This is like a mini Super Bowl for the Browns.  They have a chance to really screw things up for the Steelers if they play injured players like Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey and LaMarr Woodley.  The Browns could take a page from the Steelers’ book and play dirty with James Harrison’s knees being their first target.  The Browns have lost five games in a row.  The Steelers have won five of their last six games including a win over the Browns just three weeks ago, 14-3 in Pittsburgh.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are likely going to come out running the ball with Peyton Hillis in this game.  The Steelers are giving up 101.7 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year, so the Browns could have success on the ground.  I also look for the Browns to get Josh Cribbs heavily involved in this game running, catching and maybe even throwing the ball this Sunday.  Seneca Wallace has been efficient in the last couple of games.  If Wallace has time to throw the ball, he’s likely going to make some plays down the field to WR Earl Little and TE Evan Moore.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are likely to come out running the ball with Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman against a Browns’ D that is giving up 146.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year.  If the front seven can slow the Steelers’ running game, they can force a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger or an ancient Charlie Batch to have to beat them with their right arms.  The Browns will likely take a few shots on Big Ben, so he might not last long in this game.  But, the Steelers have solid WRs in Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and TE Heath Miller, no matter who plays QB.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 20, BROWNS 17

27-year old LT Joe Thomas has been elected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his first five years in the NFL.  He has played in 15 games (all starts) for the Browns and he has played in 79 games (all starts) in his first five years with the Browns.  Thomas is not only consistent, but he is probably the best offensive tackle in the entire NFL.  LT is one spot the Browns are not going to have to worry about for a very, very long time.

Make no mistake, head coach Pat Shurmur lost another game for the Browns last Saturday with his very poor decision making and play calling.  Seneca Wallace played a decent game as he completed 19 of 33 passes for 147 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards.  Peyton Hillis was on his game as he carried the ball 24 times for 112 yards (4.7 ypc) against a very tough Ravens’ D.  Earl Little (4 rec, 40 yards) and Evan Moore (5 rec, 35 yards, TD) led the way for the Browns in the passing game.  Josh Cribbs was also very productive for the Browns in this game as he returned 1 punt for a 84-yard TD, he returned 5 kickoffs for 119 yards (23.8 avg) and he caught 2 passes for 28 yards (14.0 avg).  The Browns finished up with 117 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 33 passes (57.6%) for 139 yards as they had possession of the ball for 27:42.

The defense wasn’t too good against the run, but they were solid against the pass for the most part.  LB Kaluka Maiava (7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss), LB D’Qwell Jackson (7 tackles) and DT Ahtyba Rubin (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Browns in this game.  CB Sheldon Brown also had a solid game with 3 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception in this game.  The Ravens finished up with 162 yards rushing on 37 carries (4.4 ypc) and they completed 11 of 24 passes (45.8%) for 122 yards in this game.  The Browns are now 4-11 on the year.

The Cleveland Browns have lost four in a row and seven of their last eight games coming into this weekend’s game with the Ravens.  The Browns lost 24-10 to the Ravens just three weeks ago.  The Ravens got whacked hard 34-14 last Sunday Night in San Diego by the Chargers.  The Ravens need this game, so don’t look for them to take it too easy this weekend against the Browns.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are going to try to be balanced in this game.  Peyton Hillis will likely have a heavy workload tomorrow against a Ravens’ D that is only allowing 90.0 yards rushing and 3.4 yards per carry.  The Browns need Hillis to get his fair share of yards in an effort to slow the Ravens’ pass rush.  The Ravens have 45 sacks already this year and OLB Terrell Suggs (13 sacks), so they are going to be coming after Seneca Wallace.  The Ravens had trouble covering WRs last weekend, so look for Wallace to try to attack them down the field to Earl Little and Mohamed Massaquoi.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Browns have to gang up and stop Ray Rice and Ricky Williams.  It won’t be easy.  Ray Rice rushed for 204 yards in the first meeting with the Browns.  The Ravens are going to be without WR Anquan Boldin in this game, but they still have guys to throw to.  Torrey Smith and Lee Evans have a lot of speed, so the Browns’ corners are going to get challenged.  The Browns better hope that DE Jabaal Sheard and the rest of the team can get a lot of pressure on Joe Flacco.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, BROWNS 14

The Browns have signed 25-year old Dan (Rob’s brother) Gronkowski.  Gronkowski played in 12 games for the Broncos last year and he caught 8 passes for 65 yards (8.1 avg).  He has now played in 14 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has caught 9 passes for 69 yards (7.7 avg).  Gronkowski is more of a blocker than a pass catcher, so he will help in the running game a lot more than the passing game for the Browns the last couple of weeks of the 2012 season.

