PITTSBURGH — The message came from all four corners of the Steelers' locker room at Acrisure Stadium early Sunday evening, Pittsburgh's players sharing a consistent thought as it pertained to their 27-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

This was not a get-back week, they insisted.

It was more of a get-right type of effort.

By whatever descriptor you want to use — not to mention "via any means possible" — the Steelers (10-3) traded aesthetically pleasing for essential to set up what should be the most entertaining stretch of football we've seen around here in quite some time.

Three games in 11 days. In Philadelphia next Sunday, then a trip to Baltimore Dec. 21 and a visit from Kansas City on Christmas Day. It's a stretch that will tell us how seriously to take this group.

"Those are championship teams," Patrick Queen was telling me. "If you want to be considered the best, you have to beat the best.

"These games will go quick. We have to lock in and try to get wins."

It's what they did against the woeful Browns, although they should not be used as a meaningful barometer when it comes to determining this team's ceiling. The Steelers have far bigger fish to fry.

The Browns did drive 79 yards on 14 plays for a touchdown midway through the fourth, but it was too little, too late after they puttered this one away a quarter or two earlier.

Out of halftime, following a 61-yard kickoff return, Dustin Hopkins missed his second consecutive field goal, and Russell Wilson wrapped a pair of touchdown passes around the Steelers defense earning a fourth-down stop.

It was complementary football, a little from everywhere.

Receivers stepped up due to the surprising absence of George Pickens. The Steelers defense made things easier for the offense with a few short fields early. Even Ben Skowronek recovering a muffed catch on a punt for some special teams splash, and James Pierre sealed it with an interception.

"That's what good teams do, they make plays in all three phases," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "They uplift one another."

And take care of necessary business.

That could apply to the season series against the Browns, which Cleveland hasn't swept since 1988. It's certainly relevant when discussing handling division teams and winning games you should win.

Just one example: Tomlin is now an NFL-best 35-9 against division opponents from Week 13 through the end of the regular season.

Sunday was not without its warts or trouble spots, but if the Steelers' over-arching goal was to get themselves right, they did that and more against the Browns.

"The main thing for us, it wasn't necessarily a get-back week," said Alex Highsmith, referencing the Steelers' 24-19 loss in Cleveland on Nov. 21 and the idea that the home team might be seeking retribution. "It was more of a get-right week.

"We knew there were things in that first game we could have done better. This whole week was really focusing on us, fixing what we knew we had to."

Highsmith, who returned from a three-week absence due to a left ankle injury, was an important part of that with a sack, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. The Steelers used three outside linebackers during key pass-rushing opportunities, a wrinkle that should help plenty as the season continues.

Among the other things the Steelers enjoyed defensively:

— An interception from nose tackle Keeanu Benton, the first of his NFL career setting the table for Najee Harris' 1-yard touchdown run and a 10-7 Steelers lead at 11:00 of the second quarter. Three more turnovers for the league's best takeaway team.

— Cam Heyward picking up two more sacks to continue his stellar season. It was yet another dominant performance from someone trending toward myriad accolades.

— A game-high 13 tackles from DeShon Elliott, who continues to function as a hugely important and active part of this defense.

On the offensive side, the surprise contributions continued:

— It wasn't the light-it-up game like Wilson had the last time out against the Bengals. However, I liked his efficiency: 15 of 26, 158 yards, two touchdowns, one sack taken, a 101.1 rating. Much like the rest of the team, he did enough to advance, to set up the next few weeks.

— Mike Williams, an afterthought aside from that one moon ball in Washington, finally contributed more, catching three passes for 36 yards. Between him, Freiermuth, Van Jefferson (10-yard score) and Scotty Miller (three for 38 yards), it was just enough to get a win without Pickens.

"We have so much confidence in everybody," Wilson said. "We're playing together, having fun, enjoying the process and working our tails off every day."

— The start was slow for the offense, four three-and-outs and a field goal in its first five drives. But when crunch time arrived, Wilson and Co. began to find consistency.

That's also when the Browns ... well, began Browning themselves: Within a few minutes in the third and fourth quarters, they were called for an illegal shift, a false start, unnecessary roughness and another false start.

— After Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett was so disruptive in the first meeting between these teams, the Steelers held him to two tackles (one for a loss), a sack and three quarterback hurries. All in all, a win for the Steelers.

"Better execution, better mindset," Dan Moore Jr. said of that matchup. "Just tried to be more aggressive."

Bottom line, the Steelers responded the way they should have against the Browns.

They showed that snowy Thursday night wasn't real and that their goals are bigger than seeking retribution against a division rival.

Now starting Sunday in Philadelphia, the Steelers have a chance to say something sizable about themselves, to continue working toward the best AFC postseason position possible while honing finer details such as the pass rush with Highsmith back, the receivers around Pickens and the continuation of the turnover culture that exists here.

It's a stretch that has been circled for much of the season, and now it's finally here. Time to truly start defining this season.

"Gotta love it," Pat Freiermuth said. "If we want to win games in the playoffs, we have to start it now."

Added Elliott: "We've known it for the last couple weeks. Got to line up and play. It's going to show us how good we can be."

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