Primal pigskin

AP photo
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) celebrates with teammate Darnell Washington at the end of a game against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday in Pittsburgh.

CLEVELAND — Even as a kid growing up in Alabama, Jameis Winston appreciated the Steelers-Browns rivalry with its tradition rooted in neighborly nastiness.

For Winson, all it took was for him to hear NFL Films narrator John Facenda — nicknamed “the voice of God” — to understand that Pittsburgh facing Cleveland meant a little more than your average football game.

Primal pigskin.

“Seeing the blood, sweat, tears that happened. These games are hard-nosed, hard-fought,” Winston said, balling his fist and punching his other hand for emphasis. “True definition of cold-weather football game. This is premiere.”

Tonight, Winston, who passed for 395 yards last week, gets thrown into one of league’s fiercest feuds as the Steelers (8-2 ) visit the Browns (2-8) in a game that looked more tantalizing on the schedule in September than it does now.

After navigating through some starting quarterback issues, Pittsburgh again is atop the tough-as-it-gets AFC North while Cleveland’s season has dissolved into an ugly mess that may require another major offseason overhaul for a franchise that was convinced the worst was behind it.

The Steelers are rolling. They’ve won five straight and are coming off an 18-16 win at home over the Baltimore Ravens. While not aesthetically pleasing, the victory had many familiar traits from Pittsburgh’s recent past — stout defense and solid special teams.

Chris Boswell’s six field goals carried the Steelers and the defense came up with enough big plays to corral Lamar Jackson. It’s the second time this season that Boswell has accounted for all of Pittsburgh’s points, a testament to coach Mike Tomlin’s trust in his kicker and team.

“It’s whatever’s required to win and whatever that means,” said Winston, whose 102nd career game as a pro will be his first against the Steelers. “Is it six field goals? Is it two blocked punts? Is it five touchdowns? Whatever’s required.”

If the Browns have anything going for them it’s that Thursday has been their day.

Cleveland has won eight straight home games on Thursdays, including two in the past five years over the Steelers.

Of course, there will be the usual army of Terrible Towel-waving Pittsburgh fans who will venture into enemy territory to help make their team feel at home. However, the Steelers expect to get the best the Browns can offer in prime time.

“We’re going into a hostile environment,” defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. “We respect the background. We understand what those fans and their team is capable of. It’s like those big rivalries in college football. It doesn’t matter what the record is. You’re going to get their best shot.

“You have to respect that. And, you know, we’re looking forward to going up there.”

ON THE EDGE

There’s a simmering subplot in this year’s matchup.

Partly a media creation, the competition and comparisons between Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt and Browns defensive end Myles Garrett intensified this week.

When Garrett won Defensive Player of the Year last season, Watt, who finished second, posted “Nothing I’m not used to,” on social media the night of NFL Honors.

This week, Garrett responded to Watt’s comment, which was open to interpretation.

“I’ve never complained about the trophy not being at my house and vice versa. He shouldn’t be feeling two ways about knowing it’s going to me,” Garrett said. “So just going to play the game. I don’t play against T.J., he doesn’t play against me.”

Garrett was asked if Watt had reached out to him to clear the air.

“No, he didn’t say nothing to me,” Garrett said. “He’s going to have to apologize when I see him.”

TWO-HEADED MONSTER?

The Steelers unveiled a new look last week, using backup quarterback Justin Fields to replace Russell Wilson for a handful of snaps, including on Pittsburgh’s final drive when Fields ran for a 9-yard gain that helped kill the clock.

It could become a fixture as Pittsburgh moves forward, though offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is quick to point out Fields is not in there as simply a wildcat-type threat. Fields, after all, did account for 10 touchdowns (five passing, five rushing) while filling in for Wilson during Pittsburgh’s 4-2 start.

“I don’t view Justin in this role as a gadget guy,” Smith said. “We’ve got two starting quarterbacks and he’s a hell of a football player.”

Smith used a similar setup while calling the plays for Tennessee in 2019, bringing in Marcus Mariota occasionally to spell Ryan Tannehill to give opponents a different look.

HEATED CUSHION

The Browns’ struggles have been followed by another time-honored Cleveland tradition: job speculation.

Coach Kevin Stefanski has been widely criticized for the team’s collapse, caused by too many variables to list. And while he’s aware his approval rating has taken a big hit, Stefanski said growing up around sports talk radio in Philadelphia as a kid prepared him.

“Probably because I grew up listening to that, I’m smart enough to not worry about outside noise,” he said. “I get that’s part of this gig. That’s life in the big city. My sole focus is getting this team ready to get a win on Thursday night. That’s it.”

ROLLING IN THE DEEP

Stars like Watt and Heyward aren’t the only ones making plays for the NFL’s second-stingiest defense.

Pittsburgh is getting plenty of contributions from down the depth chart. Rookie linebacker Payton Wilson made a tumbling “gimme that” interception against the Ravens. Fellow rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop already has three picks and second-year linebacker Nick Herbig — filling in for an injured Alex Highsmith — forced a fumble last week and created the pressure that blew up a late 2-point conversion attempt by Baltimore.

“It’s just a multitude of guys who know what they’re doing,” Heyward said. “You know, vets have helped out the younger guys to bring them up. It allows us to be interchangeable and allows us to have each other’s backs and not blink in those moments.”