The Cleveland Browns have lost 25-year old linebacker Titus Brown for the rest of the season as he has been placed on the Injured Reserve List due to a knee injury.  Brown played in 10 games for the Browns this year and he had 5 tackles and 1 sack.  He has now played in 27 games in his first three years with the Browns and he has 17 tackles and 1 sack.  This is a bad break for Brown, as he was in line to see more action at LB the last couple of weeks of the 2012 season.

The Browns have placed 29-year old TE Alex Smith on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a shoulder injury.  Smith played in 14 games for the Browns this year and he caught 14 passes for 131 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 17 games in his first two years with the Browns and he has caught 15 passes for 137 yards (9.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This is just another blow to the Browns’ passing game.

The Browns were up 17-7 after three quarters in this game and then everything went sour.  Seneca Wallace looked solid in his first start this year as he completed 18 of 31 passes for 226 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 21 yards (7.0 ypc) in this game.  Peyton Hillis was a workhorse for the Browns yesterday as he carried the ball 26 times for 99 yards (3.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Rookie WR Greg Little really stepped up today as he led the way for the Browns in the passing game with 5 grabs for 131 yards (26.2 avg) with a long TD grab.  WR Mohamed Massaquoi (3 rec, 42 yards), WR Jordan Norwood (3 rec, 21 yards) and TE Jordan Cameron (3 rec, 8 yards) also pitched in for the Browns in the passing game yesterday.  The Browns finished up with 120 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 31 passes (58.1%) for 213 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:22.

The defense was solid for three quarters for the Browns, but not good enough to win.  LBs D’Qwell Jackson (13 tackles), Chris Gocong (9 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) and Kaluka Maiava (7 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss) led the way for the Browns in this game.  DE Jabaal Sheard (3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) and CB Buster Skrine (interception) also had huge impacts in this game for the Browns.  The Cardinals finished up with 74 yards rushing on 24 carries  (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 46 passes (60.9%) for 289 yards.  The Browns are now 4-10 on the season.

The Cleveland Browns have lost three games in a row and six of their last seven.  The Cardinals on the other hand, have won three games in a row and five of their last six games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are likely going to come out running the ball in this game.  They will likely spread the carries out between Peyton Hillis, Chris Ogbonnaya and Montario Hardesty (if he plays).  The Cardinals are giving up 117.2 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry, so the Browns could have some success running the ball tomorrow.  Seneca Wallace is starting at QB for the Browns tomorrow and maybe head coach Pat Shurmur will trust him more than Colt McCoy as far as throwing the ball down the field is concerned.  Evan Moore will be starting at TE tomorrow and I have a feeling he could have a big game against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 242.8 yards passing per game so far this year.  It will be interesting to see if any of the WRs on the Browns step up with Wallace at QB.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals will likely be starting John Skelton at QB and he is really sloppy with the ball.  When he throws a bad pass, the Browns need to make him pay for it tomorrow.  Skelton does have a big time weapon in WR Larry Fitzgerald, so the Browns will likely stick CB Joe Haden on him and give help over the top with a safety.  Early Doucet is having a nice year opposite of Fitzgerald, so the Browns are going to have their hands full.  The front seven is going to have to find a way to slow down RB Beanie Wells as the Browns are giving up 150.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 24, BROWNS 20

The Browns have placed 30-year old TE Ben Watson on the Injured Reserve List due to a concussion.  Watson played in 13 games (11 starts) for the Browns this year and he caught 37 passes for 410 yards (11.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has played in 29 games (27 starts) in his two years with the Browns and he has caught 105 passes for 1,173 yards (11.2 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  TE will now fall to 26-year old Evan Moore and 29-year old Alex Smith for the Browns.  Evan Moore has an outstanding set of hands and he gets open a lot, so I expect him to play well for the Browns the last three weeks of the year.  Moore has played in 13 games (2 starts) for the Browns so far this year and he has caught 25 passes for 250 yards (10.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 30 games (6 starts) in his first three years with the Browns and he has caught 53 passes for 730 yards (13.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  I look for Moore to be a big part of the Browns’ passing attack the rest of this year.  Alex Smith will also see a bump in P.T. for the Browns the rest of the year.  Smith has played in 12 games (3 starts) for the Browns this year and he has caught 13 passes for 122 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 15 games (4 starts) in his first two years with the Browns and he has caught 14 passes for 128 yards (9.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Smith is also a decent receiver, so he is likely going to help the Browns a lot the last three weeks.