Steelers ready to face rival Browns after getting 'whooped' in playoffs

The Pittsburgh Steelers still have an awful taste in their mouth when they think of the last time they faced their rivals, the Cleveland Browns.

That meeting came on Super Wild Card Weekend, when the Browns throttled the Steelers 48-37.

On Sunday, the two rivals meet again.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Eric Ebron didn’t hold back when recalling the last time the two AFC foes played.

“They whooped our (butt) at home and sent us home,” tight end Eric Ebron said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “If you all can’t get motivated for that, you probably shouldn’t be playing football.”

One of the biggest factors that so many current Steelers remember wasn’t that the team lost, but how they lost.

Cleveland scored 28 points in the first quarter alone and the Browns held a comfortable 35-10 lead at halftime.

“You’re saying, ‘Damn, what just happened, we have three quarters left in this game,'” Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Chris Wormley said. “The biggest thing was the shock value that we were down four scores, and it’s the first quarter.”

Added Wormley: “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I know a lot of guys have been thinking about it. We’re trying to right that ship this week.”

Mike Tomlin on Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns rematch

Mike Tomlin is a longtime veteran NFL head coach who isn’t going to get too high or too low as the two teams prepare to play again on Sunday.

Tomlin acknowledges the sting of the last meeting with Cleveland likely factors into how his team approaches their next opponent, but the Pittsburgh Steelers front man is focused on 2021.

“I’m sure it comes up in some form or fashion, but not as a rallying cry or not as a focus of a meeting,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “There are a lot of variables that are (exclusive to) 2021 that should have our attention.

“We have a lot riding on this game, playing a really good team in their venue.”

After a slow start, the Steelers are right back in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt. Tomlin fully understands how big a win over the Browns on Sunday could be for his group.

“We still have five games left in our division,” Tomlin said. “Everybody’s got a lot of divisional play left. You can waste a lot of time looking at divisional standings on weeks like this one. That story will be written with play over the upcoming months, and that’s just the reality of it.”

While it’s abundantly clear the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t forgotten the last time they played the Browns, it’s obvious their primary focus is on the here and now.