The Steelers have been incredibly resilient to go 7-3 without Ben Roethlisberger and to win the past two Sundays despite using mostly third-stringers at skill positions.
But the Steelers won yesterday because the Browns turned into the Browns – not just as a team, but also individually.
Undrafted free agent Duck Hodges had 212 yards passing. First pick overall Baker Mayfield had 196.
Fourth-round rookie Benny Snell had 63 yards rushing. NFL rushing leader Nick Chubb had 58.
Second-year receiver James Washington had four catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. All-world wideout Odell Beckham Jr. had three catches for 29 yards.
All of the Browns players mentioned have superior pedigree and talent. But each got outperformed by his opposite number.
Maybe it’s the uniform, the team, the town, the hype, or not ever being ready for prime time.
But the Browns are the Browns. You don’t have to beat them. At crunch time, they beat themselves.
The last word of this blog goes to Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd via Twitter:
Courtesy of Getty Images.