Browns find themselves in control of AFC North
Talk about a productive weekend. The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have to do anything and moved into first place in the AFC North.
With the Bengals and Ravens losing, the Steelers pulled a half-game ahead of both teams for the top spot in the division. Now they’ll try to stay there with two important division games in the next two weeks.
The Steelers play host to the Browns Sunday and then travel to Baltimore the next week. The Steelers and Browns played to a 21-21 tie in the season opener in Cleveland and lost to the Ravens at home, 26-14, earlier this month.
In the season opener against the Browns, the Steelers turned the ball over six times. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger knows they can’t do that again if they want to win this game.
“Anytime you turn the ball over you’re disappointed,” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t know if it was one of those games whether it was elements, them making plays, us not making plays. … there were a lot of factors involved. At the end of the day they made the plays and made us turn the ball over.”
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett caused one of those fumbles when he stripped running back James Conner from behind in the fourth quarter. Jabrill Peppers scooped it up and returned it to the Steelers’ 1-yard line. The Browns scored on the next play to cut the deficit to seven points. They tied the score a few minutes later.
Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward accounted for two of those turnovers when he intercepted Roethlisberger twice.
“It starts with the pass rush,” Roethlisberger said. “Myles is one of the best in the business. He’s long. He gets after the quarterback. He gets good jumps. In the secondary they catch the ball. We always joke defenders play defense because they can’t catch. But they can catch the ball. They just don’t bat it down. They make plays.”
The Browns offense will have a different look this time around. Rookie Baker Mayfield took over as starting quarterback in the third week of the season and Nick Chubb has taken over as the top running back after Carlos Hyde was traded to Jacksonville.
“This guy is a tremendous competitor,” head coach Mike Tomlin said of Mayfield. “People gain energy off competitors. He’s a catalyst for good for them. He inspires others with his approach.”
The Browns are 1-3 with Mayfield as their starter. He has completed 57 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and five interceptions.
SERIES HISTORY: 132nd regular-season meeting. Steelers lead series, 72-58-1. These two teams played to a scoreless tie in the season opener after the Browns erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. The Steelers are 10-1-1 in the past 12 meetings. The Steelers have not lost to the Browns at home since October of 2003. The Steelers and Browns have met twice in the playoffs, with the Steelers winning both times in 1994 and 2002.
