​Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 27, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers NowPITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is 16-6 on short weeks and 17-8 on Thursday games. He’s been red-hot lately, winning six Thursday games in a row and four straight on three days’ rest.So, what’s the secret to McCarthy’s success? “I just think we have a solid plan and I think we pay attention to the things that are most important,” McCarthy said during his Monday press conference. McCarthy said the Steelers were considered spending Wednesday night at home and busing to Cleveland on Thursday morning, but they aren’t allowed to because of league rules.“Today is a Wednesday, tomorrow will be more of a combination of Thursday and Friday, Wednesday is a Saturday,” McCarthy said. “We’ll go to Cleveland on Wednesday, get up Thursday morning and have a normal night-game morning at the hotel, and we’ll kick it off and go win the game.”Since 2019, the Cleveland Browns are 6-1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. Three of those wins have come on Thursday night.That spells bad news for the Steelers for their Thursday night meeting with the Browns in Cleveland.Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was 0-4 against the Browns on TNF in Cleveland. The losses came in 2009, 2019, 2022 and 2024. Perhaps McCarthy will have better luck, but Cleveland on TNF was a house of horrors for Tomlin.​The Steelers’ all-time record in road divisional matchups since 1970 is a whopping 0-9 on Thursday nights. Overall, they hold an underwhelming 14-22 record all-time on Thursday nights.The last time Pittsburgh won a road game on Thursday night was in 2007 against the St. Louis Rams.The Steelers and Browns both enter Thursday night’s game at 2-1. The Steelers are coming off a 30-27 upset over the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Browns beat the Carolina Panthers 21-18.It will be interesting to see how the Steelers respond on a short week on the road after an emotional win over an AFC North rival.Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh. Related HeadlinesTwo Steelers Named to PFF Team of the WeekWhy Was Steelers CB Daylen Everette Playing in Crunch Time vs. Ja’Marr Chase?Steelers Rookie Max Iheanachor Already Has Veteran Teammates in AweRead more at Steelers Now