Browns vs. Steelers where to watch: NFL kickoff time, live stream, odds, prediction for Week 12 ‘TNF’ game |Max Sporty|

Thursday’s Week 12 game in Cleveland will be a bit of a full-circle moment for the Steelers. It was almost exactly a year ago when Steelers running back Najee Harris expressed his frustration with Pittsburgh’s offense following a disappointing 13-10 loss to the Browns.

The Steelers fired their offensive coordinator less than 48 hours after that game. Changes only continued later, when Pittsburgh brought in Arthur Smith to run the offense in the offseason. The Steelers revamped their quarterback room, bringing in veterans Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Pittsburgh also drafted two offensive linemen who are now in the starting lineup.

Those changes resulted in a much better offense — and team — coming to Cleveland for Thursday night’s prime-time affair. The Steelers (8-2) hope to extend their lead in the AFC North with a win. The Browns (2-8) look to play the role of spoiler and extend their home winning streak against Pittsburgh to four games.

Here’s how you can follow the action in real time, along with full breakdown and prediction.

Date: Thursday, November 21 | Time: 8:15 pm ET
Location: Huntington Bank Field (Cleveland)
Television: None | Stream: Main Video
Follow: CBS Sports App
Probability: Steelers -3.5, O/U 37 (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
Check out the latest DraftKings promotion to enter the game.

When the Steelers have the ball

They’re still not the “Greatest Show on Turf,” but the Wilson-led Steelers offense is much better than the unit that came to Cleveland in recent years. Through 10 games, Pittsburgh is a respectable 15th in the NFL in scoring and has averaged 28.2 points per game during its current five-game winning streak.

Wilson has picked up where Fields left off since taking over the offense in Week 7. While he’s not as accurate as Fields was, Wilson has taken more chances downfield and has often been rewarded with big catches by his receivers, especially No. 1. wideout George Pickens. Like Fields, Wilson also did a good job running the ball, although he threw an ill-advised interception in the end zone during last week’s win over Baltimore.

Wilson is also being sacked at a slightly higher rate than Fields. He was sacked four times last week as Baltimore’s pass rush often came home (the Steelers didn’t give up a sack in the second half, though). Rest assured that Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will share the pressure on Wilson. He is not as mobile as Fields, who will likely enter the game for a few plays like he did this past Sunday.

The Browns’ defense is led by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who was selected 29 spots ahead of Steelers pass rushing extraordinaire TJ Watt back in 2017. Garrett will be matched up against Steelers veteran left tackle Dan Moore Jr., though Steelers. head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged this week that Moore will not be left on an island against Garrett. The extra attention on Garrett will lead to more opportunities for fellow defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo, who has had a sack in two of the past three games. He will be matched up with second-year tackle Broderick Jones, who has struggled this year from a consistency standpoint.

Cleveland has a solid secondary, led by three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward (who will likely be matched up against wideout George Pickens on Thursday night). The unit did not allow many touchdowns (14) but they also did not create much of a splash in the form of interceptions (2). The strengths and weaknesses of the secondary of the Browns play in what were the strengths and weaknesses of Wilson as far as taking care of the ball but struggling in the red zone.

Running is the biggest difference between the two units. Cleveland is in the bottom 10 in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, touchdown runs allowed and average yards per carry allowed. Pittsburgh enters Thursday night’s game with the eighth-most rushing yards in football, led by Harris and backup Jaylen Warren, whose production has increased in recent weeks. Expect heavy usage Thursday night from both players, with the expected elements (cold, wind and possibly snow) contributing to that.

When the Browns have the ball

Cleveland is last in the NFL in scoring when they scored more than 20 points just once (in an upset win over the Ravens back in Week 8). Surprisingly, the Browns’ running game has been one of the league’s worst so far, but things look up there with the steady improvement of Nick Chubb, the Browns’ four-time Pro Bowler, who returned last month from last year’s knee injury. end of season suffered in Week 2 loss to Pittsburgh.

Chubb, who has struggled in his opening games back this season, had 50 yards on 11 carries during last week’s loss to New Orleans. Like the Steelers, expect the Browns to give their running back duo of Chubb and Jerome Ford plenty of carries on Thursday night. But Cleveland likely won’t be as patient with its running game as Pittsburgh’s defense was one of the NFLs best against the run.

The key to Cleveland’s offense will be the play of quarterback Jameis Winston and how effective he is in attacking Pittsburgh’s pass defense, which did not allow Lamar Jackson to complete 50% of his pass attempts last Sunday. Winston, who threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns (no picks) in last week’s loss to the Saints, will likely test the Steelers’ defense deep to try to get big plays while also opening things up for Chubb and Ford.

The Browns have the weapons to make it happen, led by wide receivers Jerry Jeudy (who had six catches for 142 yards and a score last Sunday), Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman and tight end David Njoku, a 2023 Pro Bowler who set season highs with 81 .yards on nine receptions against New Orleans.

Joey Porter Jr. will likely pull the job from Jeudy, who emerged as Cleveland’s biggest No. 1 pick following the Amari Cooper trade. It will depend on Donte Jackson and the rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. to contain the remainder of the broads of Cleveland. The Steelers inside linebackers (who got monster performances this past Sunday from Patrick Queen and rookie Payton Wilson) will also be tasked with patrolling the middle of the field from a pass defense standpoint.

You can’t talk about the Steelers’ secondary without talking about multiple Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, whose lack of breakout plays this year has drawn some criticism in Pittsburgh. Thursday night could be the time Fitzpatrick finally gets a splash play, as Winston’s aggressiveness can sometimes get the best of him (he had three picks during the Browns’ Week 10 loss to the Chargers).

Pittsburgh’s defense continues to be anchored by Watt, who is putting together yet another DPOY-caliber campaign. Watt and fellow pass rushers Nick Herbig (who had a key forced fumble against Baltimore) and Preston Smith will look to exploit a Browns offensive line that will be without tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Dawand Jones due to injuries.

Prediction

The Browns are certainly capable of upsetting the Steelers. As longtime Steelers captain Cameron Heyward said this week, you throw records out the window when it comes to rivalry games. The Browns will put their best foot forward. It will be up to the Steelers to match that intensity.

From a matchup standpoint, the Browns have a puncher’s chance, too, especially with their depth at receiver, their pass rush and their secondary. On offense, Cleveland needs to run the ball, hit some big plays downfield and pick up the necessary short yardage/goal line situations with Chubb and Ford. Defensively, it’s about applying pressure on Wilson, forcing the Steelers to challenge third-down situations and taking advantage of Pittsburgh’s less-than-stellar red-zone offense.

All that said, I’m betting the visiting Steelers in this one. As noted above, weather can play a factor, so this game could come down to which team is able to possess the ball while dictating the tempo of the game. This scenario would give the edge to the Steelers, who have a better running game and a much better run defense. This game will be a good test for the Steelers offense, which is looking to have more success in the red zone after not scoring a touchdown against Baltimore.

Score: Steelers 27, Browns 17

Bonus: RJ White, who is on a 68-36-4 roll in Pittsburgh Steelers games, has released his best bets for the Week 12 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns Thursday night matchup. Discover his selection right here at SportsLine.