Steelers Legend Ben Roethlisberger Fires Shot at Cleveland Browns

It's no secret that the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers have some animosity for each other. The two AFC North rivals have had bad blood for decades now, dating back to their storied history as clashing industrial towns. While these cities have mostly grown past the blue-collar work that helped to establish them as economic epicenters, their football feud lives on, as feisty and begrudging as ever.

The rivalry started out mostly in Cleveland's favor, but then became largely one-sided for Pittsburgh starting in the 70s. The tides have begun turning for the Browns again, though. They still might be trying to find their identity, but the Steelers have fallen from their pedestal in recent years, too, opening the door for Cleveland to regain some ground. In their last 10 matchups, the head-to-head series is tied 5-5. If the Browns can prove that Kenny Pickett is an NFL-caliber quarterback, after Pittsburgh drafted him 20th overall in 2022 and then dumped him two seasons later, that would be another major win for Cleveland.

Perhaps the noticeable momentum shift has the Steelers reeling a little bit. At the least, former Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger felt the need to take a shot at the Browns for some reason. When speaking about the Browns' culture on his Footbahlin show, he had this to say:

"It's tough-nosed, it's physical... I could fit into that culture. It'd be hard to fit into Cleveland because I win."

It's hard to blame Big Ben for feeling that way when he went 26-2-1 all-time against the Browns in the regular season. But Cleveland does have an easy rebuttal for Roethlisberger and any of his fans who are trying to echo his recent statement. He might have gotten a lot of wins against the Browns in the regular season, but his one matchup against them in the playoffs ended in a 37-48 upset defeat in which he threw four interceptions. Seems like Roethlisberger doesn't win all the time.