In 2019, "Thursday Night Football" generally features intriguing matchups, even if the quality of play takes a dip as a result of a short week for the participating teams. That's part of the reason the NFL can continue to get away with forcing teams to play a few days early each week. As long as fans care to scan their TV channels for "Thursday Night Football," the league will give the people what they want.
This week on "Thursday Night Football," the Browns will host the Steelers in a game scheduled to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET on Fox and NFL Network. Based on the tiny point spread attached to this game, Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh is expected to be tight. The 3-6 Browns are 2 1/2-point favorites over the 5-4 Steelers.
WEEK 11 NFL PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread
Even though neither team is where it expected to be record-wise at this point of the 2019 season, Thursday night's game is one of the biggest this rivalry has produced in years. The Browns still hope their well-documented but thus far disappointing star power will help them compete for an AFC wild-card spot, and beyond playoff picture, there's no team Cleveland wants to beat more than Pittsburgh.
It's also worth pointing out an interesting stat that pretty much sums up this rivalry of late. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has a 20-3-1 record against the Browns — talk about domination. The Browns' Freddie Kitchens, of course, is coaching in his first Pittsburgh-Cleveland game.
Below is all the info you need to watch "Thursday Night Football" this week, including the TV channel and kickoff time for Steelers vs. Browns.
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Who plays on Thursday Night Football tonight?
- Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
- Kickoff time: 8:20 p.m. ET
In our picks against the spread and our straight-up NFL predictions for Week 11, Sporting News is split on Thursday night's game. Below are the explanations for each pick.
Pick against the spread: The Steelers are coming off massive wins against the Colts and Rams to get into AFC wild-card position behind the Ravens in the North. But the Browns are the ones who have beaten the Ravens, and despite the recent results, Cleveland is equipped better than Pittsburgh, especially offensively. The Dawg Pound will be pumped for prime time, and the Browns will continue to save face with a more settled Baker Mayfield outplaying Mason Rudolph. Pick: Browns win 24-20 and cover the spread.
Straight-up prediction: Week 11 begins with a doozie. The Steelers are surprisingly alive and well as playoff contenders, and the Browns are not as surprisingly clinging to a glimmer of hope in what's getting close to a lost season. Cleveland and its home crowd will be fired up to beat its division rival in front of a national TV audience, but Pittsburgh has two key advantages. The Steelers expect to have James Conner back to face a struggling Browns rush defense, and the road team also has the better coach — by far. Pick: Steelers 20, Browns 17.
MORE: Full betting preview for Steelers vs. Browns
What channel is Thursday Night Football on?
- TV channel (national): NFL Network, Fox
- TV channel (Pittsburgh): WPGH
- TV channel (Cleveland): WJW
- Live stream: Amazon Prime
"Thursday Night Football" broadcast rights in 2019 are shared between Fox, NFL Network and Amazon Prime.
Thursday night games on Fox this season are called by the network's lead broadcast team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink, and rules analyst Mike Pereira.
Andrea Kramer and Hannah Storm are the voices for Amazon Prime's broadcasts.
Thursday Night Football TV schedule for 2019
All "Thursday Night Football" games start at 8:20 p.m. ET.
| Week | Date | Matchup | TV channels |
| 4 | Sept. 26 | Eagles at Packers | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 5 | Oct. 3 | Rams at Seahawks | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 6 | Oct. 10 | Giants at Patriots | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 7 | Oct. 17 | Chiefs at Broncos | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 8 | Oct. 24 | Redskins at Vikings | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 9 | Oct. 31 | 49ers at Cardinals | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 10 | Nov. 7 | Chargers at Raiders | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 11 | Nov. 14 | Steelers at Browns | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 12 | Nov. 21 | Colts at Texans | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 14 | Dec. 5 | Cowboys at Bears | Fox, NFLN, Prime |
| 15 | Dec. 12 | Jets at Ravens | Fox, NFLN, Prime |