by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published November 1, 2026, 5:39 PM

Steelers Smack Browns in the Mouth

Pittsburgh, PA – Some pep in the step. Some funk in the walk. That was the vibe Cleveland was bringing to Pittsburgh with its 5-2 start and last-second victory over the Steelers in Week 4.

Jared Verse running his mouth. The Browns puffing out their chests. Cleveland enjoying the unfamiliar sensation of looking down at Pittsburgh rather than staring up from the bottom of the AFC North food chain.

Everything was lookiing up for Cleveland.

Until it wasn’t.

The ignition switch was flipped on Cleveland’s narrative of superiority before either offense touched the football.

At the coin toss.

The Browns elected to receive the opening kickoff, a seemingly harmless decision that Pittsburgh’s defense interpreted as an invitation to commit acts of football violence.

By late Sunday afternoon, the Steelers had delivered a 27-6 whipping, their most lopsided victory since dismantling Cincinnati 34-12 in Week 11 last season.

Eight sacks. Two takeaways. Jaylen Warren running wild.

Cleveland was beaten by football’s purest forms of brutality.

Run the damn ball. Punish the quarterback. Repeat until somebody waves a white flag.

The Browns arrived with an attitude and departed with an ass-kicking.

The Coin Toss That Lit the Fuse

Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker wasn’t particularly interested in sugarcoating what Cleveland’s decision to receive the football meant to Pittsburgh’s defense.

“I think them taking the ball was kind of disrespectful, especially being at home,” Brisker said. “So, it kind of turned us up.”

Imagine that.

Cleveland wins the coin toss and somehow manages to lose the psychological warfare before the first snap.

“For them to receive it, being at home, it was disrespectful for sure,” Brisker continued. “So, they definitely was talked about defensive-wise.”

The Browns wanted the football.

Pittsburgh wanted Deshaun Watson.

And the Steelers spent the next three hours making sure the two weren’t particularly comfortable together.

Cleveland’s opening possessions produced two lost fumbles, and Pittsburgh’s defense established the afternoon’s operating conditions.

There would be no hospitality.

No warm welcome.

And absolutely no concern for Cleveland’s growing collection of bruises.

Eight Sacks and a Whole Lot of Shut Up

The Steelers registered eight sacks, their highest total since burying Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield nine times on January 3, 2022.

Apparently, the Browns have a recurring problem with quarterbacks remaining upright in Pittsburgh.

T.J. Watt collected two sacks. Patrick Queen and Cameron Heyward added 1.5 apiece. Nick Herbig and Kevin Jobity Jr. each recorded one, while Alex Highsmith and Keeanu Benton shared the remaining damage.

Watson completed 27 passes for 324 yards, numbers that might impress somebody who didn’t watch him spend the afternoon dodging Pittsburgh defenders.

The Browns managed only 34 rushing yards on 15 attempts.

Thirty-four.

That’s not a running game. That’s a malfunctioning treadmill.

Brisker credited Pittsburgh’s defensive chemistry for the eight-sack feeding frenzy.

“Just rushing cover, and then obviously, you know, we have a great D-line,” he said. “Them just doing their job and going to go get the quarterback, and really just working together.”

But the afternoon’s most delicious sound bite came when Brisker was asked about his roughing-the-passer penalty.

“I think just babying the quarterback, he laying there, you know, crying or whatever,” Brisker said.

Then came the knockout punch.

“But he had his binky today, so they gave it. They threw it out there.”

Somebody alert the league office. Apparently, pacifiers are now standard quarterback equipment.

Verse Wrote Checks His Mouth Couldn’t Cash

Jared Verse had spent the buildup to Sunday’s rematch making enough noise to qualify as a municipal disturbance.

Following Cleveland’s Week 4 victory, Verse criticized Pittsburgh’s offensive line and questioned its tactics. During the week leading into the rematch, he suggested the Browns were coming to make Pittsburgh their own.

Brisker had heard enough.

“He should have kept his mouth shut,” Brisker said. “All that talking and, you know, to come out with zero tackles. I mean, that’s bad.”

And then Brisker delivered the sort of assessment that doesn’t require an advanced analytics department.

“You didn’t stand behind with your words and you didn’t stand on business. So, he got to look himself in the mirror and, you know, get better.”

Ouch.

Verse arrived selling intimidation and left with an empty stat sheet.

For a player who spent the week promising to dominate, the silence was almost poetic.

The Steelers didn’t need to win the argument.

They won the line of scrimmage.

Warren Turns Cleveland into Roadkill

While Pittsburgh’s defense was rearranging Cleveland’s afternoon, Jaylen Warren was busy conducting a demolition project of his own.

Warren rushed for 143 yards on 17 carries, averaging a ridiculous 8.4 yards per attempt.

Rico Dowdle added 56 yards and a touchdown. Warren found the end zone, too, while tight end Pat Freiermuth contributed another rushing score.

Pittsburgh finished with 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Fourteen of the Steelers’ 21 first downs came courtesy of the running game.

It was football stripped of its fancy packaging.

No smoke machines. No magic tricks. No offensive coordinator attempting to reinvent the wheel.

Just an offensive line knocking people backward and running backs making Cleveland regret getting off the bus.

Aaron Rodgers threw for only 172 yards because Pittsburgh didn’t need an aerial circus.

Darnell Washington provided the biggest passing highlight, turning three receptions into 94 yards, including a 58-yard catch-and-run.

Otherwise, the Steelers were perfectly content to keep punching Cleveland in the mouth.

And Cleveland kept swallowing its teeth.

Pittsburgh Did Its Talking Between the Lines

Robert Spears-Jennings had watched Cleveland’s social media performance throughout the week.

The young safety preferred a more traditional communication method.

“Felt good, but we wanted to dominate them,” Spears-Jennings said. “They were talking a lot of stuff on social media all week, but we didn’t really say that all week, so we just came out there executing, play our football.”

Veteran Jalen Ramsey saw something equally satisfying in Pittsburgh’s collective performance.

“Just guys flying around, guys having fun, guys trusting each other,” Ramsey said.

For Ramsey, the victory meant heading into the bye week with an opportunity to return home to Texas and spend time with his children.

“Usually, the best part of my day is when I walk in the door and they all run up to me,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey was heading home to hugs.

Cleveland was heading home humiliating by their nemesis.

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com