If the Browns had any ideas about being AFC North contenders, the Steelers put them in their place today.
In a one-sided beatdown of a game, Pittsburgh stormed out to a 24-0 lead and coasted to a 38-7 victory. This game was never close.
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was injured heading into the game, and the four sacks he took didn’t help. Mayfield finished with just 119 passing yards before he was pulled in favor of Case Keenum.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also left the game early, as Mason Rudolph came on in relief once the Steelers had the game in hand. When last we saw Rudolph, it was an ugly scene with Cleveland’s Myles Garrett beating him over the head with his own helmet, but this time the only ugliness was the way the Browns played.
The Steelers are now 5-0 and remain atop the AFC North. The Browns, at 4-2, may be wild card contenders, but they’re still not near the class of the division.