It's pretty obvious that the Cleveland Browns 2024 campaign hasn't gone the way that anyone inside the organization anticipated.
After a magical run to the playoffs in 2023, this season began with Super Bowl aspirations. Those dreams evaporated pretty quickly, after Cleveland got off to a dreadful 1-6 start, and boasted one of the worst offenses in NFL history with quarterback Deshaun Watson under center to start the season.
Since losing Watson to a season-ending Achilles injury and turning the offense over to veteran Jameis Winston, things have been better – or at the very least more exciting. Unfortunately, it hasn't equaled much more winning though. The Browns enter Week 14 at 3-9, on the brink of being officially mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with another loss.
That hasn't stopped players from playing hard. And now, it's small goals like sweeping the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time in 36 years that serve as motivation. After a thrilling, 24-19 win over their biggest rival at a snowy Huntington Bank Field two weeks ago, Browns have a chance to accomplish to do something three decades worth of rosters couldn't on Sunday.
So what would it mean to pull off such a feat, even in a lost season?
"That is a little bit of history that we haven't accomplished in quite a long time," star pass rusher Myles Garrett said. "So if there's something you can fight for, you got to go out and find it. Like I said, you got to find a reason why you got to start to build your legacy and that's part of our legacy. If we want it, we go out there and achieve it. But it's going to be tough. They're a really good team and we have to respect them, but it's out there if we really do want it."
Despite not being part of this rivalry for very long, starting quarterback Winston is well aware of what beating the Steelers means. Fresh off a franchise record passing performance that saw him rack up 497 yards in a loss to Denver on Monday Night Football, the 30-year-old is already becoming a fan favorite in Cleveland. If he's able to make more franchise history by being the first QB to beat Pittsburgh twice in over 30 years, he may just reach Beatles levels of popularity in this town.
"It’s beautiful, just the history, when you think about the history of any organization, having this organization with beating the Steelers, right," said Winston of the opportunity. "Again, man, getting a win in general is going to be important to the organization. The fact that we have an opportunity to do it against the Pittsburgh Steelers is going to be even better. I love statistics, I love history and hopefully, Lord willing man, we can get that for this city, for this organization."
Sweeping the Steelers isn't the only demon the Browns are hoping to exercise on Sunday. They also haven't won a regular season game in Pittsburgh in over 20 years. Everyone remembers the team's thrilling 48-37 Wild Card win in the Steel City back in 2021. That was the franchise's first win at Acrisure Stadium (then known as Heinz Field) since 2003.
Nobody knows the house of horrors that stadium has been better than Joel Bitonio.
Obviously Pittsburgh's been a great organization for a long time, so if we can go out there and get a win this week and go 2-0 against them, it's a good step for us," Bitonio said this week. "You always talk about winning your division and we've obviously shown we can win our division games. We have to put some other stuff together as well, but it'll be a big challenge this weekend, but it'll be big for us if we can find a way to do that."
In a lost season, two wins over Pittsburgh would be just about the best consultation prize Browns fans could ask for. And while it wouldn't was away the frustrations of a disappointing 2024 season, it would give everyone something to feel good about.
The same goes for the players, who are currently 2-1 against the AFC North this year and have a chance to guarantee at least a 500 finish in the division with a win. Kevin Stefanski isn't really known to get overly emotional over one game, but he continually admits that division games are important to the organization.
Finishing with winning record against their division opponents by seasons end is one of the last remaining goals Cleveland has to play for at this point. The first step is freeing themselves from the decades of Steelers oppression and getting a win in Week 14.
"To be able to do [sweep them], especially since you said since what year, 1988," Elijah Moore said, "Yeah, we got to change that. We got to break these chains."
