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Oakland Raiders' rookie quarterback Derek Carr played a solid game Sunday, throwing for 328 yards, despite being pressured by Cleveland's defense for most of the game.  Carr completed 34 of 54 pass attempts, in addition to thowing a touchdown pass, while not tossing an interception in the game.  The Raiders elected to bring Matt Schaub in for a fake field goal play, which saw him fumble the ball, recover it, and then threw an interception to Browns safety Tashaun Gipson.

The biggest downside for the Raiders was committing three turnovers in the game, one of which resulted in a Cleveland touchdown late in the 4th quarter that sealed the game for the Browns.  Cleveland is now 4-3 and in last place in the AFC North, but only a half game out of first place.  Clevland has already had their bye week, while the remaining three teams in the AFC North haven't had their week off yet.

One fact that must be covered about this game, is how the Browns' offense remained efficient depite their running game being non-existent Sunday.  Cleveland's leading rusher in the game was veteran Ben Tate, who rushed for only 26 yards on 15 carries for a putrid 1.7 average per carry.  Rookie running back Terrence West couldn't get it going either, rushing for only 11 yards on 7 carries for a 1.6 average per carry.

If not for the three turnovers by Oakland, the Cleveland Browns might have given another winless team their first victory of the season.  A win is a win, but when you struggle for two straight weeks against winless opponents, it doesn't bode well for the Browns, who still have four tough home games coming up against the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Cleveland's road schedule looks worse over the second half of the season, playing the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and the Cincinnati Bengals.  If they intend to compete for the AFC North title, they must elevate their level of play to a point greater than what they showcased during the last two games against cupcake teams at this level.

Oakland Raiders' rookie quarterback Derek Carr played a solid game Sunday, throwing for 328 yards, despite being pressured by Cleveland's defense for most of the game.  Carr completed 34 of 54 pass attempts, in addition to thowing a touchdown pass, while not tossing an interception in the game.  The Raiders elected to bring Matt Schaub in for a fake field goal play, which saw him fumble the ball, recover it, and then threw an interception to Browns safety Tashaun Gipson.

The biggest downside for the Raiders was committing three turnovers in the game, one of which resulted in a Cleveland touchdown late in the 4th quarter that sealed the game for the Browns.  Cleveland is now 4-3 and in last place in the AFC North, but only a half game out of first place.  Clevland has already had their bye week, while the remaining three teams in the AFC North haven't had their week off yet.

One fact that must be covered about this game, is how the Browns' offense remained efficient depite their running game being non-existent Sunday.  Cleveland's leading rusher in the game was veteran Ben Tate, who rushed for only 26 yards on 15 carries for a putrid 1.7 average per carry.  Rookie running back Terrence West couldn't get it going either, rushing for only 11 yards on 7 carries for a 1.6 average per carry.

If not for the three turnovers by Oakland, the Cleveland Browns might have given another winless team their first victory of the season.  A win is a win, but when you struggle for two straight weeks against winless opponents, it doesn't bode well for the Browns, who still have four tough home games coming up against the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Cleveland's road schedule looks worse over the second half of the season, playing the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and the Cincinnati Bengals.  If they intend to compete for the AFC North title, they must elevate their level of play to a point greater than what they showcased during the last two games against cupcake teams at this level.

The Cleveland Browns are no longer the laughing stock of the AFC North; that title belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers, now. On Sunday afternoon, in a 31-10 beat-down of the Steelers, the Browns were the better team in every aspect of the game. Cleveland now sits at 3-2, and the Steelers are now 3-3 and in the basement of the AFC North.

Browns are a competitive football team

The Browns now have a positive record, and their two losses this season were by 3 and 2 points respectively. It isn’t insane to think that the Browns could compete for a playoff spot at end of the season in a rather weak conference. The Browns have a stout defense and a solid offense.

Outside of Antonio Brown, Steelers wide receivers are not producing

Antonio Brown is one of the very best wideouts in the game and has continually produced for the Steelers. However, it has been very bleak for the rest of the Steelers wide receivers. Free agent-signing Lance Moore has done very little. Against Cleveland, Moore dropped two passes; he did catch a touchdown, but that wasn’t until very late in the game when it was far out of reach for Pittsburgh.

Steelers No.2 wideout Markus Wheaton has yet to develop good chemistry with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. There were a number of plays in which Roethlisberger saw his pass fall incomplete due to an apparent miscommunication between Wheaton and him; it’s unapparent who is to blame on these mishaps. But it is more likely that the second-year receiver would be at fault.

Steelers are atrocious in all phases of the game

The Steelers are horrible on offense, defense and special teams. During the entire game, Roethlisberger had obvious communication errors with all of his receivers but Antonio Brown. Many of his passes fell to the ground, and you could see a look of utter disgust on Roethlisberger’s face, which would usually be followed up with a confused look from a receiver. The Steelers could not execute on offense; very little blame should be put on the coaches for this one. The offense did not score a touchdown until there was under three minutes left in the game when the Browns were up by 4 touchdowns.

