by Bo Marchionte
Twitter @BoMarchionte
Ben Roethlisberger has basically owned the Cleveland Browns since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2004.
With a personal record of 23-2-1 against the Browns it is fair to say he has had more than the lions share of success while playing this former AFC North rival. The Browns lack of success over the past few decades have left this one fierce matchup an afterthought.
This became the game when Steelers season ticket holders would aim to unload the tickets to catch the last nice days of fall weather or avoid sitting in nasty weather because the outcome was set in stone that the Steelers would prevail.
Lousy Browns teams and lopsided Pittsburgh victories derailed this one prestigious rivalry into an afterthought as the Baltimore Ravens stole the Browns thunder as the most hated and more importantly feared Steelers rival.
However, this Sunday the Browns will arrive with a 4-1 record.
The rivalry could be set ablaze in an instant, because despite any high stake contest in recent years there is a genuine mutual distaste held by both fan bases who hold deep allegiances to their beloved franchises.
With the most talent on their roster since the glory days of Bernie Kosar and company who appeared to back-to-back AFC Championship games in 1986-87, Cleveland is as hungry as ever to bring the Steelers their first loss of the season.
If Roethlisberger is going to keep intact his undefeated streak at home versus the Browns his offensive line must play some of their best football with the potent defensive front of the Browns.
“I think you start with Myles Garrett,” Mike Tomlin said
“We know about his freakish talent, but he got (the) play to match here in 2020.”
Garrett is tied for second in the National Football League with six sacks on the young season, and has been instrumental in forcing the football out of opposing quarterbacks grasps once he makes impact. He has three forced fumbles two in which he recovered as Cleveland is number one in the league in turnovers (12).
“He’s a Defensive Player of the Year candidate looking at the video,” Tomlin said.
No other player in the league has forced three fumbles to go along with his two recoveries this season. His strip sack ability has earned him the nickname “Flamethrower” by Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods, since he is torching offensive lines at an alarming rate.
The ‘Flamethrower’ definitely provides the goods to ignite this rivalry to its highest level in years, especially after the helmet incident from last season that cost Garrett for final six games of last season due to his suspension.
Garrett won AFC Defensive Player of the Week award this season with a two-sack performance against the Dallas Cowboys and certainly will aim to wreak havoc on the Steelers this Sunday and earn another.
Pittsburgh has a daunting task, especially with five-time Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro currently limited with an abdominal strain and his status will not be clear until later this week. The additional absent bodies of Week 1 starters Zach Banner and Stefen Wisniewski who both are on IR, leave Pittsburgh scrambling to find the right concoction for success along their offensive line.
“They got a quality front over there,” Tomlin said.
With guys like Shelton Richardson, even quality back-ups acquisitions like (Adrian) Clayborn who I got a lot of respect for of the veteran former first rounder.”
Pittsburgh is tied for fourth in the league in fewest sacks allowed (6) and have done a fine job of protecting Roethlisberger who also perseveres with his own sense of pocket awareness and ability to avoid the sack, helping to keep the sack totals low.
If the Steelers can protect Roethlisberger Sunday, the possibilities of picking apart a depleted Browns secondary who have allowed the third most passing yards (1,482), increase the chances of Pittsburgh remaining unbeaten.
This Sunday Northeast Ohioans and Western Pennsylvanians will be ditching apple orchards and pumpkin patches for this center stage AFC North showdown, with first place ramifications in the mix.
The key to Pittsburgh retaining sole possession of first place in the division is by extinguishing the “Flamethrower”.
Photo Credit/ Frank Hyatt College2Pro.com