PITTSBURGH - They are so close their outlying suburbs nearly overlap, one-time industrial giants that once enjoyed better days economically, but whose never-give-up images - and, sometimes, their greatest hopes - are reflected in their football teams.

Singularly, they produced some of the NFL's biggest names: Jim Brown and Paul Brown for the aptly named Browns, Terry Bradshaw and Joe Greene for the Steelers. Together, they form a rivalry that extends over a half-century.

Sometimes it seems the two Rust Belt rivals are one, and not just because Pittsburgh is nearly bankrupt and Cleveland was designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as the nation's poorest big city.

Chuck Noll, who coached the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories, is from Cleveland. Steelers coach Bill Cowher began his NFL career with the Browns. Former Browns coach Nick Skorich, who died only days ago, broke into the NFL with the Steelers.

Tradition holds true again Sunday as the Browns (2-2) and Steelers (3-1), each trying to shake free from bad times with an unexpectedly good start, play an AFC North game that is very pivotal for so early in the season.

The Browns can get their much-needed first road victory, move above .500 for the first time in 22 months and tie first-place Pittsburgh. The Steelers can go to 4-1 for only the third time in 22 seasons and retain their surprising division lead.

Browns-Steelers in a potentially big game, just one season after the two combined for only 11 victories? Seems like old times.

"We've got an opportunity to put ourselves in a great position to make a playoff run and to separate ourselves from the division," Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said.

"It's a big one for us - it's the Steelers," Browns right tackle Ryan Tucker said.

The Steelers didn't expect to be in such a favorable position with their bye week still two weeks away, especially with Ben Roethlisberger now running the offense. Roethlisberger could become only the sixth rookie quarterback since the 1970 NFL merger to win his first three starts - a list headed by Pittsburgh's Mike Kruczek, who went 6-0 in 1976.

But while Kruczek did little more than hand off to twin 1,000-yard running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, failing to throw a single touchdown pass all season, Roethlisberger is being asked to do much more.

"But they're not ready yet to put the game in his hands. They're going to go out there and try to do some things to keep the game simple for him," Browns safety Earl Little said.

Maybe not this week.

A rebuilt Steelers running game led by Duce Staley, who has 224 yards in his last two starts, must go against a Browns run defense that limited Baltimore's Jamal Lewis to 57 yards and Washington's Clinton Portis to 58 yards. If the Browns similarly contain Stanley and Jerome Bettis, who has five touchdowns rushing as a short-yardage back, it will place a greater burden on Roethlisberger to do more.

"The more practice, the more reps, the more plays I get, the more comfortable I am on Sundays," Roethlisberger said.

Surprisingly, the more-experienced Jeff Garcia, a three-time Pro Bowl player with the 49ers, has looked more unfamiliar and uncomfortable with his offense than Roethlisberger has.

The Browns quarterback hasn't been awful, throwing three touchdown passes and leading a fourth-quarter comeback victory against the Redskins. But Cleveland's offense has yet to score a touchdown in the first half and has only three points in the first quarter, a slow-to-start scenario that hasn't played well in two road losses.

"We need to find a way to be better on the road and to start faster than we have started," Garcia said.

Asked about Garcia, Browns coach Butch Davis almost sounds as if he could be talking about Roethlisberger rather than a 34-year-old quarterback with 11 years of NFL and Canadian Football League experience.

"He is learning the offense, the terminology and all that stuff that is different than he has been running (in San Francisco)," Davis said.

Just as with Pittsburgh, much of Cleveland's offense has been supplied by multiple running backs. William Green (225 yards, 3.8 average) got most of the carries in the first three games, but Lee Suggs ran for 82 yards and a touchdown against Washington.

There go the Browns and Steelers, copying each other again.

"I heard about this rivalry growing up, but I never liked the Browns," said Roethlisberger, who grew up about two hours away from Cleveland in Findlay, Ohio.

While the cities and their passionate fans are very much alike, there's not much love between the two teams.

"We know they're going to call us every name in the bad word book, so we're looking forward to it," Little said.