet they’re in the running for one of the top two picks of the 2026 draft. This is a team that the Steelers should beat easily if they’re serious about making a playoff run, and over the last month, Pittsburgh has been handling their business as we had all hoped it could. Cleveland isn’t motivated to win, and Pittsburgh doesn’t want to leave any doubt about their playoff aspirations. Steelers get this one done 28-13.
Alex Hanczar: As the I-76 rivalry hits the conclusion of its 2025 chapter, the AFC North may be all but locked up by kickoff. A Saturday night contest between Green Bay and Baltimore could conclude the Ravens’ season if they are to lose. However, Detroit’s somewhat surprising loss to Minnesota makes the Packers’ need to win slightly less dire.
Regardless, there is a strong chance the Steelers hold fate in their own hands with a contest against the Browns on Sunday afternoon. While the black and gold trumped Cleveland earlier this season, plenty of things have changed. Most notably, Shedeur Sanders has taken over at QB. The 2025 fifth-round pick has not seen the best results, but has kept the Browns in games more so than fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel has.
With the Steelers’ offense and defense carrying plenty of momentum into Cleveland, I have a hard time believing the Browns will be able to put in an adequate effort to defeat the black and gold. Steelers, 26, Browns, 17
Mike Nicastro: Difficult game here to predict ahead of time due to the major playoff implications that will be determined Saturday night when the Ravens and Packers square off. I’m going with the Packers to win, which means Pittsburgh wins the AFC North and essentially has nothing to play for on Sunday.
In that case, I’m guessing Mike Tomlin elects to rest key vets – such as Aaron Rodgers, Cam Heyward, and Jalen Ramsey. Either way, we’ve got a rock fight on our hands – with ultimately the biggest storyline being Myles Garrett’s sack record. He gets it, but the Steelers punch last. Steelers 16, Browns 13.
Joey Bray: The Steelers have themselves in as good a position as you could ask for at this point. This...
