Ty Detmer will start the Browns' first game since 1995.

Steelers at Browns
8:20 p.m. ET, ESPN
Line: Steelers by 6
Preview | Baxter Bits
Joe Theismann's Sunday night spotlight

Why to watch: Because the Browns are back, and this is football the way it ought to be. After a three-year hiatus, one of the NFL's oldest and most bitter rivalries will be rekindled. It will make you long for the days of Brian Sipe staring across at a snarling Jack Lambert. Plus, we'll be able to watch the Dawg Pound settle into its new digs at Cleveland Browns Stadium -- creative name, huh?

Who to watch: Despite his injured left knee, Steelers RB Jerome Bettis practiced Wednesday and says he will play Sunday night. Steelers QB Kordell Stewart is trying to rebound from a nightmare '98 season under his third offensive coordinator in three seasons, Kevin Gilbride. Browns QB Ty Detmer is keeping the seat warm for No. 1 pick Tim Couch -- for now. Two rookie WRs could have a big impact -- Pittsburgh's Troy Edwards and Cleveland's Kevin Johnson.

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Steelers' number to know: Pittsburgh averaged only 10.15 yards per pass completion in 1998 -- by far the lowest average in the AFC.

Browns' number to know: The last four NFL expansion teams -- the Jags and Panthers in 1995 and the Seahawks and Bucs in 1976 -- averaged 3.25 victories in their first seasons. Here's a number that will make the Pound happier: Cleveland leads Pittsburgh 52-40 in the all-time series.

What it means: Browns fans are delighted to have their team back, but a victory over the hated Steelers would delight them even more. Pittsburgh needs to get off to a good start after its first losing season under Bill Cowher, but the Steelers have some big questions to answer, especially offensively.

Sean Salisbury's breakdown
Steelers' game plan: With Jerome Bettis less than 100 percent, Kordell Stewart will need to have his hands on the ball all the time. Kevin Gilbride's offense has the potential to make Stewart and the Steelers look really good. I don't know if the Steelers should risk running Bettis 25 times. They should run him sparingly to start.

That puts more of the onus on Stewart to play smart. If his receivers aren't open, Stewart needs to use his athletic ability to create something with his feet. Everything will depend on how he operates Gilbride's offense, which won't be easy.

Defensively, the Steelers might not be able to confuse Ty Detmer very often, but they might be able to confuse the other 10 Cleveland players. They will try to pressure Detmer and probably feel if they can get to the backup quarterback they can gain a mental edge.

Most blitzing schemes won't fool Detmer. Instead, the Steelers need to beat Detmer physically, not mentally. Any time they have a shot at Detmer, they have to hit him. If Tim Couch is forced to enter the game, the Steelers can beat him mentally and run their zone blitzes.

Browns' game plan: I think the Browns will win this game at home. People might think I'm crazy. Everyone wants Couch to play soon, but I think that would be a bad move. Detmer can hold down the fort. Pittsburgh's defense is always physical and good, and you need a quarterback who can deploy people and put them in the right place. Detmer can do that.

To me, the Browns must have a lot of balance between run and pass. The plan should be to utilize the run and pass and keep the ball out of Stewart's hands. The Browns don't need Stewart to have time to explode on them. If the Browns own time of possession, they will win the game. They can't allow Bettis to pound them and Stewart to make some spectacular plays.

The Browns should test the Pittsburgh secondary as soon as possible with Leslie Shepherd and rookie Kevin Johnson. The Steelers no longer have Carnell Lake or Darren Perry, so Cleveland should force the Steelers defensive backs to make plays. Whenever you lose quality players like the Steelers have, you can't determine what kind of quality is left in four preseason games.

The Browns will run Terry Kirby and move the chains with a short passing game. The interesting thing about this is that Chris Palmer is Kevin Gilbride's pupil. He was the receivers coach with Gilbride in Houston. In Palmer's attack, which is similar to Gilbride's, I would expect Detmer to execute better because he has been around and has made good decisions.

Defensively, the two outside ends/linebackers -- whether it's someone like Jamir Miller or John Thierry or even Roy Barker -- can't lose containment against Stewart. You know the Steelers will try to get Stewart outside the pocket.

The backside 'backer must stay at home and allow the backside safety to come up and make a tackle. It's almost like a spy situation. If containment is broken and the defenders don't stay in their lanes, Stewart could kill the Browns.

Pivotal Player: Gilbride. As a head coach in San Diego, he didn't do well with failure. As an offensive coordinator, I know he's different, but I want to see how he deals with Stewart if the Steelers go three-and-out three times in a row. What will that do to his relationship with Stewart?