The Cleveland Browns are looking at a very different AFC North this season. They are one of three teams in the division with a new head coach, which is even more notable when you consider how long those who left were part of the scene.
Cleveland fired Kevin Stefanski after six seasons, a somewhat long run in the NFL, but it’s nowhere close to the time John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin spent with the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively. Even Zac Taylor, the lone returnee with the Cincinnati Bengals, is about to enter his eighth year on the job.
What will not change is the importance of these head-to-head games and the long history and heated rivalries that go along with them. That is why each one is a key part of the 2026 schedule.
Analyst Tim Bielik is warning the Browns about their crucial divisional matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who visit Cleveland in Week 4 and host it in Week 8.
“Even with T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward getting older, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig showed they can help carry the pass rush, combining for 17 sacks last season. That means, as is usually the case against the Steelers, the Browns’ offensive line will have to be on their A-game. The Browns defense obviously will look different without Myles Garrett, and it will be interesting to see how they match up with the Steelers’ young offensive line,” Bielik wrote.
The Thursday Night Football game on Oct. 1 at Huntington Bank Field will be the first time since the 2007 season that the Browns will face the Steelers without Tomlin as Pittsburgh’s head coach. Cleveland has to be breathing a sigh of relief, as Tomlin was 28-9-1 against the Browns in the regular season, his most wins against any team.
Pittsburgh replaced Tomlin with longtime NFL head coach and Super Bowl winner Mike McCarthy. That is in stark contrast to Cleveland’s Todd Monken, who is one of the oldest first-time head coaches in league history.
Cleveland’s game with Pittsburgh could be even more important, as the Browns may be looking to establish themselves as a true contender in the AFC North race. After opening the season with difficult road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Browns play their home opener against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3 before hosting the Steelers on a short week.
Cleveland then visits Pittsburgh in Week 8 as the second of three straight road games, which will end their stretch of six of their first nine games on the road.
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