In his career, Ben Roethlisberger dominated the Cleveland Browns, going 26-2-1 against them. In retirement, he’s enjoyed joking about them, even saying that the Pittsburgh Steelers would have a second bye when they played the Browns in Week 6. However, after the game, Roethlisberger was left surprised by how poorly the Browns played.
“They are worse than I thought,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin’ podcast. “They are abysmal. Offense, defense. And I’m not just saying it because it’s Cleveland, and I know I like to joke about Cleveland on this show… They were terrible. They were terrible on offense. Where’s this vaunted defense?”
Roethlisberger isn’t wrong. Even when the game was close, it felt like the Steelers were crushing the Browns. The Steelers were only up by six points going into halftime, and the Browns got the ball to start the second half, but it never felt like Pittsburgh was in danger.
Much of that was thanks to their defense. To start this season, the Steelers’ defense looked rough. It wasn’t playing up to its potential. However, in recent weeks, it’s gotten better. The Steelers’ defense had its best game of the season against the Browns, holding them to 248 total yards and nine points.
The Steelers’ defense could’ve had a better day, too, but players dropped multiple interceptions. They were flying around the field, not letting rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel get comfortable.
What was a little surprising was the Steelers’ offensive performance. Going into Week 6, the Browns’ defense was ranked second in the league. The Steelers’ offense also looked like it was still trying to find its footing. However, that unit had a solid day, putting up almost 350 total yards. The Steelers’ offense wasn’t perfect, but it looked good against a tough Browns’ defense.
The Browns have at least been competitive against the Steelers at times in the past. They showed little fight in Week 6, though. However, that won’t be the last time those two teams meet this year. They’ll meet again in Week 17. That game will be played in Cleveland, where the Steelers haven’t won since 2021. The Browns might show Roethlisberger that they can play better.
