Browns–Steelers rivalry

The Browns–Steelers rivalry is a National Football League rivalry between the two Cleveland Browns franchises and the Pittsburgh Steelers. With 136 meetings it is the oldest rivalry and the most storied in the American Football Conference. The two divisional foes have a natural rivalry due to the commonalities between the cities, proximity, etc. It is sometimes called the Turnpike Rivalry or Turnpike War[1] because the majority of the driving route between the two cities are via the Ohio and Pennsylvania Turnpikes.

Browns–Steelers

Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers
First meeting	October 7, 1950 Browns 30, Steelers 17
Latest meeting	December 1, 2019 Steelers 20, Browns 13
Next meeting	October 18, 2020
Statistics
Meetings total	136
All-time series	Steelers, 76–59–1
Regular season series	Steelers, 74–59–1
Postseason results	Steelers, 2–0 January 7, 1995: Steelers 29, Browns 9 January 5, 2003: Steelers 36, Browns 33
Largest victory	Browns, 51–0 (1989)
Longest win streak	Browns, 8 (1950–1953) Steelers, 12 (2003–2009)
Current win streak	Steelers, 1
Championship success
NFL Championships (10) PIT (6) – 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005, 2008 CLE (4) – 1950, 1954, 1955, 1964 NFL Conference Championships (19) PIT (8) – 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1995, 2005, 2008, 2010 CLE (11) – 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969 AFC Central/North Championships (32) PIT (23) – 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017 CLE (9) – 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989

Similarities between the cities

The rivalry was primarily fueled by the close proximity between the two cities, as Cleveland and Pittsburgh are roughly 135 miles apart. Many fans make the two-hour drive by car to away games. The city of Youngstown, Ohio is roughly located halfway between the two cities and is within the 75-mile blackout radius for both teams. The Youngstown television market has dual rights to both teams. Both teams have such strong fan bases that neither typically has blackout issues since the current rules were implemented in 1973, although the final two games of the 1995 season were blacked out in Cleveland (the last two prior to the Browns' move to Baltimore).[2] WKBN-TV broadcasts both teams; when they play at the same time the station chooses one game, and gets many calls from disappointed fans of the other team.[3] The Youngstown area fan base remains roughly split 50/50 between the Steelers and Browns.

Businesses

In recent times, Pittsburgh-area businesses have entered the Cleveland market by buying out local Cleveland-area competitors such as Giant Eagle, Dollar Bank, Howard Hanna Realty, and PNC Financial Services acquisition of National City Corp. Among other reasons, some Clevelanders didn't like the idea of a Pittsburgh-based bank buying National City because of the rivalry between the Browns and Steelers.[4] PNC and Giant Eagle are official team sponsors for both teams. In addition, natural expansion has occurred with companies with Western Pennsylvania roots with Vocelli Pizza and Altoona-based Sheetz making successful expansions into the Cleveland market.

Conversely, Eaton Corporation was founded in Cleveland and has long had significant operations in Pittsburgh. Forest City Enterprises owns billions of dollars of Pittsburgh-area real estate. The Cleveland branch of the Federal Reserve includes Pittsburgh in its territory. Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams has locations throughout Pittsburgh and nationally is one of the top competitors to Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries. Two former Cleveland-based businesses, Picway Shoes and Revco, had locations throughout Pittsburgh before being bought out by Payless ShoeSource in 1994 and CVS/pharmacy in 1998, respectively. National City Bank itself had expanded into Pittsburgh in 1995 through its acquisition of Integra Bank and actually caused antitrust problems when PNC bought National City in 2008, being forced to divest 61 National City branches in Western Pennsylvania. Although First Niagara Bank ultimately bought 57 of the branches, Cleveland-based KeyBank was one of the banks that was considering buying the branches and expanding into Pittsburgh; KeyBank would later acquire First Niagara outright.

Republic Steel, which was based in Cleveland, was the company that suggested to the Steelers that the team use the Steelmark logo on its helmets in 1962. The logo later became the Steelers primary trademark, and is arguably better known with the logo than the steel industry itself.

