Throughout the Ben Roethlisberger era, the Pittsburgh Steelers had their way with the Cleveland Browns. He finished his career with a 26-2-1 record against them, with both losses coming on the road. The story has been told multiple times about how the hometown kid was passed up by the Browns in the 2004 NFL Draft, so when he got drafted by their division rival in Pittsburgh, he just dominated Cleveland regularly. Even in retirement, he joins Steeler Nation in letting them know who they really are with every chance he gets.
While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Roethlisberger was given another chance to take a dig at the Browns, and he did so without skipping a beat.
Technically, it was a 40-yard run from where he was standing before taking off, but officially, it went down as a 30-yard touchdown run for clarity's sake. That run happened in Week 9 of 2007, and it was a key play in the game as the Steelers edged out the Browns by a final score of 31-28. Only Cleveland could let a slow runner like Roethlisberger run through the entire defense like that.
The Browns weren't even a bad team that year. They went 10-6 and barely missed the playoffs, which very few teams with double-digit wins do. However, the franchise has known nothing but Murphy's Law since their revival in 1999. Whatever can go wrong for them will happen. If they stop Roethlisberger's run early on in the play, they may win that game and clinch a playoff berth. Too bad they can't have nice things.
Steelers Thrive Off Of Browns' Regret
In the 2004 draft, the Browns could have walked away with a franchise quarterback like Roethlisberger. Instead, they traded up one spot to select Kellen Winslow II, whose career was full of injuries and suspensions. He had just one Pro Bowl season with the team before being traded away prior to the 2009 regular season. By that point in time, Roethlisberger had won two Super Bowls with the Steelers and quickly cementing his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Browns were at least able to get a little bit of revenge on Roethlisberger, as they beat his Steelers in the 2020 Wild Card Round. That game doesn't take away the history of pure dominance from Pittsburgh's end, but at least Cleveland had one moment to forget about their painful past. It was just a moment, however, as Murphy's Law came back with a vengeance.
Roethlisberger's Statement Still Rings True
Baker Mayfield, the quarterback that won that Wild Card game, was traded away for scraps after a bad season where he played injured. He is now thriving with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won a playoff game with them and earned a nice three-year contract. Mayfield has found his home while Cleveland has entered the worst-case scenario.
The Browns traded away a package that included three first-round picks to the Houston Texans for their former star quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Despite not playing in the season before the deal and having numerous lawsuits being filed against him, they gave him a fully guaranteed five-year megadeal. The team has to keep re-structuring his contract just to be cap compliant. They have gotten none of the rewards from that risk either.
While Mayfield has kept Tampa Bay around as playoff contenders, Watson has been an absolute disaster. If it weren't for Joe Flacco turning back the clock in 2023 while the starter was hurt, the Browns would be nowhere close to the playoffs. Now that he's with the Indianapolis Colts and he is healthy, they have to continue rolling with him. On a franchise with nothing but subpar quarterback play aside from Mayfield, Watson is the worst passer in team history. Everything is truly against the Browns.
