Category: 2019 Steelers vs Browns NFL Week 11

Did Mason Rudolph get off too easy for the fight Thursday night?

Mason Rudolph is reportedly only to be fined for Thursday night. But some think this isn’t enough.

The NFL was swift in doling out punishment to all involved in Thursday night’s fight between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. Several players including Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey received the heaviest discipline. But Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph got no suspension and will reportedly only facing a fine.

NFL fans seem to be divided on how much Rudolph is to blame for him eventually being bludgeoned over the head with his own helmet. So I’m asking fans and non-fans alike. Did Rudolph get off too easy for his part in the Thursday night fracas?

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I don’t see any way Rudolph should be suspended for what he did. When he kicked at Garrett, the 270-pound defensive end had him pinned on the ground by his facemask. What would you do in that instance? Rudolph stood his ground against Garrett knowing his team had his back. Good for him.

But having said that, I want to hear from all of you. Do your civic duty and cast your vote.

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Steelers vs Browns: Predicting the punishments for Thursday’s fight

How many games will everyone be suspended for after Thursday’s night brawl?

The NFL is abuzz Friday morning as everyone has an opinion about the ridiculous events that transpired at the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-7 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. If you happened to miss the end of the game, you can get caught up on the scrum that ensued right here.

There were really four major players in this. On the Pittsburgh side, you have quarterback Mason Rudolph and center Maurkice Pouncey. For Cleveland, you have defensive end Myles Garrett and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. All four should receive some level of discipilne by the NFL and here are our predictions.

DE Myles Garrett

Browns’ fans won’t like this but Garrett is the main culprit in all this. There are plenty of fans trying to defend his actions and somehow justifying them based on how Rudolph acted in the moment. But it’s safe to assume the NFL won’t see it that way. Garrett isn’t getting a year-long ban so put that aside. Based on previous incidents similar to this and rounding up for the magnitude and stage it occurred, we are going with a six-game suspension for Garrett.

C Maurkice Pouncey

First and foremost, props to Pouncey for not apologizing for his part in the fight. And props to him for being willing to accept whatever penalty the league hands down, knowing he’d defend his quarterback again given the opportunity. Pouncey took Garrett to the ground and threw multiple punches and kicks after Garrett hit Rudolph on the head with his own helmet. What will this earn Pouncey? I’m leaning two games so he isn’t on the field when these two teams meet again in two weeks.

QB Mason Rudolph

If you talk to most Steelers’ fans, they feel like Rudolph needs to be fully exonerated for any involvement in the fight. But the truth is he was an active participant, even if he did take it to the level the others involved did. Will he be suspended? At this point, I’m leaning toward no but I’m counting on a hefty fine for the blows he threw at Garrett after the Browns defender took him to the ground.

DT Larry Ogunjobi

If you weren’t paying attention you might not have noticed Ogunjubi’s part in the fight but the NFL will be paying attention. After Pouncey and Garrett went to the ground Ogunjubi chose to come up and cheapshot Rudolph in the back rather than help out his teammate taking a whooping on the ground. Rudolph had removed himself from it and never saw the hit coming. Let’s go with a one-game suspension for Ogunjobi.

Antonio Brown tweets support for Steelers QB Mason Rudolph

Antonio Brown shows support for Rudolph with famous photo.

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Of all people to offer some support and levity in the wake of the fight that marred the end of Thursday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, it was former Steeler Antonio Brown to do it. Brown sent out a tweet Friday morning with his infamous kick of Browns punter Spencer Lanning as his version of having Rudolph’s back.

Say what you will about Brown, but he wins the internet today for this one. In case you don’t know what this is all about, Rudolph got into a fight at the end of Thursday’s game with defensive end Myles Garrett and even center Maurkice Pouncey got involved.

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Steelers vs. Browns: 3 big takeaways from Pittsburgh’s loss in Week 11

The Steelers had major letdowns on both sides of the football on Thursday.

Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Things got really weird in last night’s game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But we’ve talked plenty about what happened at the end of the game against the Cleveland Browns, but we are here to talk about the actual game itself. The Steelers fell 21-7 and now sit at 5-5 and are struggling to hold on to a spot in the playoffs.

The game was ugly from start to finish for the Steelers, and you have to wonder how they rebound from this loss. Here are our big takeaways from the game:

Injuries don’t excuse poor play

Running back James Conner and wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson all went down with injuries. But this does not absolve quarterback Mason Rudolph for his four-interception effort. This game raises serious doubt about whether he can help this team win going forward.