Coaches and players

The teams have also had various prominent players and coaches with roots in the other team. For instance, former Steelers head coach Chuck Noll is from Cleveland and played linebacker for the Browns. His successor as head coach, Bill Cowher, also played linebacker and special teams for the Browns, and was an assistant coach for the Browns from 1985 to 1988. Cowher was born and raised in Crafton, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Former Browns head coach Marty Schottenheimer is a native of Pittsburgh area suburb Canonsburg, along with his brother Kurt Schottenheimer, who was the Browns special teams coach from 1987 to 1988. Another Browns head coach, Bud Carson also had as his hometown a northern suburb of Pittsburgh and was a longtime Steelers coordinator under Chuck Noll.

Steelers Hall of Famer Jack Lambert is a native Ohioan and attended Kent State University, as did Akron, Ohio native James Harrison. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hails from Findlay, Ohio. Former punter Chris Gardocki played for three years for the Steelers, including the Super Bowl XL championship team, after playing five seasons with the Browns from 1999 to 2003. Former Steelers Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians held the same position with the Browns from 2001 to 2003.

History of the rivalry

1950s and 1960s: Browns Dominance

The Browns and Steelers first met in 1950, the Browns' first NFL season after dominating the All-America Football Conference. The Browns continued their dominance in the NFL as they appeared in six straight NFL Championship games from 1950 to 1955, winning the NFL title in 1950, 1954, and 1955. During that time the Steelers were among the NFL's worst teams.

The Browns won the first meeting on October 7,1950, 30–17 as they forced six Steelers turnovers. Later that season in Cleveland, the Browns won in a blowout, 45–7. The Browns would win the first eight meetings before the Steelers would finally beat their rivals in 1954. The Steelers won 55–27 in a game in which Ray Matthews had 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The Browns continued their dominance throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, marked by several strong rushing performances by Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown. The Browns would hold a 31–9 series advantage through the first two decades of the rivalry.

1970s: Steelers Super Bowl run

After the NFL merged with the former American Football League (AFL) in 1970, the Browns and Steelers were placed in the Central division of the newly formed American Football Conference (AFC). The Browns and Steelers, along with the Baltimore Colts were placed in the AFC with the former members of the AFL to allow each conference to have the same number of teams. The NFL tried to move the Steelers to the new conference, but then-Steelers owner Art Rooney initially refused. However, Rooney reconsidered after then-Browns owner Art Modell volunteered the Browns to shift to the AFC, partly because the NFL had offered $3 million as an incentive to move but also because of the potential for an intrastate rivalry with the AFL's Cincinnati Bengals. The financial boost combined with the prospect of losing his most lucrative division rival quickly persuaded Rooney to join Modell in the AFC in order to continue their own rivalry, although the team did lose its in-state rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles as a result.

In the 1970s the Steelers began to even the playing field with the Browns, led by head coach Chuck Noll, a Cleveland native and former Browns linebacker. By then, the rivalry between the two clubs was more hostile and personal, as evident in the 1976 matchup at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, when Joe "Turkey" Jones tackled Terry Bradshaw with a pile-driving sack. Bradshaw suffered a neck injury from the play, and the footage of the sack has since become immortalized in NFL Films as part of the rivalry.

The Steelers opened Three Rivers Stadium in 1970 and won their first sixteen meetings with the Browns at that venue. During the 1970s, the teams each won five of the ten meetings in Cleveland. The Steelers ended the 1970s winning seven straight meetings and capped the decade by winning Super Bowls XIII and XIV to go along with their Super Bowl wins earlier in the decade (IX and X).

1980s and 1990s

The teams exchanged victories throughout the 1980s. In the first meeting of the decade, the Browns, led by quarterback Brian Sipe, overcame a 12-point deficit to stun the Steelers 27–16. The Steelers would defeat the Browns later that year in another close game. The 1980 Browns, nicknamed the "Kardiac Kids", would make the playoffs that year for the first time since 1972 after Pittsburgh dominated the AFC Central with four Super Bowl wins in the late 1970s.[5]

The Browns ended a 16-game losing streak at Three Rivers Stadium with a 27–24 victory in 1986. This was the first of four straight Browns wins in Pittsburgh from 1986 to 1989. In the 1989 season opener, the Browns defeated the Steelers 51–0 in Pittsburgh. This is the largest margin of victory in the rivalry and the worst loss in Steelers franchise history.

