From the elements to the outcome, everything was different this time for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cleveland Browns.
Only 17 days after they blew a late lead to lose in a second-half snowstorm in Cleveland, the Steelers’ defense shined in sparking a 27-14 win over their AFC North rival on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium.
With the victory, the Steelers (10-3) clinched their second consecutive season with double-digit wins. They also extended their regular-season home winning streak against the Browns (3-10) to 21 games — a stretch that dates to 2003 — and took a two-game lead in division standings.
And, perhaps most important, the Steelers avenged a 24-19 loss to the Browns on Nov. 21 and thereby mathematically eliminated them from playoff contention.
“We felt like we could have won that game. … Unfortunately, we didn’t. This time, we were able to,” Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson said. “Anytime you’re playing a division rival …. it’s always challenging because they know you and you know them. But it also makes it fun, especially when you’re in the win column.”
The Steelers went 3-1 in their four-game gauntlet against AFC North opponents — who are the subjects of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” behind-the-scenes documentary series, with wins over Baltimore and Cincinnati and the split with Cleveland.
The Steelers visit the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) next Sunday. The Steelers then play at the Ravens the following Saturday before returning home against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day and hosting the Bengals in the season finale.
Steelers strong safety DeShon Elliott found satisfaction in avenging the lone loss in divisional play, especially with the defense delivering three sacks and two interceptions.
“I would say yes, because when you are better than a team and you know you’re better than a team and you go in there and you lay a big ol’ goose egg on a Thursday night game, it really sucks,” Elliott said. “But, at the same time, it was not a get-back game. It was for us to fix those things that we know we’re good at and things that shouldn’t happen in the first place, so it felt good. Not just that but also it’s a divisional game. … These next four weeks are going to be important.”
