The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for a prime time game vs. the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, and you couldn’t have two teams who are coming in off different performances last week. The Steelers had their doors blown off by the San Francisco 49ers, but the Browns dominated the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.

Needless to say, when you are talking about checking NFL Expert picks, they will use Week 1 as the primary tool to measure this upcoming game. But before fans suggest this is a worthless endeavor after the Steelers Week 1 performance, there are some experts who think the team will bounce back on Monday Night Football.

For those websites who just “pick the winner” there are experts who are still believing in the Steelers. At Sports Illustrated, three out of the seven experts like the Steelers to beat the Browns. At ESPN, four out of their ten experts are in on the Steelers in Week 2.

Then there are those experts who give more of an explanation for their picks. When you look at The Sporting News they don’t see the Steelers being able to do enough to get their record back to .500.

Browns (-2) to beat Steelers
Win probability: 57.1%, Browns

The Browns stunned the Bengals in a 24-3 walloping that has only added kerosene to the 2023 hype surrounding Cleveland. The Browns were originally heading into this game as slight underdogs to the Steelers, but between Cleveland’s huge Week 1 win and the Steelers’ blowout loss at home to the 49ers, the Browns move in as the favorites to win this AFC North showdown on Monday.

For all of the NFL.com experts, five in total, they have three who are taking the Steelers in Week 2:

Why Gennaro is taking the Steelers: Darlings of the preseason, the Steelers went 3-0 in August. Kenny Pickett posted a perfect passer rating, producing touchdowns on all five of his drives. But a funny thing happened on the way to the regular season: Pittsburgh lost its mojo, suffering the worst home loss of the Mike Tomlin era. Following San Francisco’s 30-7 statement, the Steelers coach didn’t mince his words: “We got kicked in the teeth today.” Meanwhile, the Browns did some teeth-kicking of their own in Week 1, beating the Bengals 24-3. But everyone knows this is a week-to-week league. And Tomlin knows how to rally the troops.

But not all of the experts who make weekly picks are feeling a rebound game for the Steelers. In fact, at CBS Sports Pete Prisco likes the Browns to win, albeit a close game.

The Browns are playing on the road this week after a big home win, while the Steelers are trying to shed the horrible showing against the 49ers last week. They were dominated. The Browns defense was impressive in the victory over the Bengals, while the Steelers offense really struggled last week. That carries over as the Browns get to 2-0.

Pick: Browns 23, Steelers 17

The experts aren’t ready to dismiss the Steelers’ preseason success, but they are hesitant for obvious reasons. How do you see the game playing out? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Browns in prime time.