The Browns and Steelers will face off in an AFC North battle on TNF. Will either team look like a playoff contender after this Week 4 game?
The Week 4 Thursday Night Football matchup between the Browns and Steelers should be a revealing game for both teams. Both Cleveland and Pittsburgh enter the game 2-1 with a lot on the line early in the AFC North division race. It may only be Week 4, but the outcome of this game could have implications on the AFC playoff picture later this season.
Remember, every team in the AFC North has the same record through three weeks. A win in such a huge divisional game will give that team a massive advantage. Not only will they improve to 3-1, but they will drop their opponent to 2-2. They’ll also gain the opportunity to gain a decisive tiebreaker later in the season if they can sweep their division rival.
As a result, the winner of this game will put themselves in prime position to compete for the AFC North title. That by itself will put that team in the playoff conversation along with other contending teams.
But are the Steelers and Browns legit playoff hopefuls after starting 2-1? Or will they reveal themselves to be frauds on Thursday Night Football?
The Week 4 matchup between the Browns and Steelers should reveal whether either team is a real playoff contender in 2026.
If the Steelers are playoff contenders, they will beat the Browns on TNF
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The Steelers have been a difficult team to figure out over the past few seasons. But one clear pattern is that their floor is surprisingly high with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
Pittsburgh bumbled their way to a division win last season at 10-7. That might be a bit disrespectful though, as they did have a winning record and took care of business in Week 18. So it is not ridiculous to assume they could get back to the playoffs this season.
The X-factor in this scenario, and the elephant in the room, is that 2026 is Rodgers’ last season in the NFL. Pittsburgh should have more urgency than they have in a while to put together a winning season to help Rodgers ride off into the sunset in glory.
So if the Steelers want to make their dreams come true, they simply need to beat the Browns in Week 4. It doesn’t matter how they win the game, they can even eek out a one-score victory in an ugly divisional matchup. But if the Steelers find a way to lose this game, that will put their playoff hopes in jeopardy early in the season. And beyond that, it will be a huge morale killer to lose to the Browns.
But if Cleveland wins this game, should they receive the same playoff hype?
Browns need to do more than beat Steelers to solidify playoff hype
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It may be a double standard, but there’s no way the Browns become playoff contenders if they win this Week 4 contest. However, it’s not just because they are the Browns.
Before Browns fans get too mad, it is important to look closely at Cleveland’s first three games of the season. They got smoked by the Jaguars in Week 1 before barely pulling off wins against the Buccaneers and Panthers.
Those last two games say more about the Bucs and Panthers than they do about the Browns. Remember, the Buccaneers have been a disaster this season and the Panthers are absolutely battered with injuries. Beating those teams, without scoring 24 or more points in either game, is not much to brag about.
One big problem is how poorly Cleveland’s offense has played so far this season.
The Browns currently rank 30th in the NFL in total yards per game at 266.0 through three weeks. They only average 18 points per game this season, which is simply not good enough.
None of this is to say that the Browns can’t make the playoffs in 2026. That said, they’ll need to do a lot more than win in Week 4 to make that a serious possibility.
The Week 4 Thursday Night Football matchup between the Browns and Steelers should be a revealing game for both teams. Both Cleveland and Pittsburgh enter the game 2-1 with a lot on the line early in the AFC North division race. It may only be Week 4, but the outcome of this game could have implications on the AFC playoff picture later this season.