The offense is the Steelers’ only hope; it is the side of the ball that actually has viable talent. If the offense can find a way to play consistently, the Steelers can become a competitive team.

Communication breakdowns were not an offense-isolated issue. The Steelers had a myriad of blown coverages. The entire Steelers secondary played pitifully. Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer only completed 8 passes in the entirety of the game, but he amassed 217 passing yards.

Seemingly, the Steelers did not want to cover the Browns star tight end Jordan Cameron. On one play, Pittsburgh left Cameron wide open, resulting in a 42-yard reception, setting the Browns up deep in Steelers territory. Furthermore, Cameron caught a 51-yard touchdown pass. He finished the day with 3 catches, 103 receiving yards and 1 score.

The Browns did damage in the run game too. They racked up 158 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground.

Per usual, the Pittsburgh special teams was laughably awful, today. At this point, it’s certain that punter Brad Wing is a lost cause. Throughout this season, Wing has consistently given opposing teams good field opposition due to his awfully short punts. Also today, Wing mishandled a snap on a field goal attempt, costing Pittsburgh 3 points.

Moreover, for some strange reason, Steelers kick returners – mainly Dri Archer – continue to return balls that sail deep in the endzone, which gives the Steelers offense bad field position. Special teams coach Danny Smith deserves a good chunk of the blame for this.

The Cleveland Browns are no longer the laughing stock of the AFC North; that title belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers, now. On Sunday afternoon, in a 31-10 beat-down of the Steelers, the Browns were the better team in every aspect of the game. Cleveland now sits at 3-2, and the Steelers are now 3-3 and in the basement of the AFC North.

Browns are a competitive football team

The Browns now have a positive record, and their two losses this season were by 3 and 2 points respectively. It isn’t insane to think that the Browns could compete for a playoff spot at end of the season in a rather weak conference. The Browns have a stout defense and a solid offense.

Outside of Antonio Brown, Steelers wide receivers are not producing

Antonio Brown is one of the very best wideouts in the game and has continually produced for the Steelers. However, it has been very bleak for the rest of the Steelers wide receivers. Free agent-signing Lance Moore has done very little. Against Cleveland, Moore dropped two passes; he did catch a touchdown, but that wasn’t until very late in the game when it was far out of reach for Pittsburgh.

Steelers No.2 wideout Markus Wheaton has yet to develop good chemistry with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. There were a number of plays in which Roethlisberger saw his pass fall incomplete due to an apparent miscommunication between Wheaton and him; it’s unapparent who is to blame on these mishaps. But it is more likely that the second-year receiver would be at fault.

Steelers are atrocious in all phases of the game

The Steelers are horrible on offense, defense and special teams. During the entire game, Roethlisberger had obvious communication errors with all of his receivers but Antonio Brown. Many of his passes fell to the ground, and you could see a look of utter disgust on Roethlisberger’s face, which would usually be followed up with a confused look from a receiver. The Steelers could not execute on offense; very little blame should be put on the coaches for this one. The offense did not score a touchdown until there was under three minutes left in the game when the Browns were up by 4 touchdowns.

The offense is the Steelers’ only hope; it is the side of the ball that actually has viable talent. If the offense can find a way to play consistently, the Steelers can become a competitive team.

Communication breakdowns were not an offense-isolated issue. The Steelers had a myriad of blown coverages. The entire Steelers secondary played pitifully. Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer only completed 8 passes in the entirety of the game, but he amassed 217 passing yards.

Seemingly, the Steelers did not want to cover the Browns star tight end Jordan Cameron. On one play, Pittsburgh left Cameron wide open, resulting in a 42-yard reception, setting the Browns up deep in Steelers territory. Furthermore, Cameron caught a 51-yard touchdown pass. He finished the day with 3 catches, 103 receiving yards and 1 score.

The Browns did damage in the run game too. They racked up 158 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground.

Per usual, the Pittsburgh special teams was laughably awful, today. At this point, it’s certain that punter Brad Wing is a lost cause. Throughout this season, Wing has consistently given opposing teams good field opposition due to his awfully short punts. Also today, Wing mishandled a snap on a field goal attempt, costing Pittsburgh 3 points.

Moreover, for some strange reason, Steelers kick returners – mainly Dri Archer – continue to return balls that sail deep in the endzone, which gives the Steelers offense bad field position. Special teams coach Danny Smith deserves a good chunk of the blame for this.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, with a 3-2 record, are one of the worst teams in the NFL that currently post a positive record. The Steelers barely escaped Jacksonville with a win last week. Last week proved that the Steelers are not a good football team.

The Cleveland Browns are 2-2 and are fresh off a bye week. In the Browns’ last game, they completed a 25-point comeback victory over the Tennessee Titans. The Browns are not the most talented team, but they seem to be a team that has a lot of heart.

