Cleveland’s 27-24 Thursday night win over Pittsburgh gave Jared Verse a microphone, and the Browns defensive end used it on the Steelers.
Verse said the teams traded trash talk all night and accused Pittsburgh of playing dirty. He declined to itemize what he saw, saying only that the Steelers “did a little extra stuff out there.”
“They were talking crazy,” Verse said, via Cleveland 19 News. “I was telling them, ‘You’re double-teaming, y’all sliding, y’all garbage.’ I don’t got no respect for anyone who plays dirty and does extra stuff after the game.”
He added that he cannot wait for the rematch.
“It’s going to be a good time when I see them again,” Verse said.
The edge showed before kickoff. On the Prime broadcast, Verse yelled that he hates black and yellow. It carried to the finish when he got face-to-face with Steelers guard Mason McCormick. Verse was flagged for unnecessary roughness, and kicker Chris Boswell appeared upset that a personal foul was not called.
Earlier, an offsides penalty on Verse helped Aaron Rodgers tie the game at 24 with a two-point conversion with 1:42 left. Deshaun Watson answered, and Andre Szmyt kicked a 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining.
Verse finished with two tackles, one for a loss. Cleveland was flagged 14 times for 88 yards. Rodgers threw two interceptions, one to Denzel Ward.
Verse, who arrived from the Rams in June, cast the result as a change in identity.
“This ain’t the old Browns,” he said. “We’ve got new swag. We’re a lot more aggressive.”
Teammates echoed the tone without the accusation. Linebacker Quincy Williams said the Steelers bark and the Browns bite. Safety Grant Delpit said Pittsburgh talks about nothing. Head coach Todd Monken credited Verse for backing up his words with how he plays, then noted that three wins still leave plenty to clean up.
The organization joined in after the whistle. The Browns posted “game over” with an image nodding at the Minecraft city Mike Tomlin said he has built for 12 years and unveiled a day earlier. The jab followed Tomlin’s “The Browns is the Browns” line after Cleveland’s season-opening loss to Jacksonville.
The teams meet again November 1 in Pittsburgh. The Browns are 3-1 and alone atop the AFC North. The Steelers are 2-2.
