Steelers know the challenge they'll get from the Browns
Cleveland is 3-1 at home, losing only to the Eagles in OT.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off victories over previously undefeated New England and Philadelphia -- so, naturally, a letdown might be expected now that they're playing teams with losing records again.
These Steelers say not a chance.
The AFC North rivals Browns (3-5) and Bengals (3-5) have fewer victories combined than either New England (7-1) or Philadelphia (7-1) have by themselves.
But journeying to Cleveland, as the Steelers (7-1) will Sunday, has rarely been easy for any Pittsburgh team.
"This game for them is a make-it-or-break it game. They're 3-5 and if they lose this game, it will put them real far behind us as far as the division," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "It's a big game for them and us. For us, just to keep it going. We don't want to have a letdown."
Tough to win on road
Still, Ward said, "It's hard to win on the road -- it's the hardest thing to do (in the NFL) -- and Cleveland's been playing well at home."
The Browns are 3-1 at home, easily beating AFC North defending champion Baltimore 20-3 there while losing only to the Eagles 34-31 in overtime. The Browns also have one of the NFL's best run defenses (107.2 yards per game), a major challenge to a Pittsburgh running game that ran for a combined 473 yards against New England and Philadelphia.
"Our confidence is high right now," Ward said. "We've just to learn how, the veteran group on our team, to keep it going. We're coming off two great wins for our organization and the city, but we've got two divisional games now and these two are just as important as the last two."
Won last three meetings
The Steelers have had success in Cleveland of late, winning three in a row and four of five since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, and they're 11-4 against divisional opponents since 2002.
"I don't see a letdown," linebacker Clark Haggans said. "We know what we had to do to get to this point. Coach [Bill] Cowher addressed it, the first half of the season is over and now this halftime. This is the grinding part of the year and we've just got to be prepared."
Wide receiver Plaxico Burress said the Steelers must expect to get every opponent's best game now that they have moved into the league's upper echelon with their unprecedented consecutive victories over previously unbeaten teams.
"In this business, you can't afford to have a letdown no matter what," he said. "We beat two of the better teams in this league, but teams are going to come out and be excited to play us. We've got to go out and match their intensity, which is always a tough task for us. They've got one of the better crowds in this league and it's definitely a tough place to play. Those guys always seem to be up a little more [for Pittsburgh]."
Thin at running back
The Steelers are somewhat thin at running back, with third-down back Verron Haynes (turf toe) doubtful and Duce Staley questionable with the sore hamstring that kept him out of the 27-3 victory over Philadelphia.
Rookie free agent Willie Parker likely will replace Haynes, though he has only three carries for 14 yards this season and played little as a reserve at North Carolina last year.