PITTSBURGH — Lawrence Timmons sounded like a changed man.

It’s not that the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker took the Cleveland Browns lightly when they faced off in the opener last month. It’s just that after spending most of his eight-year career helping the Steelers turn their longtime rivals into little more than fodder for the win column, Timmons has grown used to a certain level of dominance.

That notion shifted when Pittsburgh needed every last second on the clock to escape with a 30-27 victory five weeks ago, a game in which the Steelers squandered a 24-point halftime lead. Having watched Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer and an inexperienced running game push Pittsburgh’s defense around for 30 minutes — then see Cleveland do the same last weekend in a thrilling comeback win over Tennessee — Timmons became a convert.

The Browns (2-2), yes the Browns, look like they’re for real heading into Sunday’s rematch in Cleveland.

“I think they’re serious this year,” Timmons said. “You can’t take them lightly.”

No chance of that. If anything, Cleveland provided the Steelers (3-2) with a much-needed wakeup call after using an uptempo no-huddle in the second half. Pittsburgh rarely looked ready as the Browns reeled off 24 unanswered points behind unheralded rookie running backs Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell. Cleveland averaged 6.3 yards per carry while piling up 191 yards on the ground to nearly pull off a stunning upset even with hyped rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel spending the entire afternoon on the sideline.

“They have a running game now,” said Timmons, 11-2 against the Browns.