Coming off of their Week 4 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be on their bye week before next taking on the Cleveland Browns at home. Before for franchise icon Ben Roethlisberger, he thinks it’ll be an easy return to action for the Steelers.
As the Baltimore Ravens continue to struggle, the Steelers have taken a lead in the AFC North at 3-1. The Cincinnati Bengals sit at 2-2, but have lost quarterback Joe Burrow for the foreseeable future. The Browns currently sit at at bottom with their 1-3 record.
Roethlisberger is expecting to flex their muscle come Week 6. In fact, he isn’t even considering the Browns competition, via his Footbahlin’ Podcast, h/t Steelers Depot.
“I said it’s our second bye in a row,” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t foresee a big issue with the Browns.”
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Despite their 1-3 record, Cleveland has been one of the best defensive teams in football through the first four weeks. They’ll enter their matchup against Pittsburgh ranked first in total defense, allowing 222.5 yards per game. That’ll be a difficult challenge for a Steelers offense ranked 29th in the league, averaging 263.5 YPG.
The Browns actually rank higher, but not by much, at 27th, averaging 279.8 YPG. The Steelers’ defense has been disappointing to start the year, ranking 28th, by allowing 382.5. However, they have still found a way to win games. And it’s not like Joe Flacco is striking much fear on Pittsburgh’s defender.
Still, any divisional matchup is sure to be a hotly contested battle. But at least from Roethlisberger’s point of view, he expect the Steelers to remain the cream of the AFC North crop after their Browns clash.
