Steelers at Browns Week 4: Full Inactive Lists, Kickoff Time and TV Info
The short version
- Browns and Steelers both enter Week 4 at 2-1; the AFC North is the NFL's only division with four winning teams.
- Aaron Rodgers threw for just under 300 yards and three touchdowns in Pittsburgh's Week 3 win over Cincinnati.
- Steelers inactives: RBs Rico Dowdle and Eli Heidenreich, QBs Drew Allar and Will Howard, DEs Kevin Jobity Jr. and Gabriel Rubio.
- Browns inactives: QB Taylen Green, WR Tylan Wallace, LB Justin Jefferson, C Elgton Jenkins, G Tevin Jenkins.
- Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 1, at Huntington Bank Field, airing on Prime Video.
Both AFC North rivals bring 2-1 records into Thursday's Week 4 opener in Cleveland, where each team has ruled out several players for the divisional matchup.
The NFL's Week 4 slate opens with an AFC North rivalry game, as the Cleveland Browns play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football at Huntington Bank Field. The divisional meeting in Cleveland, the first game of the week, is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET, with Prime Video handling the broadcast and a stream available on Fubo.
Few NFL fans likely expected both of these teams to be sitting at 2-1 when the 2026 season began, yet that is exactly the situation heading into Thursday's game. Each club has won two of its first three games, a parallel start that puts the longtime rivals on equal footing for the Week 4 clash.
Cleveland enters the week on a two-game winning streak, having defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers in back-to-back weeks, including a home win over the Panthers at Huntington Bank Field. The Browns defense has been a strength through the season's first three weeks, and quarterback Deshaun Watson has done enough in recent weeks to keep the offense functioning.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, arrives with momentum after a Week 3 victory over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Aaron Rodgers powered that win, throwing for just under 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Cincinnati defense, and the Steelers rank among the NFL's top 10 on defense this season as well.
As AFC North counterparts, the two teams bring a great deal of familiarity to the matchup, and this particular rivalry has rarely lacked for physicality over the years. Oddsmakers at FanDuel list the Steelers as 2.5-point favorites with an over/under of 37.5 points, numbers that can shift between now and kickoff.
The division backdrop only adds to the stakes. The AFC North stands as the NFL's only division in which all four teams hold winning records, and Thursday's result will push one of these clubs to 3-1 while the other slips to 2-2 in the early standings race.
On the availability front, Pittsburgh declared six players inactive for Thursday's game. Running backs Rico Dowdle and Eli Heidenreich will not dress, nor will quarterbacks Drew Allar and Will Howard. The defensive end spot is also affected, with both Kevin Jobity Jr. and Gabriel Rubio sitting out as well.
Cleveland's inactive list runs five players deep. Quarterback Taylen Green, wide receiver Tylan Wallace and linebacker Justin Jefferson are all out for the home side, as are center Elgton Jenkins and guard Tevin Jenkins, a pair of absences along the interior of the offensive line.
The Steelers and Browns are scheduled to meet on Thursday, October 1, at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. EDT, and the game will air on Prime Video.
Games to watch
