As far as warmup acts go, if you’re a Steelers fan, you don’t find the Cleveland Browns very amusing.

Who would have thought the Browns would by shaking up the NFL the way they have?

The Browns shocked the erratic defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the Superdome 30-17 Oct. 24, then, following a bye week, they dismantled Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 34-14 Sunday.

Why has this affected the Steelers? Because they’ve had to follow the Browns against the Saints on the schedule (a 27-17 Pittsburgh loss Oct. 31), and they’ll do it again against the Patriots next Sunday.

Teams as good as New Orleans and New England don’t struggle for long, and when they get downright embarrassed, you can be assured they will be more attentive, more focused and looking to exact a little revenge for their lackluster play in their following game.

Enter the Steelers.

The Steelers had New Orleans on the ropes and fought back, but a lot of crowd noise, a of couple mistakes, like a Heath Miller fumble and an errant Mike Wallace pass reception attempt headed for Hines Ward for an apparent touchdown, led to a 27-17 loss.

After facing the Bengals Monday night, the Steelers must prepare for the Patriots, who will most definitely be ready for “Sunday Night Football” and the Steelers.

I’m still not sold on the Steelers as a serious contender just yet.

Yes, they have a good record, but the defense keeps growing soft in the second half, particularly in the closing minutes of the game.

The Steelers also have shown that while they can run the ball, they have trouble dominating it.

A key third-down run to sustain a drive or even a goal-line yard or two? No one on the team has shown he can do it on a consistent basis.

The Steelers lack the clock-draining drives that can win ballgames, wear opponents down and break their spirit late in the game. That’s what great football teams do.

When I see that, I’ll be a big believer. But I’ll reserve judgment until then.

The Browns, meanwhile, have pieced together a modest two-game winning streak to move to 3-5 and are starting to put the pieces in place to be a consistently competitive team.

Pittsburgh must face them once more, as will Baltimore and Cincinnati.

It could shake up the AFC North.

It’s difficult to believe, but once-hapless Cleveland is becoming a hard act to follow. Just ask the Steelers.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.