Browns must start winning in Pittsburgh
By STEVE KING
The Browns are three-point underdogs against the Pittsburgh Steelers for their AFC North showdown on Sunday at Heinz Field.
@Browns fans do I need to remind you what week this!?! pic.twitter.com/dytApr3zUi
— Eric Metcalf (@EricMetcalf21) October 13, 2020
They opened as four-point ‘dogs, but the line had shrunk to three by Tuesday.
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Whatever the case, I’m surprised the spread is not greater. The Browns, perhaps surprisingly so to many people — appear to have a good team this season — there’s no doubt about that — but the Steelers have a good team, too, and actually a better one, at least on paper. The Browns have an outstanding offense, better than that of the Steelers, but Pittsburgh, as per its reputation, has a much better defense than Cleveland, a dominating one, in fact, that is especially tough against the run, which is the Browns’ strength.
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Plus, there’s the fact that the Browns have won just once — one time, for crying out loud! — at Heinz Field since the place opened in 2001, and that was way back in 2003 when, on Sunday Night Football, quarterback Tim Couch played his most complete — and best game — as a pro in a 33-13 win. He passed and ran the ball efficiently and effectively, completing 20-of-25 passes for two touchdowns and added a rushing scorer– it was what the Browns envisioned Couch doing when they took him at No. 1 overall in the 1999 NFL Draft — and cornerback Daylon McCutcheon (remember him?) picked off a Tommy Maddox pass and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter to give the Browns a 20-point lead and virtually seal the deal.
It was nine months earlier that Maddox, on that same field, led a furious comeback, rallying Pittsburgh from a 23-7 third-quarter deficit to a 36-33 win over the stunned Browns in the 2002 AFC wild-card playoff victory. Quarterback Kelly Holcomb passed for a whopping 429 yards and three TDs in that game and the Browns still didn’t win.
Until the Browns start winning in Pittsburgh, there’s no reason to go out on the limb and predict them to win this Sunday or any other Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday. There just isn’t.
The Browns still don’t think in their heart of hearts that they will win in Pittsburgh. There’s no confidence there, because history indicates there’s no reason for confidence.
The Browns’ problem in winning in Pittsburgh is the same as Michigan’s problem in beating Ohio State anywhere, including even on Jim Harbaugh’s front yard. It’s a mental block, and it’s incumbent on Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and his assistants to get the club over the hump — somehow, some way — on Sunday in this all-important contest.
