Ben Roethlisberger was the first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004. In his 17 seasons as a quarterback with the Steelers, Roethlisberger has never seen the Cleveland Browns win a game in Pittsburgh.
The last time the Browns managed to win a game in Pittsburgh came in 2003 in a 33-13 whipping of a Tommy Maddox led Steelers team. It remains the only time the Browns have won a game in Heinz Field and is one of just two victories the franchise has since being reborn in 1999. The expansion Browns also earned a 16-15 win over the Steelers that season.
“We are not worried about the past. We are worried about right now,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said, via Tom Withers of the Associated Press.
Nevertheless, this year’s Browns may be one of the best equipped teams to snap the skid in Pittsburgh. They head to the Steel City this weekend with a 4-1 record under their belts and a four-game winning streak that has seen the team score at least 32 points per game over that span.
But the Steelers aren’t chum in the water.. They bring a 4-0 record into this weekend’s meeting.
It’s not the first time the Browns have had an extended Pittsburgh problem. They lost 16 straight games in Pittsburgh from 1970-85 before a 27-24 win in 1986 sparked a four-year run of victories. They would then lose six straight games on the road before the franchise moved to Baltimore following the 1995 season. In total, the Browns have won just two of their last 25 games in Pittsburgh.
“Obviously, division games are always meaningful for us, but they are undefeated and we are 4-1,” Mayfield said. “It is an extremely important game, but that is because it is the next one. We have to handle it that way, and we are on the road in somebody else’s house.”