This Sunday marks the second time the Steelers and Browns will play each other this season. In their first meeting, in Week 1, the Steelers won 30-27. In that game, the Steelers were up 27-3 at the end of the first half, but the Browns would come soaring back. The Browns ended up tying the game at 27 in the fourth quarter, but the Steelers still came away with a victory.

This time around, with the game in Cleveland and the Steelers struggling, there could be a different result.

Joe Haden is struggling

Browns cornerback Joe Haden hasn’t played very well through the first quarter of the season. He is allowing a great deal of passes to be caught, which spells trouble for him this Sunday. The Steelers No.1 wide receiver Antonio Brown is on a roll this season. Brown already has 511 receiving yards and has caught 5 touchdowns this season – one of those touchdown receptions came against Haden in Week 1.

Browns must attack the Steelers on the ground

The Browns have been extremely successful running the football this season; they rank fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game. The Steelers defense has struggled against the run this season, including in Week 1 against the Browns.

Steelers can’t waste redzone opportunities

This season, when the Steelers have the ball in the redzone, they have only been able to score a touchdown 43 percent of the time, which ranks as 26^th in the league. The Steelers need to utilize running back Le’Veon Bell in the redzone more; he only has one total touchdown this season. Not being able to score touchdowns is one of the reasons why the Steelers are a bad team. They need to fix this issue if they want to improve.

Steelers likely to give Le’Veon Bell more carries

Last week against the Jaguars, Bell only received 15 carries, yet he had a rush of 29 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. The Steelers offense has scored 30-plus points this season in games during which Bell carries the ball 20-plus times. It is certainly a head-scratcher as to why the Steelers limit Bell’s carry total. Expect to see Bell carrying the football many times against the Browns.

Browns must put Ben Roethlisberger on his back

The Steelers’ offensive tackles, Kelvin Beachum and Marcus Gilbert, are mediocre pass blockers – both of whom have combined to allow 8 sacks through five games. Browns outside linebacker Paul Kruger recorded 2 sacks against the Steelers in their first game of the season. Disrupting Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s play is key to diluting the Steelers offense.

With the way the Steelers are playing, it is very hard to predict a victory for them. The Steelers defense will have trouble defending the Browns defense. The Steelers offense will keep it close, but the Browns will prevail. Prediction: Browns 34-31

The Pittsburgh Steelers, with a 3-2 record, are one of the worst teams in the NFL that currently post a positive record. The Steelers barely escaped Jacksonville with a win last week. Last week proved that the Steelers are not a good football team.

The Cleveland Browns are 2-2 and are fresh off a bye week. In the Browns’ last game, they completed a 25-point comeback victory over the Tennessee Titans. The Browns are not the most talented team, but they seem to be a team that has a lot of heart.

This Sunday marks the second time the Steelers and Browns will play each other this season. In their first meeting, in Week 1, the Steelers won 30-27. In that game, the Steelers were up 27-3 at the end of the first half, but the Browns would come soaring back. The Browns ended up tying the game at 27 in the fourth quarter, but the Steelers still came away with a victory.

This time around, with the game in Cleveland and the Steelers struggling, there could be a different result.

Joe Haden is struggling

Browns cornerback Joe Haden hasn’t played very well through the first quarter of the season. He is allowing a great deal of passes to be caught, which spells trouble for him this Sunday. The Steelers No.1 wide receiver Antonio Brown is on a roll this season. Brown already has 511 receiving yards and has caught 5 touchdowns this season – one of those touchdown receptions came against Haden in Week 1.

Browns must attack the Steelers on the ground

The Browns have been extremely successful running the football this season; they rank fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game. The Steelers defense has struggled against the run this season, including in Week 1 against the Browns.

Steelers can’t waste redzone opportunities

This season, when the Steelers have the ball in the redzone, they have only been able to score a touchdown 43 percent of the time, which ranks as 26^th in the league. The Steelers need to utilize running back Le’Veon Bell in the redzone more; he only has one total touchdown this season. Not being able to score touchdowns is one of the reasons why the Steelers are a bad team. They need to fix this issue if they want to improve.

Steelers likely to give Le’Veon Bell more carries

Last week against the Jaguars, Bell only received 15 carries, yet he had a rush of 29 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. The Steelers offense has scored 30-plus points this season in games during which Bell carries the ball 20-plus times. It is certainly a head-scratcher as to why the Steelers limit Bell’s carry total. Expect to see Bell carrying the football many times against the Browns.

Browns must put Ben Roethlisberger on his back

The Steelers’ offensive tackles, Kelvin Beachum and Marcus Gilbert, are mediocre pass blockers – both of whom have combined to allow 8 sacks through five games. Browns outside linebacker Paul Kruger recorded 2 sacks against the Steelers in their first game of the season. Disrupting Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s play is key to diluting the Steelers offense.

With the way the Steelers are playing, it is very hard to predict a victory for them. The Steelers defense will have trouble defending the Browns defense. The Steelers offense will keep it close, but the Browns will prevail. Prediction: Browns 34-31