For 50 years, the Steelers have ruled the Browns. Are the Browns up to changing that? (WagerTalk News)
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Editor’s note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Four downs on Browns (10-5) v. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3)
First down: It’s back.
Back in the day, it was called the Turnpike Rivalry. No two historical NFL rivals were closer. Two incredibly passionate football markets separated by 135 miles of concrete road. Ohio’s turnpike was always better built and maintained. And for the first 20 years of their rivalry, so was Cleveland’s football team. But for the better part of 50 years, Pittsburgh’s football team has reigned. It started with the NFL-AFL merger that took effect in 1970 when Browns owner Art Modell lured Steelers owner Art Rooney with him to the newly-created AFC. Modell’s hopes of dominating the new set-up blew up when he traded Paul Warfield for the rights to draft his franchise quarterback, Mike Phipps. Pittsburgh settled for Terry Bradshaw. That Browns miscalculation was as egregious as passing on Ohio native Ben Roethlisberger for pint-sized, West Coast-QB Jeff Garcia in 2004. Every time the Browns clawed closer to the Steelers, they were turned back. In 1994, the Steelers won the rivals’ first-ever post-season meeting. When the expansion Browns debuted in 1999, the Steelers were there to spoil their party. When they met again in the 2002 post-season, the Steelers broke their hearts again. So here we go. Everything is on line for the Browns, nothing for the Steelers. With any luck, they will meet the following week in another post-season match-up.
Second down: Black and blue (and gold).
In the expansion era, the Steelers are 36-7-1 against the Browns. Generally what happens is the Steelers come out like wild dogs, ravage the meek Browns into some cataclysmic error early in the game, and the Steelers kick their little brothers up and down the field. One time that did not happen was last year when the Steelers came to Cleveland with Mason Rudolph subbing for the injured Roethlisberger. Before the inglorious ending, the Browns hounded Rudolph with 11 quarterback hits and four sacks, and intercepted him four times, while also drawing two penalties and one ejection for knocking out receivers Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster with illegal hits. “It was a physical game, but it was fun,” said Myles Garrett. “There was not much talk. There was a lot of action. There was a lot of battling in the trenches, and that is what you want to see. You want that physicality. You want those big hits. Everybody was giving their all. That is how it should be in the division. It should be tough. It should not be pretty, especially in the AFC North. That is just how we play ball, and I expect nothing less on Sunday.” Added left guard Joel Bitonio, “They are one of the more physical teams in the league, and you have to really match their physicality to have a chance.”
Third down: Time to lead.
The Steelers were led into their Super Bowl era by good coaching in Chuck Noll and successive No. 1 overall draft selections Joe Greene (1969) and Terry Bradshaw (1970). So now the Browns have a promising coach in Kevin Stefanski and their successive No. 1 overall draft selections of Myles Garrett (2017) and Baker Mayfield (2018) are trying to lead the team into a similar turnaround. But the Steelers have stood in their way. In their Cleveland careers, Garrett is 1-3-1 against the Steelers, and Mayfield is 1-3. Beating Pittsburgh in this win-to-get-in game would be the first step in standing up to the Steelers and changing fortunes. “Our entrance to the playoffs has not happened for many years here,” Garrett said. “You want to be successful as a player, no matter where and no matter when. Me and Baker are both hungry for that, and we are both going to try to do our best to make that happen.”
Fourth down: Survival of the fittest.
Injuries, Covid-19 protocols and coaches decisions have taken numerous players and coaches out of this game. The Browns will be without: linebacker B.J. Goodson, linebacker Malcolm Smith, free safety Andrew Sendejo, tight end Harrison Bryant, cornerback Denzel Ward, receivers coach Chad O’Shea, offensive line coach Bill Callahan, and assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters. The Steelers will be without: quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, center Maurkice Pouncey, edge rusher T.J. Watt, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, strong safety Terrell Edmunds, cornerback Joe Haden, and kicker Chris Boswell, tight end Eric Ebron and linebacker Cassius Marsh. It’s reflective of the NFL as whole limping to the season finish line at the conclusion of a pandemic-ravaged 2020 season.
Prediction: Browns 20, Steelers 12.
My record: 8-7.