The Cleveland Browns took a beating on Monday night in Pittsburgh. In addition to losing the game against their longtime AFC North Division rival, the Browns suffered the loss of one of the best runningbacks in the League. Nick Chubb suffered a knee injury too gruesome to replay on television and the talented but often injured Browns runner is shelved for the year.
Then there was the game for the Browns, who came into the contest off a satisfying opening week victory over the talented Cincinnati Bengals, 24-3, and were looking to hand the home team a second straight loss to open the 2023 season. The Steelers were clobbered on opening day by the visiting San Francisco 49ers, 30-7.
So, what did we have here on Monday night?
We had a Browns team off a huge win playing a Steelers squad following a lopsided defeat. In the world of motivation, this arms the Steelers with all the weapons.
How did that work out?
Well, the Browns defense overcame the motivational hole with a huge effort, limiting Mike Tomlin’s squad to 55 rushing yards, nearly one fourth of the 198 Cleveland gained on the ground. The Browns had 20 first downs, the Steelers only nine. Cleveland also passed for more yards and possessed the ball more than ten minutes longer than the home team.