The Pittsburgh Steelers have entered one of the wildest endings to a season they have ever had. They play all their divisional games in the second half of the season. They have already beaten the Baltimore Ravens once during their Week 11 game, and now they face the Cleveland Browns in Week 12. There has been a lot of importance placed on this part of their schedule - the AFC North was named the toughest division in football, and they are getting ready to begin filming Hard Knocks.
None of that external pressure tops the internal pressure the players place on themselves. This is especially true when heading into a game like this upcoming one on Thursday night against the Browns. The Steelers have never won a divisional game on the road on Thursday night under Head Coach Mike Tomlin. While they own the overall record against the Browns, they have struggled in Cleveland in recent years, and that struggle started with their Week 1 game in 2018.
A very confident Steelers team, led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, made the short trip across the state line to Cleveland to face the Browns and their quarterback Tyrod Taylor to kick off their 2018 season. The Steelers jumped out to an early lead, which they blew it in the fourth quarter, and the game went into overtime. The now-automatic Chris Boswell missed a 42-yard field and gave the ball back to the Browns. Fortunately, TJ Watt, who was only in his second season, blocked the Browns' 43-yard attempt, and the game ended in a tie.
This was like a Super Bowl win for the Browns, ending their 17-game losing streak. For Roethlisberger, it felt like a straight-up loss. Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward talked about that game on his podcast, Not Just Football with Cam Heyward. He said, like Roethlisberger, he wasn't happy about the tie and wasn't thrilled with how some of his teammates responded.
"Years ago, we were playing there, I think it was the start of the season, and they were coming off a losing season, and we ended up tying that game because TJ blocked a field goal," recalled Heyward. "I left that field being p***ed off and upset. There was way too many smiles that I saw. You know, they were ok with that tie. It's always been very tough to win up there and we're going to get a good shot from them."
Heyward said that all AFC North rival stadiums are hostile environments. Steelers fans travel well; we've seen them take over Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Washington already this season. That won't be the case in Cleveland. Heyward said the three worst places to play are Baltimore, Cleveland's "dawg pound," and the Cincinnati Bengals' "jungle."
Steelers' Cameron Heyward Hoping To Collect Another Heisman Trophy Win
Heyward also said on his show that he is hoping for a win against the Browns for another reason: to beat their quarterback, Jameis Winston, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2013. According to the All-Pro defender, he likes to "collect" wins over former Heisman winners.
He named some of the former college legends he got the best of during their time in the league. Heyward is now in his 14th season, so that list is rather long. It includes a recent win over Jayden Daniels as well as Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, and Marcus Mariota.
Heyward noted that he has never had the opportunity to play Winston before, but is looking forward to it. Winston expressed similar feelings about playing the Steelers, telling the media he greatly respects Tomlin and the team.
