Cleveland (1-4) at Pittsburgh (3-1)

BetMGM NFL Odds: Steelers by 5.

Against the spread: Browns 2-3; Steelers: 2-2.

Series record: Steelers lead 82-65-1.

Last meeting: Steelers beat Browns 27-14 on Dec. 8, 2024, in Pittsburgh.

Last week: Browns lost to Vikings 21-17 in London, England. Steelers were off on their bye.

Browns offense: overall (27), rush (26), pass (24), scoring (31).

Browns defense: overall (2), rush (1), pass (4), scoring (21).

Steelers offense: overall (29), rush (31), pass (27), scoring (17).

Steelers defense: overall (20), rush (19), pass (30), scoring (28).

Turnover differential: Browns minus-4, Steelers plus-7.

RB Quinshon Judkins. He had his first 100-yard rushing game in the NFL last week with 110 yards on 23 carries against Minnesota. He’s the first Browns player to record at least 70 scrimmage yards in each of his first four games. The second-round pick is second among NFL rookies with 347 yards rushing yards and has three carries of at least 30-yards this season, tied for most in the league. The last Browns rookie to have a 100-yard game against the Steelers was Terrance West in 2014.

OLB TJ Watt. The perennial All-Pro is starting to look like his old self after a quiet opening two weeks. Watt has three sacks over his last two games and collected his eighth career interception in Pittsburgh’s victory over Minnesota. Watt has long feasted on the seemingly never-ending rotation of Cleveland quarterbacks. He has collected 17 of his 111 career sacks against the Browns.

Steelers LT Broderick Jones vs. Cleveland DE Myles Garrett. Jones switched from right tackle to left during the offseason and the former first-round pick has steadied himself of late following a shaky start. Yet the challenge will be considerably harder against Garrett, arguably the best pass rusher in the league. Expect Pittsburgh to give Jones plenty of help. They used a jumbo package against Minnesota that included having reserve lineman Spencer Anderson line up next to 300-pound-plus tight end Darnell Washington.

Browns: DT Mike Hall (knee) has yet to see action this season. ... DT Shelby Harris (knee/rest) did not practice Wednesday.

Steelers: WR Calvin Austin III is out with a shoulder injury. ... Everyone else is likely to play, including DB Jalen Ramsey, who spent the off week nursing a hamstring problem. ... CB Joey Porter Jr. will return after missing three games with a hamstring issue. ... OLB Alex Highsmith is also back after an ankle injury forced him to sit out two games.

The longtime AFC North rivals have split the season series in five of the last six years. The Steelers, however, have dominated the Browns at home. Pittsburgh is 23-1 in the regular season against Cleveland since Acrisure Stadium opened in 2001, including the last 21 straight. The lone asterisk during that span is Cleveland’s upset victory in the first round of the 2020 playoffs. Pittsburgh’s home winning percentage (.958) versus the Browns is the highest in the NFL since 2001.

Touchdowns might be hard to come by with one of the league’s stingiest defenses on one side (Cleveland) and one of the NFL’s top ball-hawking units facing a rookie quarterback on the other. Maybe the safest bet is on Steelers kicker Chris Boswell, the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history. Boswell has made 88% (277 of 318) of his kicks since joining Pittsburgh a decade ago.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl