It was clear that Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. was not pleased with his team’s loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12. But while criticizing his team after the defeat, Moore may have not given enough credit to his opponent.
That was how a few NFL pundits and fans reacted to Moore’s Week 12 postgame comments.
First, Moore claimed the Steelers didn’t give their best effort against Cleveland. Then, he argued the Steelers can’t let a team like the Browns “hang around” because it allows them to build confidence.
“A team like the Browns? Perhaps that can go on Garrett’s clipboard, too,” wrote The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko.
Steelers Depot’s Matthew Marczi didn’t 100% agree with Moore’s choice of words.
“The Steelers allowing the Browns to hang around may not be the most apt phrasing,” Marczi wrote. “After all, the Steelers trailed in the game for about 43 minutes before finally taking the lead.”
Commenters in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chat room were not pleased with Moore’s reaction to the loss either.
“Dan Moore says they didn’t bring their best,” Matthew Rizzo wrote. “Why are they not bringing their best in games like these?!”
Steelers’ Dan Moore Sends Strong Message to Teammates
Moore seemed to have good intentions with the message he tried to deliver after the loss to the Browns. But he may have failed in the execution.
To begin Week 12, the Steelers drove into Cleveland territory twice on their first two drives but failed to score points. Meanwhile, the Browns had two three-and-outs to begin the game.
Pittsburgh then had another decent drive on its third possession of the contest but settled for a field goal.
That could be what Moore meant by allowing the Browns to “hang around.” If the Steelers scored a touchdown or at least another field goal on their first three drives, then they wouldn’t have fallen into a 10-3 hole after the Browns woke up on offense.
But based on how the game transpired overall, most would probably not say the Steelers allowed the Browns to “hang around.” If anything, Cleveland wasn’t able to put Pittsburgh away until the very end of the fourth quarter.
As far as not giving their best effort, Moore threw fuel on a popular fire in Pittsburgh with that comment. A lot of Steelers fans strongly preach the narrative that Mike Tomlin’s teams play down to competition.
Losses to division rivals happen even when the records of the two teams are lopsided. Just ask the Washington Commanders and Houston Texans.
But this isn’t the first time Tomlin has lost to a team with a below .500 record after the midseason point. Last year, the Steelers lost to the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots in December. Both the Cardinals and Patriots had just 2 wins entering the matchup.
It’s worth noting, though, that Mitch Trubisky played a bulk of those two games last season.
In 2024, the Steelers are 3-3 against teams with losing records. The three teams Pittsburgh has lost to have a combined 12-22 record.
Moore Gives Browns More Bulletin Board Material?
Perhaps even worse than admitting to not giving their best, Moore’s choice of words could be seen as a subtle dig at the Browns.
“Definitely — especially with us letting them hang around for as long as we did,” Moore said, via Batko. “It gives a team like that confidence. That’s something we have to learn to not do.”
Batko suggested that could make the Browns bulletin board prior to the next matchup in the Steelers-Browns rivalry. That’s less than two weeks away.
Bulletin board material was a theme in the Week 12 showdown. Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was clearly amped over the tweet T.J. Watt delivered after Garrett won the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year award.
The Browns came out with a lot of energy that, for whatever reason, the Steelers didn’t match.
“Even Browns linebacker and Steelers first-round disappointment Devin Bush was fired up from start to finish, shaking his fist over top of Jaylen Warren after a Denzel Ward tackle in the third quarter,” wrote Batko.
The Steelers and Browns will meet again at Acrisure Stadium on December 8.
