THURSDAY NIGHT PREVIEW:
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (1-1) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-1)
Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season gets underway on Thursday, September 22 (8:15 PM ET, Prime Video) as the Cleveland Browns (1-1) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) in an early season AFC North clash. Pittsburgh holds a 77-60-1 all-time regular-season advantage in the series, including a sweep of both meetings last season. In Week 8 of the 2021 season, the Steelers defeated the Browns in Cleveland, 15-10, as tight end PAT FREIERMUTH caught the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. In Week 17, Pittsburgh earned a 26-14 home victory over Cleveland on Monday Night Football, as running back NAJEE HARRIS set a career high with 206 scrimmage yards. The Browns have won each of their past four games on Thursday Night Football.
Pittsburgh quarterback MITCH TRUBISKY is expected to make his fifth-career start against the AFC North, having totaled five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) with no interceptions in his previous four starts against the division. In his last start on Thursday Night Football (December 5, 2019 vs. Dallas, with Chicago), Trubisky recorded four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and a 115.5 rating. Harris had 89 scrimmage yards (49 rushing, 40 receiving) in Week 2 and he aims for his third in a row against Cleveland with at least 120 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown. Wide receiver DIONTAE JOHNSON led the team with six catches last week, his 14th-consecutive game with at least five receptions, the second-longest active streak in the league (COOPER KUPP – 23 games). Johnson had a touchdown reception in the teams’ last meeting and has at least 95 receiving yards in two of his past three against Cleveland.
Safety MINKAH FITZPATRICK is one of two players in the league (MARCUS WILLIAMS) with an interception in each of the first two weeks of the season. He enters Thursday night aiming for his sixth in a row overall and sixth in a row against Cleveland with a pass defensed. Cornerback CAMERON SUTTON had an interception in Week 1 and has recorded an interception in each of his past two division games. Linebacker MYLES JACK leads the team with 23 tackles and is one of seven players in the league with at least 10 tackles in each of the first two weeks. Defensive tackle CAMERON HEYWARD had a sack in last year’s Week 17 meeting.
Cleveland quarterback JACOBY BRISSETT completed 22 of 27 attempts last week for an 81.5 completion percentage, a career high as a starter. In two career starts against Pittsburgh, Brissett has a 102.8 rating. In four career starts on Thursday Night Football, he has no interceptions with three rushing touchdowns. Running back NICK CHUBB led the team with 113 scrimmage yards (87 rushing, 26 receiving) last week and tied a career high with three rushing touchdowns, his ninth-career game with multiple rushing touchdowns. He is the only running back in the league with at least 100 scrimmage yards in each of the first two weeks of the season. In four career games on Thursday, running back KAREEM HUNT has 522 scrimmage yards (130.5 per game) and five touchdowns (three receiving, two rushing). Wide receiver AMARI COOPER led the team with nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown in Week 2, his 26th-career game with at least 100 receiving yards and first with Cleveland. Cooper has a touchdown catch in two of his past three games on Thursday Night Football.
Defensive end MYLES GARRETT has recorded a sack in each of the first two weeks of the season and now has 61.5 sacks in 70 career games, the third-most sacks by a player in his first 70 NFL games since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. He had a sack in the teams’ last meeting in Cleveland and has a sack in five of his past six division games. Linebacker JEREMIAH OWUSU-KORAMOAH led the team with nine tackles in Week 2 and recorded his third-career forced fumble. He leads Cleveland with 14 tackles entering Thursday night. Linebacker ANTHONY WALKER had two tackles for loss and two passes defensed last week and aims for his sixth in a row against the division with at least seven tackles.
Prime Video will stream 15 Thursday Night Football games this season (Weeks 2-17, excluding Thanksgiving). The game will feature Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung on the call.
COURTESY NFLmedia.com
