Todd Monken has made it very clear that whatever happened before he became head coach of the Cleveland Browns doesn’t matter very much. Rather than looking back at the disappointing past, Monken has kept his focus very much on the promising present.
That is why the Browns’ losing streak when visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers has not been a motivating tool this week. Monken would rather focus on what his team was able to do in its Week 4 victory against its rivals than what it hasn’t been able to do in 23 years.
ESPN insider Daniel Oyefusi revealed that Monken has a simple message for the Browns ahead of this Steelers game, saying they need to bring energy with them into Acrisure Stadium.
“The Browns haven’t won a regular season game in Pittsburgh since 2003. 22 straight losses. But head coach Todd Monken isn’t using that history to motivate his team in their game against the Steelers. In fact, a handful of players weren’t even born the last time the Browns won in Pittsburgh. As Monken said, it really doesn’t concern them. This young team, though, does have a lot of confidence after beating the Steelers at home in Week 4. But they know it’s gonna be a lot different on the road, where Monken said, ‘We’ve gotta bring our own juice for 60 minutes,'” Oyefusi said.
Cleveland hasn’t won a regular-season game at Pittsburgh since a 33-13 victory on Oct. 5, 2003. The Browns did win a playoff game there, claiming a 48-37 victory on Jan. 10, 2021.
In addition, the Browns will be trying to sweep a season series from the Steelers for the first time since 1988. By comparison, Pittsburgh has swept Cleveland 13 times since then.
This season, Cleveland earned a 27-24 victory at Huntington Bank Field with Andre Szmyt’s 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds to go. The Browns also won the first meeting in 2022 and 2024 but then extended their losing streak on the road.
According to The Athletic, Sunday will be the fifth time since 1999 that the Browns and Steelers have played when each team has a winning record. Not only that, Cleveland will be trying to extend its stay in first place in the AFC North, which has already gone later into any season since the 2014 campaign.
Interestingly, Pittsburgh is the only divisional opponent Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson has faced twice on the road, which speaks to his limited availability with the Browns before this season. He lost 28-14 in the 2022 season and 26-22 in 2023.
So, Watson has some history to overcome as well, and Monken would rather they be known for ending that long streak than adding to it.
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