It is impossible to precisely measure how much of an effect the crowd has on an NFL game. But you know it when you see it and feel it, which was the case when the Cleveland Browns played the Pittsburgh Steelers at Huntington Bank Field on Thursday night.
Browns fans were ready from the get-go and kept it up until the final whistle, helping the team to a 27-24 victory against their longtime rivals. It was the most satisfying victory in the past couple of years, and it served notice that this season is likely going to be much better than anyone expected.
The scene even earned praise from the opposing head coach, as Mike McCarthy made an honest admission about the Browns and their fans following the game.
“It’s the best environment I’ve played in this stadium in my time in the league,” McCarthy said.
Steelers coach Mike McCarthy on the crowd at Huntington Bank Field tonight: "It's the best environment I've played in this stadium in my time in the league."
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) October 2, 2026
McCarthy, who is a native of Pittsburgh, has been in the NFL since 1993, when he was an assistant coach with the Kansas City Chiefs. What was once known as Cleveland Browns Stadium opened in 1999, so the 62-year-old has been in the league for its entire existence.
Best known for his time as head coach of the Green Bay Packers and later the Dallas Cowboys, McCarthy was never a divisional rival of the Browns, but his words still carry some weight. His first experience in the Browns-Steelers rivalry did not go his way, but that did not keep him from appreciating the atmosphere on Thursday night.
In fact, the Cleveland fans have become almost as much of a story as the team, which is 3-1 for the first time since 2001 and in first place in the AFC North. After booing Deshaun Watson during the preseason and then being criticized by him, they were gearing up to turn on the troubled quarterback at the first opportunity.
Instead, Watson has completely flipped that narrative with two game-winning drives in front of them in the past five days. On Sunday, his fourth-quarter touchdown pass gave the Browns a 21-18 victory against the Carolina Panthers, and then he engineered a field-goal drive for the 27-24 win against the Steelers.
Now, the fans can’t wait to welcome him and the Browns back home when they host the rival Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Oct. 18.
NEXT: Harold Fannin Jr. Has Honest Admission About Thursday's Win
