On Sunday December 8th, 2024, the Cleveland Browns travel to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. This late season AFC North matchup is expected to have playoff and division implications. Fans of both teams can expect a cold and cloudy afternoon that is typical of a Browns Steelers game. Traveling to the Steel City has not been pleasant for the Cleveland Browns. Winning in Pittsburgh has not been easy either. And this game should not be any different.

In 1970 the Pittsburgh Steelers started playing their home games at Three Rivers Stadium; the Cleveland Browns didn’t win a game there until 1986. Those 16 years were known as the Three Rivers Jinx. Since the expansion era Cleveland Browns of 1999, they have only won 3 games in Pittsburgh. Two of those wins were in their current home of Acrisure Stadium.  The last win in Pittsburgh was the 2020 AFC Wildcard Game with no fans in the stands because of Covid. Every AFC North game is expected to be tough. In Pittsburgh it is expected to be even tougher. Especially when the teams play each other twice in three weeks.

The last time the Browns and Steelers played each other twice in three weeks was in 2019. The first game was the infamous helmet game on a Thursday night with Mason Rudolph and Myles Garret. After suspensions and fines divvied out by the NFL commissioner, the Browns lost in Pittsburgh two weeks later. The reason the Browns have trouble beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh is that the Steelers are a good team. No jinx, no curse, just better players. In 2024, the Cleveland Browns have one of the best rosters in the NFL. And if they expect to be a division champion, they must win division games on the road. And a win in Pittsburgh would be giant step towards that goal. One giant step that is easier said than done.