On November 21, 2024, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns played in a Thursday Night Football game that was one of the more iconic snow games in recent memory.
Pittsburgh ended falling in that game on a Jameis Winston-led game winning drive to give the Browns a 24-19 win. The Steelers have not won in their last three tries up on Lake Erie, and the weather has been a factor in some of those games.
Two of those times, the Steelers have lost on a short week, going up to Cleveland to play on Thursday Night Football. Yet, last year’s weather was a huge factor, and this year, it could be a factor as well.
The temperatures might not be all that cold, but the according to Accuweather, the wind and rain combination could make it a hassle for the players.
There is expected to be consistent showers on the ground throughout pregame and going through the entirety of the game with sustained winds of over 15 miles per hour. Gusts could reach over 30 miles per hour, which could affect throwing the ball down the field and field goal kicking.
Later in the game, the showers could get more severe, with thunderstorms expected to roll in during the late afternoon.
The Steelers and Browns both are built to be physical teams, and so running the ball and stopping the run are in their DNA, and it will have to be again on Sunday with the weather unlikely to cooperate.