Berea, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Win or go home.
Put up or shut up.
The Browns and Steelers will play for their respective seasons Sunday in Pittsburgh, 17 days after the two teams went at in Cleveland that saw the Browns end an 8-game winless streak against them.
“It’s playoff time for us. It’s just that simple,” Browns defensive tackle Richardson said. “There ain’t no more cushion. It’s just one week at a time, but it’s definitely an urgency, a gut check for us to go out there and get these dubs. Anything else is, we’re done. That’s how we look at it.”
The Browns have won three straight, including a 21-7 victory on Nov. 14 over the Steelers, to resurrect their once dead playoff hopes after starting the season 2-6, while the 6-5 Steelers have managed to keep the boat afloat despite moving on from the ‘Killer B’s’ – Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell – and Ben Roethlisberger being out for the year.
“We beat the stuffing out of them last game,” Richardson said. “It’s a new week up and I’m pretty sure they’re going to come in revved up and ready to play and beat us the way we beat them. So we’ve got to make sure we don’t allow that.”
The game will mark the first time since the 2003 AFC Wild Card game the two teams will square off this late in the year with so much at stake.
As a former Viking, Seahawk and Jet, Richardson is used to playing in these types of games, whereas the Browns historically have limped to the finish line aided by several stompings by the Steelers over the years.
“I had a few. Had a few games underneath my belt. Just a few,” Richardson said. “But this will definitely be one of the tops, you know? Nostalgic, old school, division, downhill in your face, trying to run the ball most of the game, pass when needed type of division. That’s what I’m used to playing in or used to seeing growing up as a kid. It’s kind of the same thing, even though the game has changed a lot.”
The Browns haven’t swept Pittsburgh since 1988. They’re an embarrassing 7-34-1 since 1999 and have lost in their last 15 trips to Heinz Field dating back to 2003.
“Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it. We can only play ‘em two times a year,” Richardson said. “It’s one game at a time, just going to take years to overcome what we’ve been doing. So it is what it is, can’t be good one year and bad the next.”
Richardson isn’t fazed one bit but the Browns’ ineptitude in the expansion era. From his perspective, it has no bearing on this year’s team or Sunday’s game.
“It’s ok. It’s ok. Times are changing, that’s about it,” Richardson said. “So it’s ok. And they’re not used to it. Just seen a stat they’ve been owning the division or beating the Browns for the past 16 years or something like that. They haven’t won like 2003 in Pittsburgh, so that’s kinda crazy. Kudos to them for what they’ve been doing. It’s time for a new captain.”
Mason Rudolph, who threw four interceptions and had his helmet ripped off by Myles Garrett and then was hit by Garret in the head with it touching off a brawl in the closing seconds 2 weeks ago, has been benched by head coach Mike Tomlin.
Garrett was suspended indefinitely without pay for the remainder of the season. Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey had a three-game ban reduced to two and Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi got one game. Over $1.3 million in fines were handed out by the league, including $250,000 tabs to both franchises following the fight.
Richardson doesn’t expect the game to have any less intensity with Rudolph holding a clipboard.
“Highly doubt it,” Richardson said. “They’re still trying to go out there and get a victory too and you get past the incident that happened that was a butt-kicking by us.”
The only history Richardson wants to repeat is on the scoreboard.
