Browns to start Josh McCown at QB for Cody Kessler

The Steelers are 35-6 against the Browns since 1994. Tim Couch, whom the reborn franchise made the No. 1 overall pick in 1999, has the next most with nine wins in Cleveland. The Browns have won three regular-season games since November 23, 2014. The conditions definitely favored the Steelers.

While the pass rush helped the Steelers (5-5) snap their four-game losing streak and draw into a tie with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North, the effort came against what is shaping up as one of worst teams in the history of the NFL.

Jackson said Monday via Cabot that the Browns have “to continue to have each other’s backs”, and in voicing their concerns about Cleveland’s ability to protect its quarterbacks, that’s exactly what Pryor and Thomas are doing. “I know that no one wants to see our quarterback getting hit, but I think everybody has to let me be the judge of that”. Two plays earlier, Harrison sacked Kessler, giving him the Steelers record.

“We want to score a touchdown”, Tomlin explained.

Starting at the Cleveland 41, Roethlisberger drove the Steelers to the Browns 3 with 8 seconds left. The game marked the first for Tony Romo to serve as the backup to Prescott, who finished 27 of 36 for 301 yards.

While the noise surrounding his team was loud and (mostly) negative during the four-game losing streak, Tomlin obviously found a way to keep that noise on the outside, as the Steelers played with renewed intensity, determination and objective on Sunday. Their first two possessions drained more than 9 minutes off the clock, and they came away with their only offensive touchdown on a two-minute drill that featured back-to-back plays on untimed downs. The Browns did not stop the Steelers from reaching the line of scrimmage one single time on Sunday. Andrew Luck arguably is the best quarterback the Steelers defense has had to face so far. He recorded his second interception of the season to end that first Browns’ scoring drive and remains the only Steelers defensive back with an interception this season. “I have to do that better, too”.

Danielle Hunter had two of the team’s four sacks, the most by the Vikings since their most recent victory six weeks ago. We had some good parts of a game, but not a complete game. We were like, ‘OK, we need to find a way to win a football game so we don’t go 0-16.’ To Rod’s testament, he stood by that. Steelers defenders responded with eight sacks, which made it extremely hard for the Cleveland Browns to build up any sort of momentum on the offensive side of the ball. Boswell converted three short field goals and his only extra point attempt. The ref either didn’t see it or took pity on Haden, as he kept his flag in his pocket and, in the process, forced the Steelers to punt.

The Steelers play the Colts in the final game of the Thanksgiving Day tripleheader. “I just go out there and try to lead by example”, Harrison said. “At the same time, there’s a lot of things we did wrong out there, a lot of things that we can improve on”. “I wish we would have gotten it last week at home”.

While he was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, Hue Jackson was considered one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the NFL.

“Well, we lost a couple really good players, I think the best at their position”, Thomas said of Mack and Schwartz, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

More importantly for the Browns than the final score is Kessler’s health.

Cody Kessler sustained a concussion – his second this season – late in the third quarter. He also suffered rib and best injuries in the October 9 game against New England.