While the two exchanged victories in the '70s and '80s, by the 1990s the Steelers became the dominant team in the rivalry. Since the Browns' last series sweep in 1988, the Steelers achieved an overwhelming 39–11 mark against the Browns, enough that in 2007, the Steelers took over the lead in the all-time series (which they currently lead at 72–58) for the first time. This included six straight wins from 1993 to 1995 that featured a 29–9 win in the 1994 divisional playoff game, the first playoff meeting between the two rivals. During most of this time, Bill Cowher was head coach of the Steelers. Cowher, a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Crafton, also played linebacker for the Browns (though unlike Noll, Cowher mostly played special teams), and also served as an assistant in Cleveland under Marty Schottenheimer, himself another Pittsburgh area native.

After the 1995 season, the rivalry took a brief hiatus due to the Browns relocation to Baltimore. When the league was voting on the Browns relocation, Steelers owner Dan Rooney was one of only two owners to vote against the move.[6] In tribute of Cleveland losing the Browns, Steelers fans wore orange arm bands to the final game at Three Rivers Stadium as a sign of mutual respect and sorrow for losing a great rivalry.[7] While Browns fans still consider the Steelers as their main rival, most Steelers fans consider their rivalry with the Baltimore Ravens the spiritual successor to this rivalry due to Art Modell moving the franchise to Baltimore and renaming them "Ravens". The consistently poor Browns' teams since their expansion in 1999, along with the one-sidedness of the rivalry since then is also a factor in the rivalry having diminished in the views of football fans.

1999–2003: Browns rejoin the NFL

The name "Browns" returned to the NFL in 1999 attached to a new expansion team. They played their first game against the Steelers at the new Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Steelers dominated the game 43–0 in a game in which the new Browns could only gain two first downs. However, in the return fixture in Pittsburgh later that season, the new Browns would defeat the Steelers 16–15 on a last-second Phil Dawson field goal.

The Browns and Steelers would again split the series in 2000, with each team winning in their home stadium.

The two teams would meet in a 2002 wild card playoff game. Browns starting quarterback Tim Couch, however, was ruled out due to a broken leg he suffered in their regular season win over the Atlanta Falcons. As a result, backup QB Kelly Holcomb started. The Browns built a 24–7 lead in the third quarter, but the Steelers came back to win 36–33. In 2003, the Browns would win their first and, as of 2018, only game at Heinz Field, defeating the Steelers 33–13 on Sunday Night Football.

2004–present: The Ben Roethlisberger era

The Steelers drafted QB Ben Roethlisberger, a native of Findlay, Ohio, in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Roethlisberger became the Steelers' starting quarterback in his rookie year and lead the Steelers to three Super Bowl appearances, including wins in Super Bowls XL and XLIII. During Roethlisberger's tenure, the Steelers have amassed a 25–3–1 record against the Browns including a perfect 15–0 mark at home. The Steelers made ten playoff appearances in Roethlisberger's career, including the three Super Bowl appearances, while the Browns have not made it to the playoffs and only posted one winning season during this stretch.

In Week 1 of 2007, the Steelers defeated the Browns 34–7 to take a 56–55 lead in the overall series. This was the first time the Steelers led the series and the Steelers have not given the lead up since. Later that season, the Steelers came back from down 21–6 to win 31–28. The two teams finished the season at 10–6, tied atop the AFC North. The Steelers won the head-to-head tiebreaker, while the Browns failed to earn a wild card spot after losing a tiebreaker to the Tennessee Titans.

On December 10, 2009, the Browns defeated the Steelers 13–6 on Thursday Night Football, ending a 12-game winning streak for the Steelers. This game is believed to be the coldest game in the history of the rivalry with a wind chill around –10 °F.[8]

Roethlisberger continued his dominance of the Browns in the 2010s, going 12–1–1 against them in the decade. However, the majority of the games have been close and come down to the final minutes or one final play.

