Noah Hiles: Until they win in Pittsburgh, the Browns are still the Browns

Noah Hiles, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct 31, 2026

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — The visiting team on Sunday looks good on paper, talented enough to perhaps make this matchup one of the most important games of the Steelers’ season.

Then again, we’re talking about the Cleveland Browns.

Maybe that line of thinking is a product of my environment. For the majority of my life, playing the Browns signified a stress-free win for the Steelers, something they could count on twice a year in Pittsburgh.

But that’s no longer the case. In recent years, the Browns have made this an even fight. The Steelers haven’t won a game in Cleveland since 2021. The longtime punching bag has won five of its last nine matchups against its heavyweight Steelers.

Pittsburgh has had more success against the Baltimore Ravens (winning six of eight) and the Cincinnati Bengals (six of nine) over that stretch. This would suggest little brother is now a true threat.

Then again, we’re talking about the Browns.

Cleveland hasn’t won a regular-season game in Pittsburgh since Oct. 5, 2003. Not a single player in today’s NFL was on an active roster back then. Many weren’t even alive.

So much has changed since then. The Steelers’ dominance over the Browns has sustained.

Sure, there was a playoff loss in 2020, but it came in a year when everything was bizarre. Things returned to normal the next fall.

One would think Cleveland’s recent success might indicate a win at Acrisure Stadium is on the horizon, that the franchise is due.

Then again, we’re talking about the Browns.

This isn’t their first time flirting with competence. But they always find a way to screw it up.

This was especially true in 2022, when just a year after beating the Steelers in the playoffs, Cleveland kicked quarterback Baker Mayfield to the curb and replaced him with DeShaun Watson — a player facing serious off-the-field allegations that ultimately led to him being suspended by the league.

Not only did the Browns pick Watson over Mayfield, their first serviceable quarterback in years, they signed him to a historic, fully-guaranteed megadeal, one never before seen in the NFL.

The majority of Watson’s time in Cleveland has been nothing short of a disaster. They made the playoffs once, after he suffered a season-ending injury.

This year, so far, has been different. Watson has the Browns rolling. They surprisingly boast a 5-2 record and are a perfect 2-0 in the AFC North.

Their offense, while flawed, has done enough to get the job done. Its best effort of the season came against the Steelers, a Week 4 victory that was secured when Watson led the Browns on a winning drive in the final minute. If he gave the Steelers’ secondary fits once, he should be able to do it a second time.

Then again, we’re talking about the Browns.

There’s a part of me that wants to see this as a huge game. It should be — two teams atop the AFC North facing off in early November, a historic rivalry known for fights on the field and in the stands.

The Steelers should feel some pressure. Mike McCarthy’s team has so much to lose on Sunday. A second loss to Cleveland would be devastating.

Its opponent, meanwhile, has so much to gain. The city of Cleveland is buzzing right now. To them, this is the biggest regular-season matchup in years. A win could potentially change the rivalry moving forward.

Then again, we’re talking about the Browns.

And until they can win in Pittsburgh, it’s hard to view any home matchup against them as anything different, regardless of the records and players on either side.

This, for the Steelers, is business as usual. Sunday’s game is important but nothing new. It’s a game they have to win. It’s also one I’m confident they will.

Because we’re not talking about a matchup against Joe Burrow and the Bengals or Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, nor is it a showdown against the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City Chiefs.

We’re talking about the Browns.