The offseason is in clear sight for the Cleveland Browns, but they’ve got to get through two AFC North matchups first to close out the 2025 season.

That starts on Sunday with a rematch against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns lost the first matchup in Pittsburgh this season, 23-9, with Dillon Gabriel starting at quarterback. With Shedeur Sanders taking over as the starter since then and Harold Fannin Jr. questionable to play, the Browns may be without their top passer, runner (Quinshon Judkins), and receiver from the first matchup.

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The Steelers are 1-4 in Cleveland since 2020, and while there’s plenty of reason to believe they can get their second road win of the decade against the Browns on Sunday, they might not have much to play for. The Steelers can clinch the AFC North before kickoff on Sunday if the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. Mike Tomlin indicated that such a scenario could impact the personnel the Steelers employ on Sunday, so it’s possible the Browns are facing some backups.

Let’s dive into a few key matchups for the Browns’ penultimate game of the season.

Myles Garrett vs. Dylan Cook

Garrett picked up another half-sack last week, which puts his total at 22.0 on the season, leaving him a half-sack shy of tying the NFL’s single-season record and one sack shy of breaking the record. With two weeks left, Garrett draws Dylan Cook this week — an NFL journeyman who has quietly played good football during the Steelers’ three-game winning streak.

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Cook, a former undrafted free agent out of Montana, took over at left tackle for the Steelers after injuries to Broderick Jones and Andrus Peat. In three appearances and two starts this month, he’s allowed just four total pressures and a sack, per Pro Football Focus, all of which came last week in his matchups against Detroit Lions edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad.

Garrett will have the opportunity to break the record against either Aaron Rodgers — who he hasn’t sacked in either of their previous two meetings prior to Sunday — or Mason Rudolph, who was at the center of the infamous Thursday Night Football brawl between these two teams in 2019.

Browns run defense vs. Steelers run game

The Browns’ run defense — at one point comfortably the best in the NFL — has sharply declined since Maliek Collins’ exit from the lineup due to injury. They’ve allowed over 140 rushing yards in three straight games, and are now set to face a run game that’s hitting its’ stride over the last several weeks.

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In last week’s win over the Lions, Pittsburgh ran for 230 total yards on a franchise-record 8.5 yards per carry. It was the Steelers’ best overall game on the ground in nearly a decade. With DK Metcalf out of the lineup Sunday due to a suspension, the Steelers will likely lean on the run game even more heavily.

Joel Bitonio vs. Cameron Heyward

Bitonio, in the 12th year of his NFL career, openly considered retirement after last season. It’s entirely possible that Sunday’s game is his last home game, and if that’s the case, it’s fitting that he’ll face off against a player that he’s seen more than any other. Heyward is in the 15th season of his career and still playing phenomenal football, and keeping him in check will be vital for the Browns’ offense.

Sunday will be the 17th all-time matchup between these two legends for their respective franchises.

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Cam Robinson vs. Alex Highsmith

T.J. Watt was ruled out for the third straight game with a lung injury, and Nick Herbig — who has arguably been the Steelers’ best pass-rusher this season — is questionable for Sunday. That leaves Highsmith as Pittsburgh’s top healthy edge rusher, and he’s been playing high-level football for the Steelers recently.

Nearly half of his pressures on the season — 18 of 37 total — have come in the Steelers’ last four games, and 12 of those have come over their last two, per PFF. He’s tied for second among all Steelers defenders with 6.5 sacks this season. If Robinson wants to keep Shedeur Sanders upright, he can’t get beat like Lions LT Taylor Decker did last week.

Isaiah Bond vs. Steelers secondary

Bond’s rookie season hasn’t been out-of-this-world, but since Sanders took over as the starting quarterback, he’s become an explosive-play threat for Cleveland’s offense. Bond has had a play of 20+ yards in three of Sanders’ five starts, including a game against the Bears two weeks ago where he recorded two catches of 40-or-more yards.

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The Steelers’ secondary has played much better recently than it had at the beginning of the season, but they’re a banged-up unit. Starting defensive back Jalen Ramsey is questionable with an illness, and cornerbacks James Pierre and Brandon Echols have been ruled out. Bond taking advantage of the matchup and giving the offense an explosive play could really help open things up for a unit that needs a spark.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns vs. Steelers: Five matchups to watch in AFC North re-match