The Steelers and Browns face off in 2014 with Brian Hoyer under center for Cleveland.

In week 5 of the 2014 season, the 2-2 Browns routed the 3-2 Steelers in a 31-10 victory in Cleveland after suffering a narrow 30–27 loss to Pittsburgh in the season opener. The Steelers scored early with a field goal and kept the Browns scoreless in the first quarter. The Browns would dominate from the second quarter onward, however, and this win would propel the Browns to an eventual 6-3 record atop the AFC North. However, injuries and rookie QB Johnny Manziel's poor play would doom the Browns’ season, where they would finish with a 7-9 record while the Steelers won the division.

The Browns' struggles continued and the team reached rock bottom in 2016 and 2017, as they went a combined 1–31 record.

On September 9, 2018, the teams played to a 21–21 tie. This marked the first tie game in the history of the rivalry.[9][10] The game saw the Steelers jump to a 21-7 lead, but the Browns mounted two successful drives to tie the game at 21-21 going into overtime. The Steelers committed 6 turnovers against a strong Browns defense, and Browns Defensive End Myles Garrett was able to sack Roethlisberger three times in their first meeting together. Going into overtime, Steelers’ kicker Chris Boswell missed a game winning field goal. On a subsequent drive after a Browns 3 and out, Roethlisberger had his 5th turnover of the game, which was recovered by Browns linebacker Joe Schobert. A field goal try by the Browns in the last seconds of overtime was blocked by the Steelers, resulting in a tie. The tie would come back to hurt the Steelers as they would finish 9–6–1, a half game behind the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North title (had the Steelers won this game, they would have finished 10–6, tied with the Ravens, and would have won the tiebreaker). The Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013.[11]

Rudolph (left) reacts immediately after being hit in the head by Garrett in 2019.

On November 14, 2019, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield notched his first win over the Steelers with a 21–7 victory, the Browns’ first win in the series since 2014. However, in the final seconds of the game, a brawl broke out between the two teams. With eight seconds remaining in the game, Browns DE Myles Garrett tackled Steelers QB Mason Rudolph after the latter completed a screen pass to RB Trey Edmunds. Garrett then ripped off Rudolph's helmet and used it to hit Rudolph in the head while being restrained by Steelers C Maurkice Pouncey and Steelers G David DeCastro. Pouncey then proceeded to jump into the brawl by punching and kicking Garrett in the head several times. Browns DT Larry Ogunjobi was also involved in the scuffle by pushing Rudolph to the ground. Garrett, Ogunjobi, and Pouncey were ejected from the game. Following the game, Garrett was suspended for the remainder of 2019 and required to apply for reinstatement in 2020, while Pouncey and Ogunjobi received 2-game and 1-game suspensions, respectively. Garrett's suspension is the longest in NFL history for a single on-field transgression.[12] On December 1, the teams met in Pittsburgh, in a game in which the winner would remain in the thick of the AFC wild card race and the loser would fall further behind. The Steelers, who had benched Rudolph in favor of third string Devlin Hodges, won 20–13 to improve to 7–5 while the Browns fell to 5–7, two games out of a playoff spot.[13]

