Steelers vs. Browns, Week 3: Predicting the winner of Steelers vs. Browns

The staff at BTSC share their thoughts and predict the outcome of the Steelers game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3.

By Jeff.Hartman@BnGBlitz Sep 22, 2022, 9:00am EDT

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The 2022 regular season is in full tilt, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the Cleveland Browns in Week 3. While the Steelers get ready for their second road game of the season, it is time for the BTSC staff to put on their prognostication hats and guess the winner of the contest.

Who will get closest? We will be keeping tabs, so let’s get the picks. Check out the staff picks below:

Jeff Hartman

I think I’ve predicted this score, or something similar, every week of this 2022 regular season. And I’m going to keep picking it until it hits! I think this is a game, much like Week 1, where the difference is the defense. I expect the defense to set up the offense in a myriad of ways. Providing short fields, taking the ball away and possibly even adding to the point total.

Either way, I think back to Week 2 and how if the offense had just an ounce of productivity the Steelers win that game. I think they have that ounce of productivity, even on a short week, and make enough plays to win. Steelers win, and head into the ‘mini bye’ feeling better about themselves at 2-1.

Pick: Steelers 23, Browns 17

Dave Schofield

Thursday games are awful for the road team. There’s not much time for the Steelers to get things turned around with the offense from Week 2. I see one scenario where the Steelers just come out and look like a different team and put up a bunch of points. I also see another scenario where the Steelers offense looks even worse and a change at the quarterback position is made at halftime. Unfortunately, the more likely scenario I see is where the offense looks even worse and the Steelers refuse to make the change. It will cost them.

Pick: Browns 13, Steelers 9

Bryan Anthony Davis

This team is in disarray. Everybody is playing the blame game or the coach is playing the “everything is okay” card. Nobody is willing to compromise. It can’t be fixed on a short week.

Pick: Browns 27, Steelers 19

K.T. Smith

Logic says the Steelers should lose this game. Their offense is in disarray, their defense will be challenged against the league’s best rushing attack through two weeks, and worst of all, there seems to be some internal dissention brewing. None of that is encouraging on a short week.

Then again, logic dictated the Steelers would lose on the road to Cincinnati in Week 1 and would come home to beat a middling Patriots team in Week 2. Neither happened. What brings me to this:

What do we say to the god of logic?

Not today.

Pick: Steelers 20, Browns 17

Geoffrey Benedict

The Steelers need a bounce back game, and facing the Browns has historically been a great place to get the Steelers focused and fired up. But this isn’t Ben Roethlisberger and his 26-2-1 record against Cleveland. And while Mitchell Trubisky won his only game against the Browns so far, it isn’t at all the same, and this is a Thursday night game on the road. Which favors the home team and teams that run the ball well...

But it’s still Steelers vs. Browns and I refuse to pick the Browns, no matter what my brain says is the most likely outcome.

Pick: Steelers 24, Browns 13

Rich Schofield (Big Bro Scho)

There is trouble in paradise. I know that the offense has sucked the first two games, but now you have players taking sneaky swipes at the coaching decisions...that’s never good for any reason. The defense will play hard and strong, but they will still be spending too much time on the field and will wear down in the 4th quarter again. The offense continues to show it’s ineptitude, and the Steelers lose another game they easily could have won.

Pick: Browns 21, Steelers 20

Shannon White

The Steelers have yet to prove that they are capable of winning a game without T.J. Watt's dominating presence. The Steelers ferocious pass rush is anemic without their superstar pass rushing edge. The Steelers potentially dominant defense is merely solid without him. The Steelers need to take a page from Brian Flores aggressive playbook and apply maximum pressure on the Browns offense, including dialing up plenty of run blitzes. Slow down Nick Chubb and the Browns running game, and make Jacoby Brissett try to beat you through the air. If he does, tip your hat to the man. The Steelers lack of continuity and execution on offense is alarming, and it's doubtful they addressed the plethora of issues considering the short week. Finally, Thursday night road games are brutal on the visitors.

Pick: Browns 20, Steelers 13

Jeremy Betz

The Steelers are a mess on offense and less potent on defense heading into a division matchup on a short week. That’s tough. However, the Browns come into this game short handed on defense with Clowney on IR, and Myles Garrett also banged up. It all equates to an ugly game and an ugly score, but the healthier team often comes out on top on a short week, and this week, the healthier team is Pittsburgh. In this situation, I trust Tomlin to right the ship enough to pull out a win.

Pick: Steelers 23, Browns 20

Bradley Locker

I have almost no faith in the Steelers’ offense to sort things out on a short week, so I’m expecting much of the same pitiful, hard-to-watch unit we’ve seen thus far. However, that doesn’t mean Pittsburgh can’t win. With new center Ethan Pocic and guard Joel Bitonio banged up, look for the Steelers’ interior defensive line to wreak havoc and attempt to stop Nick Chubb/Kareem Hunt runs before they gain major yardage. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see multiple mistakes from Jacoby Brissett. I think the Steelers, much like in Week 1, win the turnover battle and generate just enough stops to leave Cleveland with a victory in a hideous game.

Pick: Steelers 23, Browns 21

Kyle Chrise (What Yinz Talkin’ Bout)

I’d predict that this is the game where Steelers Nation becomes insufferable over the state of the offense, but I think we’re already there. This is AFC North football: ‘nuff said. ANY GIVEN ~~SUNDAY~~ THURSDAY. The only safe prediction is to throw out your predictions. That being said...

Pick: Steelers 12, Browns 10

Anthony Defeo

The Browns might be coming off an epic collapse and a gut-wrenching home loss to the Jets in Week 2, but the Steelers remain the Same Old Steelers, complete with a pathetic offense that has averaged 15 points per game through two weeks after averaging 20.2 in 2021. I certainly don’t anticipate Matt Canada scheming up anything provocative during a short week—he couldn’t even do that over an entire summer. As for the defense? It’s missing T.J. Watt, which is the say, it’s missing its essence, its libido, its life force, what the French call a certain...I don’t know...Watt? The Patriots had success rushing the ball against Pittsburgh in Week 2, to the tune of 124 yards. I look for the Browns, with an even better rushing attack, led by running back Nick Chubb, and a superior offensive line to New England’s, to physically dominate the Steelers on the ground, especially on a short week, when it might be easy for Teryl Austin’s battered and tired unit to quickly look for a soft place to land.

Pick: Browns 27, Steelers 10

What is your prediction? Let us know in the comment section below, and feel free to tell the contributors above why they are dead wrong, or spot on!