Steelers Not Overlooking Cleveland As Disaster In Cincinnati Remains On Their Mind

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking as hot as ever as the 2025 regular season draws to a close. They recently defeated the Detroit Lions 29-24 on Sunday in one of the most electric games of the year, in a matchup that many thought they could not win. Pittsburgh has now cemented themselves as the overwhelming favorites to clinch the AFC North and host a playoff game in the Wild Card Round. It would be the first time the Steelers have won the AFC North since 2020, and they will look to potentially win their first postseason contest since the 2016 season should they make it. Before the playoffs however, they'll need to look to this week's matchup against the Cleveland Browns that could potentially be a must win battle.

Divisional games can always be tricky, and the Steelers can't go into the contest thinking the Browns will just simply lie down and not present a challenge. Thankfully, most around the league don't believe the Steelers will actively overlook the Browns, even if they have already clinched the AFC North before the game begins. This matchup is another step for the Steelers to build on their positive momentum heading into the playoffs, and they will likely go out there with an intent to win convincingly.

Recently, CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala made an appearance as a guest on 93.7 The Fan to talk about a wide range of topics concerning the Steelers, and would turn the conversation to the upcoming game against the Browns as the show went on. When she was asked about how the Steelers would approach the game against the Browns, she gave an answer that should encourage the Steelers fans hoping they can keep the momentum going.

"It's hard to imagine the Steelers just sitting here and completely overlooking them," Kinkhabwala said. "Because again, you saw what happened against the Bengals with Joe Flacco, right? Then a few weeks later, it was a totally different story. That's how it goes in division games. Again, I think so much is contingent on who's playing."

Kinkhabwala's reference to the Cincinnati Bengals comes from their first meeting in Week 7, when the Steelers lost 33-31 in a matchup where the Steelers looked lost on defense and couldn't stop the Bengals' offense from methodically moving down the field at will. They took that loss personally, and came back in Week 11 to defeat the Bengals 34-12 using the lessons they learned from the first matchup to win.

In the first matchup against the Browns, the Steelers won 23-9 in a showing that would stand as one of the best performances the team had put together all season. The Steelers shouldn't go into the matchup believing that it will be this easy again, especially with the desire from Browns players to ruin the Steelers' season. Kinkhabwala's comments also seem to point to the fact that Pittsburgh will be going out there to win the game, regardless of whatever it means for their playoff standing.

The last part of Kinkhabwala's comment refers to the fact that the Steelers may potentially adjust the lineup pending on the result of the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers matchup on Saturday night. Should the Packers defeat the Ravens, the Steelers will have clinched the AFC North before their game against the Browns even begins. Nonetheless, even if the game against the Browns is ultimately meaningless to the Steelers, they won't be going out there to embarrass themselves.

Steelers Looking To Make Another Statement Against Browns

The Steelers could send a message to the league with another dominant win against the Browns, in an AFC that seems more wide open than ever. A strong win would continue the momentum they've built over the last few weeks, and position the Steelers as a team to take seriously entering the playoffs.

What did you think about Kinkhabwala's comments regarding the Steelers not taking the Browns lightly? Let us know in the comments below.

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