Maybe it is a good thing that the Cleveland Browns, within a day of earning a win over the Titans on the road, were already thinking about facing the Steelers on Sunday in Pittsburgh. The game in Tennessee was a tight one, the Browns pulling out a win behind a late drive by quarterback Deshaun Watson and a kick by Andre Szmyt, as has been the norm. But it was one that the Browns are expected to win if they want to keep pace in what is shaping up to be a tougher than expected AFC North.
The Browns won’t be expected to beat the Steelers on the road, especially after Pittsburgh has responded to losing in Cleveland in Week 4 with three straight wins to go to 5-2, tied with the Browns. It would be a huge win on Sunday, no matter which team takes it.
Browns’ Todd Monken: Steelers Are ‘Physical’
With that in mind, Browns coach Todd Monken has maintained his “Browns hurting Browns” campaign, aimed at eliminating the frequent mistakes this team makes that stop drives and benefit foes.
Monken, talking with reporters on Monday, warned his bunch not to backslide on that, not with the stakes so high against a team like the Steelers.
“It’s against an opponent that has consistently won and played at a high level over an extended period of time, which is where we’re trying to get to,” Monken said. “They’re a physical football team, and you have to be a physical football team as well, and that has to be a staple. Your physicality and your effort has to be what our culture is.”
Monken referenced the first game, in which there were “a few times in that game where we did go across the line, whether it was the quarterback, whether it was the physicality, whether it was personal fouls, and ultimately that’s Browns hurting Browns.”
The Browns are still the second-most penalized team in the NFL, with 63 this season. But they’ve been nearly cutting those in half in recent weeks. After committing 43 penalties in the first four games, the Browns have 20 in the past three games. The Steelers have a net penalty total of plus-11 this season.
Browns’ Todd Monken Sends Warning Before Steelers Rematch