Season-by-season results

Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Season-by-Season Results
1950s (Browns, 16–4) Season Season series at Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Overall series Notes 1950 Browns 2–0 Browns 45–7 Browns 30–17 Browns 2–0 Browns join the NFL. First ever meetings between the two teams. Steelers commit six turnovers in the game in Pittsburgh. Browns win 1950 NFL Championship. 1951 Browns 2–0 Browns 17–0 Browns 28–0 Browns 4–0 Browns lose 1951 NFL Championship Game. 1952 Browns 2–0 Browns 29–28 Browns 21–20 Browns 6–0 Steelers nearly come back from down 29–7 late in the game in Cleveland but fall one point short. Browns lose 1952 NFL Championship Game. 1953 Browns 2–0 Browns 34–16 Browns 20–16 Browns 8–0 Browns win eight straight meetings, lose 1953 NFL Championship Game. 1954 Tie 1–1 Browns 42–7 Steelers 55–27 Browns 9–1 Steelers win first game over Browns. Browns win 1954 NFL Championship. 1955 Browns 2–0 Browns 41–14 Browns 30–7 Browns 11–1 Browns win 1955 NFL Championship. 1956 Tie 1–1 Steelers 24–16 Browns 14–10 Browns 12–2 1957 Browns 2–0 Browns 24–0 Browns 23–12 Browns 14–2 1958 Browns 2–0 Browns 27–10 Browns 45–12 Browns 16–2 Browns force nine Steelers turnovers in the game in Pittsburgh. 1959 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 21–20 Steelers 17–7 Browns 16–4 Steelers' first sweep of the Browns
1960s (Browns, 15–5) Season Season series at Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Overall series Notes 1960 Tie 1–1 Browns 28–20 Steelers 14–10 Browns 17–5 1961 Tie 1–1 Steelers 17–13 Browns 30–28 Browns 18–6 Buddy Dial sets a Steelers franchise record (since broken) with 235 receiving yards in the game in Pittsburgh 1962 Browns 2–0 Browns 35–14 Browns 41–14 Browns 20–6 Steelers move to Pitt Stadium 1963 Tie 1–1 Browns 35–23 Steelers 9–7 Browns 21–7 1964 Tie 1–1 Steelers 23–7 Browns 30–17 Browns 22–8 Browns win 1964 NFL Championship. 1985 Browns 2–0 Browns 24–19 Browns 42–21 Browns 24–8 1966 Tie 1–1 Browns 41–10 Steelers 16–6 Browns 25–9 Steelers intercept five Frank Ryan passes in game in Pittsburgh 1967 Browns 2–0 Browns 21–10 Browns 34–14 Browns 27–9 1968 Browns 2–0 Browns 31–24 Browns 45–24 Browns 29–9 Browns defense intercepts six Steelers passes in game in Pittsburgh 1969 Browns 2–0 Browns 42–31 Browns 24–3 Browns 31–9
1970s (Steelers, 15–5) Season Season series at Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Overall series Notes 1970 Tie 1–1 Browns 15–7 Steelers 28–9 Browns 32–10 AFL-NFL merger. Both teams placed in AFC Central. Steelers open Three Rivers Stadium. 1971 Tie 1–1 Browns 27–17 Steelers 26–9 Browns 33–11 1972 Tie 1–1 Browns 26–24 Steelers 30–0 Browns 34–12 1973 Tie 1–1 Browns 21–16 Steelers 33–6 Browns 35–13 Browns win nine straight home meetings. 1974 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 26–16 Steelers 20–16 Browns 35–15 Steelers win Super Bowl IX. 1975 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 42–6 Steelers 31–17 Browns 35–17 Steelers DT "Mean" Joe Greene ejected for kicking Browns OL Bob McKay in groin in game in Cleveland. Steelers win Super Bowl X. 1976 Tie 1–1 Browns 18–16 Steelers 31–14 Browns 36–18 1977 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 28–14 Steelers 35–31 Browns 36–20 1978 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 34–14 Steelers 15–9(OT) Browns 36–22 First overtime game in the history of the rivalry. In the game in Cleveland, Steelers LB Jack Lambert is ejected for throwing punches at Browns QB Brian Sipe and other players. In a Howard Cosell interview the next week Lambert comments on the now much quoted event as "Quarterbacks should wear dresses." Steelers win Super Bowl XIII 1979 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 51–35 Steelers 33–30(OT) Browns 36–24 Game in Cleveland is the highest scoring game in the rivalry (86 points). Steelers win Super Bowl XIV
1980s (Browns, 12–8) Season Season series at Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Overall series Notes 1980 Tie 1–1 Browns 27–26 Steelers 16–13 Browns 37–25 Browns overcome a 26–14 fourth-quarter deficit with two late Brian Sipe touchdowns, while Steelers win their home game with a Terry Bradshaw pass to Lynn Swann with 11 seconds remaining. The 1980 Browns were nicknamed the "Kardiac Kids" due to many close games, including these two. 1981 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 32–10 Steelers 13–7 Browns 37–27 1982 Tie 1–1 Browns 10–9 Steelers 37–21 Browns 38–28 Both games played despite players' strike reducing the season to nine games. Browns DB Hanford Dixon intercepts three Steelers passes including two in the final minutes in the game in Cleveland. 1983 Tie 1–1 Browns 30–17 Steelers 44–17 Browns 39–29 1984 Tie 1–1 Browns 20–10 Steelers 23–20 Browns 40–30 1985 Tie 1–1 Browns 17–7 Steelers 10–9 Browns 41–31 Steelers win 16th straight home meeting. 1986 Browns 2–0 Browns 37–31(OT) Browns 27–24 Browns 43–31 Browns' first win at Three Rivers Stadium (they had been 0–16) 1987 Browns 2–0 Browns 34–10 Browns 19–14 Browns 45–31 Browns clinch AFC Central in final game of the season in Pittsburgh 1988 Browns 2–0 Browns 27–7 Browns 23–9 Browns 47–31 Browns most recent season sweep of Steelers 1989 Tie 1–1 Steelers 17–7 Browns 51–0 Browns 48–32 Browns' 51–0 win is the largest margin of victory in the rivalry's history, as well as the Steeler's worst loss in franchise history.
