NFL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Dec 8, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (left) and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) talk after playing at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

How the Cleveland Browns can upset the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Nick Pedone | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 1:07 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns shuffled around their roster with a pair of trades ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While Cleveland’s focus already seems to be on the future, they still have 12 regular season games remaining before they reach the finish line this season.

The Browns are 1-4 and head coach Kevin Stefanski could certainly use a big win to ease some of the pressure mounting in Cleveland. Here’s a few keys to victory for the Browns to pull off an upset in Pittsburgh, something they have not done during the regular season in more than two decades.

1. Myles Garrett wins the T.J. Watt battle

For years, fans of the Browns and Steelers have debated which team has the better pass rusher. If the Browns want to have a chance at pulling off an upset, Garrett needs to outperform Watt.

Pittsburgh has gotten exactly what they wanted out of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall of Famer is completing just under 70 percent of his passes for 786 passing yards, eight touchdowns and only three interceptions.

While Rodgers is not the same quarterback that won back-to-back MVP awards just a few seasons ago, he can still make defenses pay with his arm. Garrett going against Pittsburgh’s young offensive line can be a neutralizer in this game.

On the flip side, Cleveland’s offense has to find a way to make sure that Watt does not take over this game. He only has three sacks this season, so the Browns need to find a way to keep rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel upright.

2. Dillon Gabriel needs to do a little bit more

You cannot expect to walk into Pittsburgh and secure a victory without bringing a little bit of juice.

Stefanski schemed an incredibly safe and conservative game plan for Gabriel’s debut against the Minnesota Vikings in London. Even throwing mostly check downs, Gabriel was unable to complete 60 percent of passes or surpass 200 yards. Even Stefanski admitted that there is plenty of room for improvement and growth.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is 26-6 against rookie quarterbacks. This week, Tomlin acknowledged that Gabriel is not a typical rookie because of his six years of college football.

But the third-rounder known as “the super computer” is going to need to beat the Steelers with his arm, not his brain.

3. When in doubt, Quinshon Judkins is the out

Cleveland’s offense has been laughable through five weeks. Stefanski told the media he was surprised that the Cincinnati Bengals even called to trade for Joe Flacco this week.

But the onus for Cleveland’s offensive failure is on everybody, including their head coach. The Browns had the football and the lead with three minutes to go and still found a way to lose to the Vikings in London because their play caller would not just run the football.

When an offense is as bad as the Browns, they need to start by identifying one thing that they do well and build off of that. Cleveland’s wide receivers cannot catch the ball. The offensive line barely blocks. And the quarterback looked extremely limited on any throw further than 10 yards.

Utilizing standout rookie running back Quinshon Judkins should be what the Browns lean on while they try to fix the rest of the offense on the fly.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: