Player to the Level of Their Opponents in Steelers DNA

by Bo Marchionte
Published November 22, 2024, 01:37 AM

Cleveland, Ohio – In a game that will be remembered as much for the weather as the outcome, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19 in a swirling snowstorm that turned the AFC North showdown into a gritty battle of endurance. 

One of the oldest adages in football is this: don’t let a bad team hang around. When you dominate the game but fail to put a team away, you leave the door open for them to steal a win—and that’s exactly what happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers had multiple chances to assert control. They dominated Cleveland on third downs, holding them to a pitiful 1-for-11 conversion rate. But instead of capitalizing on those defensive stops, Pittsburgh let the Browns stick around by stalling in the red zone, settling for field goals, and failing to bury their rivals when they had the chance.

Here’s the thing about “bad” teams (or teams playing poorly): they get scrappy. They play with nothing to lose, and when you don’t close the door on them, they gain confidence. For the Browns, that confidence showed up on fourth down, where they went 4-for-4, flipping the game on its head.

That’s the bite. You might outplay a struggling team for 95% of the game, but one big moment. Suddenly, you’re walking off the field wondering how you lost a game you controlled. That’s the bus ride home for the Steelers tonight. 

The Steelers learned the hard way: if you let a “shitty” football team hang around, you’ll often regret it. They won’t just hang—they’ll bite, and that bite can be fatal to your playoff hopes. This was the part of the Steelers schedule where each loss is going to be under the microscope more and more. 

“So, we should have won that game,” Wilson said. “We felt like we battled. We fought our butts off, and you know, it was a tough environment. Obviously, we wanted this game, but unfortunately, we came up short.”

Often when people say stats don’t tell the real story then look no further than tonight’s contest. Early in the game, after a missed field goal and failed fourth down conversion the Steelers held a 154 to 19 total yards advantage. 

Time of possession was an absurd edge in the conclusion of the first quarter. Pittsburgh led with 11:59 to the Browns 3:01. Yet the score remained 0-0. The stats clearly indicated that the Steelers were dominating the game,

They in fact were not. 

Methodically, Cleveland would capitalize on the tiniest of margins that would pay huge dividends. Prior to the final game winning drive in which the Browns converted a 3rd and 6 to the Pittsburgh 14-yard line. 

It marked the first third down attempt that was successfully made by the Browns the entire game. They finished with the win and went 1-10 on third down. However, their magic was on fourth down.

The Browns converted all four of their fourth down attempts. Cleveland would capitalize by going all in and walk away with points which eventually built into their third win of the 2024 season and two against AFC North opponents. 

In the second quarter on the first of fourth down conversions, Cleveland handed off to Nick Chubb who took it five yards. The drive ended with a Chubb two-yard touchdown. The odd manner of ebbs and flows of this game was truly bizarre. 

“I don’t really think the Cleveland Browns are a good football at all,” George PIckens said postgame. “I think the conditions kind of saved them today.”

At 3-8 with the 31st ranked offense in total points heading into the game and a defense that ranks 24th overall in the National Football League, in points allowed, Pickens is obviously salty after the game, but he’s not lying. 

Cleveland won. In the end that’s all that matters. The Browns faithful who weathered the snowstorm will drive home with joy equal to the team that wins the Super Bowl. This was their Super Bowl. 

Home field, awful conditions and to beat this despicable rival, is a Christmas come early present for those who cheer for the “Mistake on the Lake” it’s their night. They won the game.

Like I mentioned earlier, don’t let a bad team hang around. When you dominate the game but fail to put a team away, you leave the door open for them to steal a win and that’s exactly what happened to Pittsburgh.

Cleveland found a way to win while Pittsburgh found ways to give it away.