The good news for Steelers players and fans alike is that their win over the Bengals last Sunday relieved the pain of the loss to the Cleveland Browns the prior week…at least some of the pain. For the Steelers, losing to different AFC North division rivals hurts in different ways. A loss to the Ravens can hurt their playoff chances. In most seasons, the same is true of the Bengals. When it comes to the Browns, it hurts because it shouldn’t have happened. Historically, the Steelers have been the better team on the field. So when the Browns win, there’s disappointment and frustration. And we wonder how it could have happened.
The knee-jerk reaction is to call it a “trap game” or to say that the team wasn’t prepared or didn’t take their opponent seriously. I don’t believe that’s actually that’s been true specifically in the case of the Browns. Whether the Browns have been competing for a playoff spot or not, the Steelers understand that there is talent on Cleveland’s roster. They aren’t looking past the Browns or assuming an easy win. To better understand what has gone wrong in these losses, I looked back at every Steelers loss to the Browns in the Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin eras, from 2004 to the present.
TOO COLD AND WINDY TO THROW
12/10/09: Browns 13 Steelers 6
The Steelers visited Cleveland in Week 14 with a 6-6 record to face the 1-11 Browns on Thursday Night Football. The temp was 6F and -15F with the wind chill with 25 mph winds. With the winds blowing and a rushing attack combination of Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, you would think that Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians would opt to run the ball. Maybe Arians had too much trust in Big Ben, less than a year after a Superbowl victory capped by that thrilling game-winning drive. Whatever the reason, the Steelers’ offense bet on their passing game, and Roethlisberger was sacked eight times.
TOO MANY TURNOVERS
11/25/12: Browns 20 Steelers 14
With third-string quarterback Charlie Batch filling it with injuries to Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich, the Steelers’ entire offense gave the ball to Cleveland eight times. The running backs and one wide receiver coughed it up eight times, losing five of those fumbles. Batch threw three interceptions. Despite that, the Steelers had the ball with 2:36 left and a chance to come back from a six-point deficit but lost the ball with their final fumble on the first play of that drive. This Sunday game was a week after a typical brutally physical and close loss to the Ravens where battered backup quarterback Byron Leftwich struggled through rib and shoulder injuries.
A TRUE TEAM LOSS
10/12/14: Browns 31 Steelers 10
Brian Hoyer led the Browns to victory in a game where the Steelers were lackluster in all three phases. Receivers missed good throws by Roethlisberger, the defense had a meltdown in the second quarter giving up three touchdowns. Fortunately, the Steelers found their way, finishing 11-5 atop the AFC North that season.
THE MASON RUDOLPH HELMET GAME
11/14/19: Browns 21 Steelers 7
Ah, memories. Rudolph is probably lucky that most people remember his altercation with Myles Garrett more clearly than the 4 INTs Rudolph threw that day. Despite losing RB James Conner and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second quarter and WR Diontae Johnson in the third quarter to injuries, the Steelers were still competitive until the Browns pulled away in the 4th quarter. This was a Thursday Night Football game following a win at home over the Los Angeles Rams.
DOES THIS LOSS COUNT?
1/3/21: Browns 24 Steelers 22
With the AFC North title locked up, Mike Tomlin rested starters Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, TJ Watt and Cam Heyward in this one and almost won anyway. Despite that, backup Mason Rudolph had a solid performance and almost pulled off a win. I don’t know if this is really a result to lose sleep over, with one small doubt (see the next game).
TOO BIG A DEFICIT TO OVERCOME
1/10/21: Browns 48 Steelers 37
The loss to the Browns the prior week while resting valuable starters meant that Cleveland scored a playoff berth. It was the Browns’ first playoff win since the rebirth of the franchise in 1999 and a total disaster for the Steelers, starting with a high snap from Maurkice Pouncey that resulted in a Cleveland TD on the first play of the game and culminating in a 507 yard 4 TD 4 INT game for Ben Roethlisberger, leading a furious charge to claw back from a 28-0 deficit that they could never overcome.
YOU HAVE TO PLAY ALL 60 MINUTES
9/22/22: Browns 29 Steelers 17
Another Thursday Night Football game with the Steelers coming off a loss at home to the Patriots. In his third start, Mitch Trubisky led the team to a 14-13 lead in the first half, but the Browns defense made adjustments, limiting his sideline passes. The Steelers offense was stagnant 1-9 on third downs. On the defensive side, without TJ Watt, the run defense struggled, allowing 171 yards rushing and a 75% conversion rate on 4th down.
NOT ENOUGH FIREPOWER
11/19/23: Browns 13 Steelers 10
The two teams were evenly matched on the scoreboard until the Browns kicked the game-winning field goal with two seconds left on the clock. Kenny Pickett couldn’t do much against a solid Browns defense. On the opposite side, backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggled as well, and both had QBR of 32. The difference was an effective run game by Cleveland, and that drove for a field goal to break the tie at the end of the game.
JUST A TOUGH LOSS
11/21/24: Browns 24 Steelers 19
The most recent Thursday Night Football match in Cleveland. The 3-8 Browns brought more energy than the 8-3 Steelers, who were coming off a physical game against the Ravens. The Steelers dominated time of possession, posted 368 total yards of offense, and had 3 takeaways on defense. Coaching decisions and poor execution on 4th down attempts put the Steelers in bad position at times and a failed Hail Mary ended a snowy game.
FINAL THOUGHTS
So what’s the takeaway from this rundown? First, I don’t think the “trap game” argument works. The Steelers know the Browns too well not to respect them as an opponent. But in some cases, these losses were “let down” games, with a tired and beat-up Steelers team facing a Browns team looking to make a statement despite a losing season. We have heard fans and players say that some of these games are the “Browns’ Superbowl”. That may sound like an excuse, but there may actually be some truth to that. Virtually eliminated from the playoffs a couple of weeks ago, playing spoiler was the biggest statement the Browns could make. After the most recent game, Myles Garrett said it took everything the Browns had to come away with a win. And the Browns gave that game everything they had.
There are a few trends that stand out. Every Steelers loss to the Browns has occurred in Cleveland with the exception of the playoff game. Three of them have been Thursday Night Football games. You could argue that the Browns prepare better than the Steelers on a short week. The Steelers hold an 8-9 record on Thursday Night Football but are only 1-7 on the road, with three of those against the Browns and another two losses to the Ravens.
Division rivals play more competitively whenever they meet. But given everything we know about the 2024 Steelers and Browns as well as their history, my money is on the Steelers to come away with the win this Sunday.
