Cleveland Has Become a House of Horrors for the Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are reeling off of their first divisional victory over the Baltimore Ravens. They will travel around two hours west to battle the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. While the Browns may sit at 2-8, their turf has been a recent house of horrors for Pittsburgh. They have only won there once since 2017.
“The environmental component has our attention,” head coach Mike Tomlin said on Monday. “Thursday night in a hostile division environment is something that we need to be ready for. We’ve been really fortunate in road game environments this year in terms of the support of our fans and their ability to acquire tickets. D.C., Atlanta, Vegas, Denver, etc. I don’t know that’s going to happen in Cleveland. I know as a collective, we better be prepared for a hostile environment, the Dawg Pound, etc.”
After the season opener in 2017, the Steelers left Cleveland business as usual. They secured a victory over their woeful division rival who would go on to finish 0-16. However, the Browns would begin to make some turnarounds. Their 2017 and 2018 drafts set up their future which would lead to two playoff appearances. In the process, they made sure the Steelers Nation would sweat a little going into their stadium.
In 2018, the Steelers blew a 21-7 fourth-quarter lead en route to a turnover performance that ended in a tie. It would be the first of many miserable trips to Cleveland.
The following season, quarterback Mason Rudolph would be at the center of controversy as Myles Garrett swung Rudolph’s own helmet at his head. Following the debacle, Garrett made significant accusations against Rudolph — prompting Mike Tomlin to come to his defense.
In 2020, the Steelers finished their regular season with a loss in Cleveland — allowing them to sneak into the postseason and end the Steelers’ season in Pittsburgh the following week.
Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to their only victory in Cleveland since 2018 on Halloween in 2021 — the same game would be his final one off Lake Erie. The following season in 2022, Mitch Trubisky’s homecoming was spoiled by Jacoby Brissett.
Most recently, 2023 featured an awful game on offense. Kenny Pickett highlighted the day with a deep throw to no one. Following that loss, the Steelers uncharacteristically fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
Thursday night, the Steelers need to win. Not just because they are playing a struggling team, but because they currently control their own destiny in the AFC. Winning out their final seven games would seal the first seed in the postseason. It starts with rewriting the script in Huntington Bank Field.
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