Steelers Face Stunning Reality With Assigned Officiating Crew For Thursday Night Football In Cleveland

The Pittsburgh Steelers are planning to enter a hostile environment on Thursday Night Football in Week 12. The Cleveland Browns are a disappointing two-win team and will likely miss out on the playoffs in 2024. For the remainder of the year, the team will be putting targets on other franchises’ backs in order to play spoiler. That will undoubtedly be the goal against the Steelers, as Mike Tomlin's group has a record of 8-2 and is sitting comfortably in first place in the AFC North. With both teams on a short week, it could absolutely be a sloppy game, which could work against Pittsburgh.

While the Steelers have done a respectable job of being disciplined in 2024, the importance of this will be highlighted in Cleveland. AFC North matchups can get ugly quickly, and whichever team has more penalties called against it could end up feeling the negative effects as the clock strikes zero. In this case, Pittsburgh has the disadvantage after the officiating crew for Thursday was announced.

Brad Allen and his crew have yet to be on a Steelers game in 2024, but if there is one thing for sure about the group, the home team typically has a whole lot more success overall. The organization hosting a contest officiated by Allen and co. has won seven out of 10 games. On top of that, the home teams are only having about 43.24% of infractions called against them.

To add even more insult to injury, the crew seems to have something against the AFC North. In three games this season, organizations within the division have yet to win a game. Barring a tie, that will change in Week 12, but connecting the dots between home teams having more success and getting called for fewer penalties isn't exactly encouraging for the Steelers as they prepare to enter a difficult matchup on a short week.

The Browns had Allen's crew for a game back in September against the Las Vegas Raiders and came out of it with a loss. Home teams are expected to win more often than not in the NFL, but Allen and his team have not had a season in which away teams had a better winning percentage since 2015. Seven out of 10 in 2024 is cause for concern if you are someone rooting for Pittsburgh.

The good news for the Steelers is that the Browns are one of the more penalized groups in the entire league. This is certainly an advantage, but it's hard to argue that other numbers don't present potential bad news for Pittsburgh. Tomlin and his team have already been under the spotlight this week with a potential trap game on the horizon. Poor officiating won't be an excuse, but it could play a significant factor.

Coaching staffs never want the referees to decide a game so it will be important for Tomlin's team to come out and not mess around. Putting up points early while playing clean football could lead to a stressless night that doesn't come down to the final moments. It would be an incredible accomplishment for Pittsburgh to enter a short bye week with a record of 9-2 and another AFC North game approaching in Week 13.

Steelers Could Put Incredible Amount Of Pressure On Baltimore Ravens With Win

Between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh, Tomlin and co. have the easier matchup in Week 12. Baltimore will have to take on the Los Angeles Chargers, and if the Steelers can come away with a win on Thursday Night Football, there will be an immense amount of pressure on the Ravens. Allen's crew certainly has a tendency to see the home team win, but if the Steelers can escape with a victory, winning the division becomes all the more likely.

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