With the Browns going into halftime up 10-6 against the Steelers, Cleveland needed to maintain the same fight it had in the first half to finish off its division rivals.

The Browns shut out the Steelers for the next 30 minutes of playing time, including stopping Pittsburgh on three consecutive plays to the end zone to win 13-6 in Week 17 at Huntington Bank Field. Now the Browns look to ride the momentum they created against Pittsburgh into Week 18 and their final game of the season against the Bengals.

“Really proud of those guys in that football game to be in that fight for 60 minutes and come out on top,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Some really great efforts in that game. Some guys stepping up into roles that they haven’t played in previously, which I was really proud of those guys as well. So, need to build off of it. Wanted to split that series with the Steelers last week. We have an opportunity to split a series with the Bengals this week, so that’ll be our sole focus.”

Here are the main pieces of news heading into the Browns’ final game of the 2025 season.

Updating the injury report

TE Harold Fannin Jr., RG Wyatt Teller and LB Carson Schwesinger all dealt with injuries over the course of the game against Pittsburgh. Stefanski said that all three players are rehabbing and progressing, not ruling any of them out yet for Week 18.

Fannin left the game in the first quarter with a groin injury, an injury he first sustained during practice on Dec. 26. The injury occurred on his second catch of the game, a 28-yard touchdown reception from QB Shedeur Sanders. Fannin went to the sidelines after the score and didn’t return to the game.

Teller reaggravated a calf injury that forced him to miss Week 14, 15 and 16 on the Browns’ first drive of the game. G Teven Jenkins took over Teller’s duties at the position, playing until the third quarter when he was ruled out after entering the concussion protocol. G Zak Zinter played the remainder of the game at guard.

Schwesinger played 100 percent of the defensive snaps against the Steelers, navigating through an injury. As a result of his determination to not come off the field, Stefanski gave Schwesinger a game ball following Cleveland’s win. Schwesinger finished the game with nine combined tackles.

“I watched it during the game and making plays and pushing himself and trying to get loose in between series and that type of thing,” Stefanski said. “It’s emblematic of the effort out there and I appreciate that and I think it speaks well about him. It speaks to his teammates as well.”

Browns highlight the impact of the 2025 rookie class

The Browns 2025 draft class features seven players who are playing key roles for Cleveland this season.

RB Quinshon Judkins, DT Mason Graham, RB Dylan Sampson, Schwesinger, and Fannin have all played in 14 or more games. Judkins leads all rookies with 59.1 rushing yards per game while Fannin has recorded 72 receptions, the most among rookies in the NFL. Schwesinger leads all rookies with 146 combined tackles, also tied for the seventh among all players in the NFL.

QB Dillon Gabriel and Sanders have each started six games this season. Gabriel has appeared in 10 total games this season, throwing for 937 passing yards with seven passing touchdowns and 86 rushing yards. Sanders made his first regular season appearance when he started the second half of Week 11 against the Ravens after Gabriel entered the concussion protocol. Sanders has started in every game since Week 11, passing for 1,289 yards for seven passing touchdowns while also being a ground threat with 143 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

“This is – forget how good of players they are – this is as diligent of a group of workers that I’ve ever been around,” Stefanski said. “I think that’s a testament to these players. I think it’s a testament to (Executive President of Football Operations and General Manager) Andrew (Berry) and crew identifying these players. I think it’s a testament to their coaches and how they develop them. But, at the core of it, this is a group that loves to work, loves to compete, loves to be out there with their teammates, and is willing to do anything that they have to do anything that the team needs them to do in order to win.”

Doing whatever it takes to win includes Schwesinger playing through injury and not missing a defensive snap. That mentality also includes Sampson returning after missing two games due to a hand injury and leading the Browns in rushing yards and carries against the Steelers. Sampson and rookie RB Raheim Sanders helped fill the absence of Judkins, who is out for the season due to a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula he sustained in Week 16.

“We took measures to kind of go out there and protect it, but everything went well and came out of the game feeling healthy,” Sampson said. “I never take playing this game for granted so anytime just going out there, being able to just play this game and then getting a win against a division team like that, that’s the way you want to end it regardless of how the season has been.”

Cleveland aiming to finish strong in Week 18

After spoiling the Steelers’ chances to clinch the division in Week 17 in Cleveland, the Browns aim to finish the season with the same juice in Week 18 in Cincinnati.

The regular season finale is another chance for Cleveland to build momentum and reinforce the identity they have worked to establish this season. The Browns are looking to close the year by setting the tone for the offseason and next season.

“We’re not going out there on that field to go and lose, like we’re trying to win every game,” Sampson said. “At the end of the day, it just boils down to individually, what do each of us care about, why we started to play this game in the first place. So, you can look at the circumstances and they’re not that favorable, but we signed up to play this game and to give our all for it, so I think that’s what we did yesterday and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

A win against the Bengals would close out the season with two consecutive wins. Beating the Bengals would also result in the Browns splitting the season series with the Steelers and Cincinnati, capping off the season with momentum.

“I think it sets the tone going into the offseason for us and it kind of develops the mindset that we want to have and when you’re going to be a team that’s playing meaningful games in December, these are games that you’re going to have to win,” Schwesinger said. “So, taking these seriously and approaching these games how we are I think is important and it prepares us well for the future.”