The NFL’s Week 4 kicks off on Thursday Night Football with the Steelers and Browns going head-to-head, and get this: the winner takes the lead in the AFC North. Both Pittsburgh and Cleveland, rocking new head coaches this season, have fought through some early struggles to claw their way to a 2-1 record to open 2026. This is a short-week divisional brawl, so expect both squads to be absolutely scrapping for another gritty win.
Cleveland’s Offense: What’s the Deal?
Honestly, the Browns offense, and the team as a whole, is in a super weird spot right now. You look at the raw stats: rushing a dismal 87.7 YPG (29th in the league), passing for only 178.3 YPG (28th), and putting up just 18 points per game (24th). After getting stomped 34-10 by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 with Deshaun Watson still at QB, it felt like their season was dead on arrival. But hold up! Despite those ugly overall metrics, Cleveland’s actually strung together just enough offensive firepower to grab a two-game winning streak heading into this Thursday night. They picked up a 23-19 win over the Buccaneers and a tight 21-18 victory against the Carolina Panthers in the last couple of weeks.
Their new head coach and play caller, Todd Monken, who used to be the Ravens offensive coordinator, is one of three new head coaches in the AFC North this year. Monken is known for his heavy-personnel tendencies, like tight formations and using fullback Michael Burton a lot. But interestingly, this Browns team is primarily running an 11 personnel operation. NFL Pro says they use it 64.7% of the time, which is way up from Monken’s highest 11 personnel rate of 47.2% back in 2023 with Baltimore. That shift to more receivers is partly thanks to some new blood in their draft class.
New Rookie WRs Are Making Noise
Cleveland retooled its receiver room in the draft, bringing in KC Concepcion from Texas A&M and Denzel Boston out of Washington. Concepcion, playing mostly in the slot, hasn’t been bad, but he and Watson have definitely struggled to connect, even with the rookie getting a good number of snaps and targets. Still, the kid’s got incredible quickness and primarily works in the short game, making him a serious yards after catch threat. He’s actually joined a distinguished line of Browns pass catchers with 20+ targets and less than 81 receiving yards through the first three weeks of the season since 2000, according to Benjamin Solak.
But the real breakout star on the Browns offense this season? That’s gotta be Denzel Boston. The dude has emerged as a legitimate Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate just three games in! He’s already stacked up nine catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns. This big-bodied wideout moves so smoothly, has incredible hands, and has clearly developed some solid chemistry with Watson in that intermediate passing game. The guy is just constantly getting chunk plays.
This Thursday night isn’t just another game, it’s a battle for early control of the AFC North. Both teams are looking for that gritty win, and you know Denzel Boston is gonna be looking to keep his rookie campaign red hot. It’s gonna be a must-watch for sure.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Behind the Steel Curtain.
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