The Browns will host this week’s Thursday night matchup, welcoming the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers into town for a primetime affair.
Although Cleveland is 2-8 on the season, the Browns will have extra motivation for this contest due to how meaningful a win would be for the franchise’s fanbase.
Pittsburgh – who enters the game at 8-2 and riding a five-game win streak – could be overlooking this matchup due to the disparity between the two teams’ records.
That’s what former Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is doing.
On the “Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger” podcast this week, the Super Bowl champion dismissed the Thursday night contest with the Browns, taking a big jab at his former team’s rival.
“Let’s just mark that for a (win) for Thursday for the Steelers,” Roethlisberger said, adding, “We don’t even need to play Thursday to be honest.”
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Pittsburgh has been undefeated with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson manning the offense, winning all four starts the signal-caller has made for the team since taking over the quarterback duties from Justin Fields.
Roethlisberger also cast doubt about the Browns’ defense this season, asking, “Where’s that Browns defense that you heard about all year, maybe one of the best defenses?”
Indeed, the Browns have been mediocre defensively this season, and their most recent outing – a 35-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints – has cast doubt on the motivation of this team.
Cleveland could use Roethlisberger’s jab at the team as extra motivation to win their third game of the season, looking to emphatically stamp out their divisional rival in the primetime contest.
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