Entering yesterday, the Steelers had won 21-consecutive regular season games over the Cleveland Browns in the city of Pittsburgh. That is not a typo. 2003 was the last season that the Browns emerged victorious at Heinz Field/Acrisure Stadium, securing a 33-13 win on Sunday Night Football on October 5th, 2003. Cleveland went 5-11 that year, with Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb each starting eight games at quarterback and Dennis Northcutt leading the team in scrimmage yards with 812. 

That 2003 Steelers’ team went 6-10, led by Tommy Maddox, Jerome Bettis, and Hines Ward in passing, rushing, and receiving, respectively. They would draft Ben Roethlisberger the following year, and the rest is history. 

Fast-forward to 2025, and the Browns have not changed much. They benched Joe Flacco a couple weeks ago for rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel and traded Flacco to the division rival Cincinnati Bengals—the Browns are already on their second starter of the season. They entered the game against the Steelers with a 1-4 record, fresh off a heartbreaking loss overseas against the Vikings. 

Meanwhile, the Steelers had a bye last week, during which everyone else in the AFC North lost. In the past three weeks, the division has a cumulative record of 2-9–the Steelers are 2-0, and the Ravens, Bengals, and Browns are a combined 0-9 (yes, the Steelers extended their regular-season home winning streak against the Browns to 22 games yesterday). 

And, for once, it was a relatively comfortable win. The Steelers won by two scores, to the tune of a 23-9 victory. Aaron Rodgers played an excellent game, completing 21-of-30 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns and zero turnovers. He was also not sacked once, a credit to both he and the offensive line. Removing Mason Rudolph’s three kneel-downs, they also ran the ball reasonably effectively, gaining 100 yards on 25 carries, exactly four yards per attempt. This was a feat, as the Browns’ defense is notoriously hard to run against. 

The defense played very well, too, sacking Dillon Gabriel six times and only allowing 221 passing yards, despite the Oklahoma and Oregon product attempting a whopping 52 passes. They held rookie sensation Quinshon Judkins to just 36 yards on 12 rushes, putting an increased amount of pressure on Gabriel to sling the rock—something the young quarterback has not yet proven he can do in the NFL. 

This was the first game of the season where the entire defense was healthy. It showed. The only issue was discipline. The Steelers committed ten penalties, while their average coming into the game was only 4.8. That simply cannot happen against better teams. 

While yesterday’s game was encouraging, it is worth bearing in mind that the Browns are an awful football team. Next up on the docket is a short turnaround, as the Steelers play the 2-4 Bengals on Thursday night. This is the quintessential “trap” game, and I would not be at all surprised if we struggle—and even lose—this extremely winnable game.