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Jason Campbell needs to pick himself up off the ground for this week's game with Pittsburgh.

(John Kuntz/ The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Yes, this is a big game for the Browns, and it's great that Rob Chudzinski has said so.

"A little extra highlight when it's Pittsburgh," said the Browns coach.

I like that.

Make Sunday's game with the Steelers special. Make it matter.

So what if both teams are 4-6.

It's very possible that the Browns may actually be a franchise on the way up -- and the Steelers could possibly be stumbling.

I'll never say Pittsburgh is down. I'll never count out the Steelers. Not after how they have dominated the Browns for so long.

But I will say that Pat Shurmur's Browns beat them (20-14) last season.

In 2009, Eric Mangini's Browns beat the Steelers in a near-blizzard (13-6), but that's it.

Make it 3-17 vs. Pittsburgh in the last 10 years.

But the Steelers slipped to 8-8 last season. They are 4-6 now. Their offensive and defensive lines are no longer dominating.

The Steelers are vulnerable.

I know, they still have Ben Roethlisberger.

And I know, Roethlisberger is 15-1 vs. Browns.

And Roethlisberger is hot, having thrown for nine touchdowns in his last three games. He comes to town as the current AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Meanwhile, the Browns have lost 4-of-5.

It doesn't feel quite that dismal because the one victory was over Baltimore (24-18 on Nov. 3). That broke a 12-game losing streak to the Ravens.

And Jason Campbell was honored as the AFC Offensive player of the week for completing 23-of-35 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns against the Ravens.

Here's the deal …

The Browns beat Cincinnati in front of the home fans.

The Browns beat Baltimore in front of the home fans.

The last time the Browns were an even 3-3 in their division was 2007. They now are 2-2 in the AFC North with two games left with the Steelers.

Chudzinski and his coaching staff desperately want the Browns to become a factor in the division, to quit being what he called "the little brother."

The rookie head coach has talked more about winning in the AFC North than any other Browns coach since the franchise returned in 1999. Having grown up a Browns fan and having coached here twice before, he knows what these games mean.

I’ve talked a lot about that (to the players)," said Chudzinski. "I think they can tell that this is a rivalry and we’ll continue to educate them over the course of the week if they don’t understand that.”

Chudzinski wants the Browns to play as many significant games as possible. One reason is that it's easier to keep the players fully engaged in a season that isn't entirely hopeless. But just as important, he believes the Browns will soon be a contender -- and every game will have playoff significance.

And he wants them to learn how to approach those games.

Clearly, the 41-20 loss at Cincinnati last week revealed the Browns need work when it comes to "big games," especially on the road. Special teams broke down. The defense didn't record a single sack. The offense was generally a disaster.

Campbell was 26-of-57 passing for 247 yards, three interceptions and one touchdown.

The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff studied the game video and reported that Campbell was 1-of-9 on passes of at least 10 yards -- the 74-yard touchdown heave to Josh Gordon.

The veteran quarterback didn't throw long very often -- nor did he do it with any accuracy. He even was rather dismal when it came to short passes.

So the Steelers come to town with a hot quarterback. The Browns have a veteran journeyman in Campbell who is coming off his worst game in three starts.

How will the Browns and Campbell react to the Cincinnati stinker? The best way to remove the odor is to beat the Steelers and energize the home fans. You can be sure that's one of the themes the coaches will be selling to the players this week.