The Pittsburgh Steelers fans at Acrisure Stadium in Week 14 made it clear that they don’t like Cleveland. The crowd chanted “Cleveland sucks” so loudly during the fourth quarter that viewers could hear the chant on the CBS broadcast.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett didn’t voice his opinion as emphatically as the chant itself. But Garrett still didn’t seem too pleased with the chant.
“Oh yeah,” Garrett said with a smile when asked whether he will use the chant as motivation.
“We’ll see them again next year, and the result is they have that same energy when we come to their house next year,” added Garrett.
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year finished the Week 14 matchup against the Steelers with 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery and 3 quarterback hits. But the Steelers won 27-14.
“Cleveland Sucks” Chant Breaks Out at Acrisure Stadium
Athletes look for anyway to find extra motivation. It’s understandable that Garrett didn’t like the chant, and it’s something he could tuck away to use during his offseason training.
The chant was obviously a diss. But in my opinion, it spoke more about how the fans felt about the city of Cleveland itself, not its football team.
Compared to the entire United States, Pittsburgh and Cleveland residents are similar in social status and ideology. Yet, they don’t like each other. That goes beyond football.
The Pirates and Guardians are big matchups in interleague MLB play. But the dislike goes even past that. The two cities love to hate on each other, sports related or not.
Myles Garrett Still Seeking First Regular Season Victory in Pittsburgh
The Browns have begun to experience success versus the Steelers in Cleveland. That’s occurred since Garrett joined the team in 2017.
But Garrett still hasn’t beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh during the regular season. After December 8, the Browns are 0-7 at Acrisure Stadium when Garrett plays.
The Browns’ struggles in Pittsburgh, though, started long before Garrett joined the club. With the Steelers win in Week 14, they have now beaten the Browns in 21 consecutive regular season matchups at Acrisure Stadium. The Browns last won in Pittsburgh during the regular season in 2003.
That streak is only three shy of the longest winning streak for any team against any opponent at one stadium in NFL history. The record belongs to the Green Bay Packers against the Detroit Lions. The Packers won 24 straight regular season games versus the Lions from 1992-2014 at Lambeau Field.
It’s important to note, though, that the Browns do have a victory at Acrisure Stadium over the past two decades. That came during the 2020-21 playoffs.
The Browns upset the Steelers 48-37 in the AFC wild card round in January 2021. Garrett only had 1 tackle in the game, but Cleveland’s defense intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger five times.
Garrett will have to wait until next season, though, to avenge the December 8 “Cleveland sucks” chant. The Week 14 loss eliminated the Browns from playoff competition.
Meanwhile, the Steelers improved to 10-3. They now hold a two-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North with four weeks remaining in the season.
