There is little love lost between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers, which new Browns DE Jared Verse and longtime Steelers DT Cameron Heyward made clear with their jabs back-and-forth in the media this week.
Then, on Friday, Cleveland safety Grant Delpit entered the fray.
Delpit’s commentary was less inflammatory than Verse calling the Steelers dirty, Heyward taking exception to that and saying it “will be addressed” on Sunday, then Verse coming back with the remark that no one on Pittsburgh’s roster really concerns him.
Instead, a reporter asked Delpit about what makes it hard to win in the Steel City. And while the veteran defensive back threw a little respect the fans’ way, he was not complimentary whatsoever of the playing atmosphere at Acrisure Stadium.
“I don’t know. The grass sucks. That’s one. Grass is terrible, but they have a good crowd, of course, and they’re a good team. So they just had our number the past few years there and hopefully we get that
“I don’t know. The grass sucks. That’s one. Grass is terrible,” Delpit said, per Camryn Justice of WEWS. “But they have a good crowd, of course. And they’re a good team. So they just had our number the past few years there, and hopefully we get that back.”
Delpit, who inked a $45 million extension in July, has been with the Browns for six years and has never been on the winning side of a regular-season game in Pittsburgh.
Cleveland lost in Pittsburgh last year by a score of 23-9 and also went down there in 2024 by a tally of 27-14. The Browns fell on the road to the Steelers in 2023, losing 26-22, and in 2022 by a score of 28-14. Pittsburgh defeated Cleveland 26-14 in Delpit’s rookie campaign.
In fact, the last time the Browns won on the road against the Steelers was January of 2021 in a playoff game following the 2020 campaign. Baker Mayfield led Cleveland to a 48-37 victory in the team’s most recent postseason win.
Browns Got Better of Steelers in Cleveland Earlier This Season
However, it was the Browns who had the Steelers’ number earlier this season when the two teams met in Cleveland during a Week 4 showdown in primetime on “Thursday Night Football.”
Quarterback Deshaun Watson played one of his best games of the season, completing 24-of-33 passes for 268 yards, one TD and one INT. He also led the Browns on a seven-play, 36-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to set up a game-winning field goal off the foot of kicker Andre Szmyt to seal a 27-24 win.
That victory helped Cleveland to a record of 5-2 heading into Week 8, which is the same mark Pittsburgh holds. The Browns currently own the tiebreak, but will have to win on the road Sunday to claim the outright AFC North Division lead at the midway point of the season.
Browns Underdogs to Capture Outright AFC North Division Lead in Pittsburgh This Weekend
The Browns also have a win over the Baltimore Ravens this year and are currently 2-0 in the division. Cleveland has won five of six contests since losing on the road to the Jacksonville Jaguars by 24 points in the season opener.
Still, the Browns enter Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh as 3.5-point underdogs as of Friday evening, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cleveland takes on the Saints in New Orleans in Week 9 and hosts the Houston Texans in Week 10 before a bye in Week 11.
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