1990s (Steelers, 10–5) Season Season series at Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Overall series Notes 1990 Tie 1–1 Browns 13–3 Steelers 35–0 Browns 49–33 1991 Tie 1–1 Browns 17–14 Steelers 17–10 Browns 50–34 1992 Tie 1–1 Browns 17–9 Steelers 23–13 Browns 51–35 1993 Tie 1–1 Browns 28–23 Steelers 16–9 Browns 52–36 Browns PR Eric Metcalf returns two punts for TDs in Cleveland, including the game-winner in the final minutes. 1994 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 17–10 Steelers 17–7 Browns 52–38 1994 Playoffs Steelers 1–0 Steelers 29–9 Browns 52–39 AFC Divisional Round, first playoff meeting between the two teams 1995 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 20–3 Steelers 20–17 Browns 52–41 Final season before the Browns move to Baltimore. At the game in Pittsburgh, Steelers fans wear orange and brown armbands as a tribute to the seeming end of the rivalry. Steelers lose Super Bowl XXX. No games from 1996-1998 as the Browns suspended operations 1999 Tie 1–1 Steelers 43–0 Browns 16–15 Browns 53–42 Browns return to the NFL and open FirstEnergy Stadium (then known as Cleveland Browns Stadium). Game in Cleveland was the first game for the expansion Browns. Browns win the game in Pittsburgh on a Phil Dawson field goal as time expires.
2000s (Steelers, 18–3) Season Season series at Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Overall series Notes 2000 Tie 1–1 Browns 23–20 Steelers 22–0 Browns 54–43 2001 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 15–12(OT) Steelers 28–7 Browns 54–45 Steelers open Heinz Field 2002 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 23–20 Steelers 16–13(OT) Browns 54–47 2002 Playoffs Steelers 1–0 Steelers 36–33 Browns 54–48 AFC Wild Card Round, Steelers come back from down 24–7 in the 3rd quarter 2003 Tie 1–1 Steelers 13–6 Browns 33–13 Browns 55–49 To date, this is the Browns only win at Heinz Field 2004 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 24–10 Steelers 34–23 Browns 55–51 2005 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 41–0 Steelers 34–21 Browns 55–53 Steelers win Super Bowl XL 2006 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 24–20 Steelers 27–7 Tie 55–55 Steelers win in Cleveland on a last minute Ben Roethlisberger touchdown pass to Willie Parker 2007 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 34–7 Steelers 31–28 Steelers 57–55 Steelers take first ever lead in the overall series (a lead which they have yet to relinquish). Both teams finished the season 10–6, tied for the AFC North lead, but the Steelers won the division on the head-to-head tiebreaker 2008 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 10–6 Steelers 31–0 Steelers 59–55 Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII 2009 Tie 1–1 Browns 13–6 Steelers 27–14 Steelers 60–56 Steelers win 12 straight meetings (2003–09)
2010s (Steelers, 16–3–1) Season Season series at Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Overall series Notes 2010 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 41–9 Steelers 28–10 Steelers 62–56 Steelers lose Super Bowl XLV 2011 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 14–3 Steelers 13–9 Steelers 64–56 2012 Tie 1–1 Browns 20–14 Steelers 24–10 Steelers 65–57 Browns force eight Steelers turnovers in game in Cleveland 2013 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 27–11 Steelers 20–7 Steelers 67–57 2014 Tie 1–1 Browns 31–10 Steelers 30–27 Steelers 68–58 In the game in Pittsburgh, Browns come back from down 27–3 in the 3rd quarter to tie the game at 27, but the Steelers kick a game winning field goal. 2015 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 28–12 Steelers 30–9 Steelers 70–58 2016 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 24–9 Steelers 27–24(OT) Steelers 72–58 2017 Steelers 2–0 Steelers 21–18 Steelers 28–24 Steelers 74–58 Browns complete the second 0–16 season in NFL history 2018 Steelers 1–0–1 Tie 21–21(OT) Steelers 33–18 Steelers 75–58–1 First tie game in the history of the rivalry. Both teams missed field goals in the final two minutes of overtime that would have won the game. 2019 Tie 1–1 Browns 21–7 Steelers 20–13 Steelers 76–59–1 Game in Cleveland featured a brawl involving Mason Rudolph, Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi and Maurkice Pouncey. All but Rudolph were ejected and subsequently suspended.
Summary of Results Season Season series at Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers Notes Regular Season Steelers 74–59–1 Browns 38–28–1 Steelers 46–21 Postseason games Steelers 2–0 no games Steelers 2–0 Regular and postseason Steelers 76–59–1 Browns 38–28–1 Steelers 48–21 Steelers are 43–6 vs. Browns in Pittsburgh since 1970

