A must win situation ...almost

The Steelers have won nine straight against the Browns.

BEREA (AP) — Before Browns linebacker Willie McGinest decided that this season — No. 15 in the NFL — would be his last, he took several things into consideration.

He wanted to get back to the playoffs.

He wanted another shot at a Super Bowl ring.

And he wanted to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“They kind of run the division, which is no secret,” McGinest said Thursday. “We want to change that.”

Embarrassed by the Cowboys in their season opener at home last week, the Browns will look to bounce back Sunday night. They play host to the Steelers, their rival and the defending AFC North champions who have beaten them nine straight times and are coming off an impressive Week 1 win over the Texans.

The first of five nationally televised games on Cleveland’s schedule, this week’s matchup with Pittsburgh is anything but ordinary. For the Browns, it’s as big as an early-season game can possibly get. If they have any designs of unseating the Steelers in the division, they need to end Pittsburgh’s dominance over them.

Now.

Wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who dropped several passes and a potential TD in last Sunday’s 28-10 loss, was asked if the Browns “have to” win this week.

“Umm,” Edwards said, pausing to choose the right words. “It would definitely help to come out and get a win so we can rebound from last week. This is a division game. It would give us a chance to go 1-0 in the division. It’s a very pivotal game. It’s a very important game. ‘Have’ is a very strong word, but it’s close.”

Browns general manager Phil Savage wasn’t quite as reserved in labeling the matchup as vital. Although it’s early, the remainder of Cleveland’s season could hinge on the outcome.

“Nothing would calm the waters better than beating the Steelers,” said Savage, who took over the Browns in 2005. “It’s the biggest game of the year, and quite frankly it’s the biggest game we’ve played in since I’ve been here. It’s a critical game. These next three weeks [Pittsburgh, at Baltimore, at Cincinnati] really are going to define our season. The first one is almost a must win if you can have one in the second game of the year.”

The Browns, who came into the season as a trendy pick to contend in the AFC after a 10-6 season in 2007, can’t afford an 0-2 start — not at home, and not with a schedule that includes upcoming matchups with the Giants, Jacksonville, Denver, Indianapolis and Philadelphia along with four division games on the road.

Cleveland is expected to be slightly healthier than it was a week ago. Pro Bowl kick specialist Joshua Cribbs should be back after missing last week with a sprained ankle, and safety Brodney Pool has been cleared to play after missing several weeks with a concussion.

The Browns lost safety Sean Jones to a knee injury earlier this week, and wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth will probably miss his second straight game with a strained quadriceps.

Cribbs, though, should provide a spark. Last year, he returned a kickoff 100 yards against the Steelers in the second meeting between the clubs. That score put the Browns ahead 28-24 in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t hold the lead.

Cleveland’s biggest problem in recent years against Pittsburgh has been finishing the Steelers off. The Browns have held double-digits leads that they’ve let slip away. They’ve lost 15 times in 16 games to the Steelers.

This week, the Browns are hoping to show that last week’s loss — a game of missed chances and missed tackles — was not a sign of things to come.

“I’m worried about Pittsburgh,” said McGinest. “I’m not thinking about retiring or the season or nothing else like that. Nothing else really matters right now. Our focus right now is on Pittsburgh. Not me, not 200 games, not me retiring. Pittsburgh.”