CLEVELAND -- The race for the top spot in the AFC North Division is a tight one, and the Cleveland Browns are hoping to make it a little tighter come Sunday.
After fighting to a 21-21 tie in the 2018 regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, the Browns get a return match against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, a place they have not won since 2003.
“I think they are ready to play,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said of his players. “I think they understand what is at stake. We have not won on the road. We have not won in Pittsburgh. They hear it all. It is no question.
“We understand that we are in this race. You go win this game, you are way in this race. It is a huge game. It is a tremendous opportunity for us, and it is a huge stage, so let’s go conquer this. Let’s go to Pittsburgh and play the best football game we have played all year and go win the game.”
Down by a 21-7 count midway through the fourth quarter, the Browns scored 14 unanswered points to draw even with the Steelers in the waning moments of the season-opening tie. However, neither team was able to mount a drive that resulted in points in the overtime session.
After forcing their sixth turnover of the game when rookie linebacker Genard Avery stripped Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of the football on a sack, which fellow linebacker Joe Schobert recovered, the Browns had a first-and-10 at Pittsburgh’s 24-yard line.
Three plays later, kicker Zane Gonzalez had a 43-yard game-winning field goal attempt blocked by Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.
“Just to see that we tied with them the first time, we definitely want to get this win,” linebacker Christian Kirksey said. “We still have not had a division loss. For us to have the opportunity to play another division opponent and with this rivalry that we have with them, it would be good to get a win and keep our momentum going.
“Things in the last game could have gone different ways. I am pretty sure that they are thinking the same things. If a play or two could have gone a different way, then it could have been a different outcome of the game. This game will definitely be intense. It is a road game for us. We have to win on the road, and I think we will.”
All but one of the Browns’ four losses this season have come because of a field goal in the last minute of regulation or overtime.
Despite being close in three of those four losses, the Browns still find themselves two games behind the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens in the win column and two in the loss column in back of the Steelers in the AFC North Division standings.
“It is a big game,” wide receiver Jarvis Landry said. “We understand that. We understand that. It is no secret. We have to win the game. We want to win the game.
“That is our mindset going into the game and going against any team, but obviously, more importantly, in the division. If you can win in the division, you have a pretty good chance of making it to the playoffs. That is part of our goals and one of our goals. This is a big one for us.”
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