The GameDay Opening Drive 12/28: The Steelers Are In Town With A Great Deal On The Line For Both Sides
Garrett goes for record against rival Steelers, while outcome looms large for both sides.
It is gameday, and the Browns will play their final home game of the 2025 season today. Things have taken a peculiar turn, and suddenly these last two games are of incredible importance to the Browns’ organizational trajectory. A win would be detrimental to the team’s draft positioning, likely leaving them outside of the top five selections. The cost to get back into position to draft either Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore would become too steep to afford and still hope to make the critical offensive upgrades the Browns need.
Thankfully, the Ravens pulled out a win Saturday evening that keeps their playoff hopes alive and, in turn, forces the Steelers to treat today’s game as a must-win. If the Steelers were to drop today’s matchup, they would have to face the Ravens in Week 18 in a playoff scenario game where the winner gets into the playoffs, and the loser is out. A win over the Browns today locks up the AFC North crown for Pittsburgh and allows them to avoid a do-or-die matchup with the Ravens next week.
Sunday’s game will air nationally on CBS, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 PM ET from Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.
Veteran broadcast duo Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will be on the call, giving this matchup national visibility despite the offensive limitations both teams have dealt with at various points this season. Not quite sure how this happened, other than the limited games to select from due to Christmas Day and Saturday games. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Inside the weekly GameDay Opening Drive you will get all the pieces of information paired with your GameDay Podcast to enhance your Sundays with this team.
Gameday Preview Podcast: Week 17, Browns vs. Steelers
It's your game day edition of the Browns Film Breakdown! The Browns are ready to host the Steelers for their Week 17 game at Huntington Bank Field today. We have all the essential information you need for the game, including TV broadcast details, announcers, the injury report, weather conditions, and much more. As always, we provide our Browns film brea…
The weather forecast has changed significantly since earlier in the week. While temperatures will be in the high 40s to low 50s and it won’t be cold, we can expect wind speeds around 16 mph, with gusts reaching the high 20s at times. There is a 68 percent chance of rain throughout most of the game, which could lead to sloppy conditions.
It’s also important to note that the field was not holding up well last week.
Few rivalries in the NFL carry as much history as Browns-Steelers.
Pittsburgh holds the overall advantage, leading the all-time series by approximately 83–64–1, including a 2–1 edge in postseason meetings.
The rivalry has produced extreme outcomes on both ends — from Cleveland’s 51-0 win in 1989 to Pittsburgh’s 43-0 shutout in 1999 — but more often than not, games are decided by single-digit margins and late-game execution.
Myles Garrett remains one full sack away from breaking the single-season NFL record. Doing it against the Steelers and in just 16 games would make it just that much sweeter.
The parlay today includes a Sanders passing touchdown, Sanders over 13.5 rushing yards, Jaylen Warren Anytime touchdown, and the Steelers moneyline, which gets you +1131 at Fanduel. However, if you are feeling froggy, you can play the under 34.5 total instead of the Steelers moneyline, and the reverse correlation with the touchdown props gives you great odds at +3264. A $10 bet wins you $113 and/or $326 on the under.
The Browns will wear the brown top and orange pant uniform combo they wear for AFC North games.
The Steelers will wear their white top with yellow pants.
Catch us LIVE after the game on the Browns Film Breakdown Show where we will cover everything Post-Game at 4:25PM on our YouTube Channel.
As always, Go Browns!
