CLEVELAND, Ohio – Browns fans, cherish this.
There was Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers holding his helmet, staring up at the gloomy gray sky on the shores of Lake Erie. He also had other moments of head shaking, eye-rolling and general disgust.
It happened over and over again Sunday, as the Browns defense continually shut down Pittsburgh and the veteran quarterback.
Meanwhile, the Browns …
How about the Browns? This was the final home game of the season for the Browns, and they delivered a holiday gift to their beleaguered fan base.
Final score: Browns 13, Pittsburgh 6.
The victory broke a four-game losing streak for the Browns. They also had dumped 7 of their last 8 games.
But on this – the last football Sunday of the 2025 calendar year – the Browns beat the Steelers.
The Browns beat the Steelers in a game Pittsburgh needed to win to secure the AFC North. The Browns beat the Steelers in a game worthy of the AFC North’s gritty reputation, where bruises are much easier to come by than points on the field.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Alex Wright makes a hit on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as Rodgers throws a pass in the first half. John Kuntz, cleveland.comOne for the fans
The Browns played like they cared. They didn’t play like a team with a 4-12 record. That’s the best thing about this game.
I think of my friend Mary Kelly, who can’t stand it when anyone wears anything close to the Steelers colors of black and gold. She sometimes writes poems about the Browns. She probably was the happiest woman in the Western hemisphere late Sunday afternoon.
I think of another friend – Pauletta Hatchett. Since suffering strokes several years ago, she memorizes the numbers of Browns players to build up her memory. At any moment, she usually can give you at least 40 Browns names and their numbers.
I think of the people in nursing homes, or those who spend their fall weekends waiting for a chance to watch their favorite team on TV – and maybe, just maybe, see the Browns win.
I think of the fans who have endured such misery with the franchise for decades – and have been especially tormented by the Steelers and their fans.
I think of them being happy as the Steelers trudged off the field, helmets off and heads down.
I think about how this game delivered some joy and a diversion from the pressures of real life for those who follow the orange helmets.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders throws a pass in the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers. John Kuntz, cleveland.comReasons to love this game
The Browns absolutely shut down the Steelers, keeping them out of the end zone.
Of course, there was the usual fear and trembling when the Browns are in a close game with the Steelers. Pittsburgh drove down to the Cleveland 7-yard line. There were 32 seconds left in the game.
Pittsburgh threw not one … not two … but THREE passes into the end zone.
All three were incomplete.
Confession time: I’m still having a hard time believing that. It’s not to be critical of this defense. It’s the ghost of Pittsburgh losses past rattling around in the attic of my football memory.
But this afternoon in the rain and haze and wind, for Browns fans it was …
VICTORY.
Utterly soaked Browns fans jumped and clapped and laughed and hugged.
They also took delight in watching the soggy Pittsburgh fans leaving the stadium with their suddenly subdued Terrible Towels.
There will be lots of discussion about what this game means to the future of coach Kevin Stefanski … and of Shedeur Sanders.
That can wait. The Browns have one more game left. Sanders has another chance to audition for the starting QB job next season.
But for now, the Browns beat the Steelers in a game Pittsburgh desperately wanted to win.
Enjoy the moment.