CLEVELAND — Nine days removed from their 24-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers (12-3) on Christmas Day, the Cleveland Browns (7-8) will return to action for a Monday Night Football matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7-1).
What follows is everything you need to know about the Browns' Week 17 matchup:
Game info, how to watch on TV, betting line:
Date: Monday, January 3, 2022
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET ("Pregame Huddle" starts at 7 p.m. on WKYC)
Location: Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV channel: ESPN; simulcast on WKYC ("Monday Night Football")
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Radio: ESPN 850, 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 WNCX
Betting line: Steelers -2.5
Over-under point total: 43.5
Game preview:
Having suffered two straight losses and currently sitting last in the AFC North, the Browns still had a chance to win their first division title since 1989, but a win by the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday made that impossible. The Los Chargers also won, which officially eliminated Cleveland from playoff contention.
So now all the Browns can do is play for pride and bragging rights, namely their second straight win in Pittsburgh (something else they haven't done since 1989, when they won their fourth in a row at Three Rivers Stadium). At 7-7-1, the Steelers are still barely alive in the wild-card race, but must start by winning what could be future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's final game at Heinz Field.
The Steelers and Browns first met this season back in Week 8, with Pittsburgh prevailing 15-10 at FirstEnergy Stadium. This will be just their third all-time meeting on "Monday Night Football," with the first two matchups being split.