The Cleveland Browns will face the toughest schedule in the NFL this season with its opponents’ 2023 records having the best combined winning percentage of any team in the league.
Despite facing multiple playoff teams from a season ago, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson believes Cleveland’s fans circle two dates every season when the team faces one rival in particular.
MLFootball shared on Twitter which team Watson believes is the Browns’ biggest rival, calling Cleveland’s rivalry with AFC North foe Pittsburgh one of the biggest rivalries in all of professional sports.
“Baltimore is up there, but it ain’t as real as Pittsburgh,” Watson said.
Watson’s comments are often echoed by fans, ranking the Steelers higher than rivalries with AFC North foes Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Since 2019, the Steelers have a 6-5 series lead with Cleveland winning four of the last five games inside Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Cleveland has won only one regular season game on the road against Pittsburgh since the Steelers opened Heinz Field, a 2003 victory over their rivals.
The Browns did earn a 48-37 victory over Pittsburgh in the 2020 NFL playoffs, their second win over the Steelers inside their 23-year-old stadium.
Pittsburgh owns an 81-63-1 series lead, but Cleveland held the edge over the Steelers for 55 years until the 2006 season.
Watson has never defeated the Steelers in three attempts, including one while the quarterback was with the Houston Texans.
This season, Watson will have an opportunity to beat Pittsburgh for the first time in Week 12 at home in a Thursday Night Football contest.