Records

• The greatest defeat in Steelers history occurred on September 10, 1989 in Pittsburgh when the Browns won 51–0. Ten years later, when the NFL granted an expansion franchise to Cleveland, allowing them to be named "Browns" after the original Browns franchise in the 1999 NFL season, the Steelers defeated them in their first game back 43–0, still the revived Browns' worst loss as well as the Steelers' most lopsided win over the Browns.
• Game between the Steelers and the two Browns clubs is the most played rivalry in the AFC and fifth most played in the NFL.

See also

• Academic Bowl (college football), rivalry between Case Western Reserve University from Cleveland and Carnegie Mellon University from Pittsburgh

References

1. "Steelers-Browns Rivalry Over?". CBSPittsburgh.com. October 14, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
2. Schudel, Jeff (August 19, 2009). "BROWNS NOTES: No blackout, thanks to WKYC". The Morning Journal.
3. Williams, Tom (2011-09-09). "BROWNS vs. STEELERS". The Vindicator. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01.
4. McIntyre, Michael K. (October 25, 2008). "Fighting words if you're Steelers". Cleveland.com.
5. Blocks, Starting (2010-10-15). "Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers classics: 27-26 Browns win, 1980". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
6. Shapiro, Leonard. "OWNERS APPROVE MOVE OF NFL TEAM TO BALTIMORE". WashingtonPost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
7. Sandomir, Richard (November 12, 1995). "A City Fights To Save The Browns". The New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
8. "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns - December 10th, 2009". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
9. Dator, James (2018-09-09). "Browns-Steelers ended in a tie, and it was stupid in every possible way". SBNation.com. SB Nation. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
10. "Browns don't lose, but tie Steelers in sloppy affair". NFL.com. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
11. Bouchette, Ed (December 30, 2018). "Steelers miss playoffs for the first time since 2013". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
12. Carrisimo, Justin; Smith, Stephen (2019-11-15). "Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett suspended by NFL after hitting Pittsburgh Steelers QB with helmet". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
13. Jeff.Hartman (2019-12-02). "AFC North Recap: Steelers make a statement in Week 13 win over the Browns". Behind the Steel Curtain. Retrieved 2019-12-03.

External links

• Browns vs Steelers at pro-football-reference.com
• Cleveland vs Pittsburgh at afc-north.com