When the Pittsburgh Steelers lined up to defend the Cleveland Browns’ last-minute fourth-down attempt Monday night, everyone in Acrisure Stadium and watching at home sat forward with bated breath. When rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. knocked the ball away from WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Steelers fans everywhere exhaled a sigh of relief.
That included former QB Ben Roethlisberger and his co-host Spencer Te’o who were reacting to the game as it unfolded during the taping of Tuesday’s episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.
Te’o simply said “Monday night,” to which Roethlisberger followed with, “Belongs to the Steelers. Some things never change, eh Cleveland?”
Roethlisberger punctuated the final statement by staring down the camera before breaking into laughter. He’s not wrong, either. The Steelers have now won 21 consecutive games at home on Monday nights, so one certainly can make the argument that Monday night home games truly belong to Pittsburgh. The last team to defeat the Steelers at home on Monday Night Football? The New York Giants, led by QB Jeff Hostetler all the way back in 1991 at the old Three Rivers Stadium. The Washington (now) Commanders did win a Monday night game in Pittsburgh during the 2020 season, but it was a game played at 5 p.m. due to a COVID rescheduling. So the Monday Night Football home streak still endures.
Then there’s the streak of home wins against the Browns. Recent history has not been kind to Cleveland in this rivalry, especially in games played in Pittsburgh. The win marked the Steelers’ 20th consecutive win at home against Cleveland. The Browns haven’t beaten Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh during the regular season since Tim Couch was the quarterback. The Browns did win a playoff game in Pittsburgh since then, but the regular-season streak still lives on.
It may not have been pretty. In fact, it was pretty ugly, but in the end, the Steelers did what they do best: win on Monday Night Football and beat Cleveland at home.
You can watch the full episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger below.