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No apologies from Maurkice Pouncey for defending his quarterback

Maurkice Pouncey is fine with being suspended but thinks Myles Garrett should be done for the year.

If you turned off the Pittsburgh Steelers game before it was over you really missed out. All the fireworks happened in the final moments when a brawl broke out between the two teams. The part you are going to hear the most about in the coming days was Browns defensive end Myles Garrett hitting Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with his own helmet.

After the game the media talked to Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey. He was in the middle of the scrum and went after Garrett after the assaulted Rudolph. He hit Garrett several times once he got Garrett on the ground.

But Pouncey makes no apologies for defending his quarterback. He said he’d accept whatever suspension the NFL hands down but his point was pretty clear. He did it for his teammate and he’d do it again. When asked if he thought he’d get suspended Pouncey said, “At this point, who cares? My man got hit in the head with a helmet. I’ll accept whatever penalty it is.”

Pouncey also said he believes the NFL should suspend Garrett for the season. A sentiment echoed by Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward. History says the league won’t suspend him for a season but we should know in a few days.

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Cleveland players cheered on as Myles Garrett clobbered Mason Rudolph with helmet

The Browns didn’t show much class at the end of Thursday’s game.

If you thought the action on the field at the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Cleveland Browns was disgusting, there might have been something worse. According to ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler, while Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was assaulting Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph by striking him in the head with his own helmet, Garrett’s teammates were celebrating it from the sideline.

The attack itself is a reflection of the entire Browns organization, but to know Garrett’s teammates not only endorsed that sort of behavior, but cheered for it, is worse. The NFL will hand down punishment on the parties involved, including Garrett, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and Cleveland defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, but the Browns aren’t going to be able to shake off how poorly they handled this entire situation.

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on fight at the end of the game: ‘No comment’

Mike Tomlin bit his tongue when asked about the debacle at the end of the game.

It was bad enough Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had to step up to the microphone and talk about the team’s 21-7 loss to the Cleveland Browns. And it was worse because he had to address the massive number of injuries the team suffered. But one thing he was not going to address was the crazy fight that broke out at the end of the game.

Tomlin wanted no part of that conversation and quickly shut it down when asked more than once. You can see Tomlin just seething under the surface and you know he wanted to just come uncorked about what Myles Garrett did to Mason Rudolph at the end of the game. But Tomlin understands the NFL will handle this and he does not in any way want to taint the situation with an emotional reaction.

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Insane fight breaks out at end of Steelers vs Browns

The end of Steelers vs Browns was completely insane.

If you missed the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-7 loss to the Cleveland Browns, you missed one of the most bizarre and frankly savage endings to an NFL football game in a long time. As time was winding down and the Steelers still trying to get points on the board, Browns defensive end takes Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph down.

What happens next has to be seen to be believed. Check out the video in the two tweets above. Garrett tore off Rudolph’s helmet and proceeded to hit Rudolph in the face with it. At that point, Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey went after Garrett and took him down, kicking and punching to defend his quarterback.

Garrett, Pouncey and Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi were all ejected for their part in the insane scrum. The only thing to do now is see how the league sorts out the punishment. From a Steelers standpoint, I won’t be shocked if Pouncey is suspended a game or two for his part. But Garrett did enough to earn himself a full season ejection.

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Steelers succumb to injuries, fall to 5-5 in loss to Browns

Pittsburgh couldn’t overcome injuries and dreadful quarterback play against the Browns.

There is a finite line between having a thin roster and having a roster devoid talent. The Pittsburgh Steelers found out what the wrong side that line was against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. The Steelers went in beat up and by the middle of the third quarter you needed your program to sort out who was on the field for the Steelers offense.

The final score ended up 21-7 but when you consider the Steelers lost five players to injury including three starters, you have to wonder why the game ended up as close as it did. On offense, starting running back James Conner and starting wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson were all lost during the game, Smith-Schuster and Johnson both suffered concussions.

Having said that, quarterback Mason Rudolph was terrible. He finished with only 221 passing yards, one passing touchdown and four interceptions. Those picks were not a product of the injured Steelers, they can from a guy who looked lost out there and as the game slipped away his decision-making just got worse.

The defense did it’s best to keep the Steelers in it until late in the second half but even they were off their mark. Pittsburgh’s defense had been forcing buckets of turnovers in the last four games but came up empty against Cleveland. Additionally, the vaunted Steelers pass rush was only able to sack Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield one time.

Now the Steelers have an extended rest before traveling to Cincinnati to take on the hapless Bengals. But falling to 5-5 means they are once again on the outside looking in for a playoff spot and have to start counting on help from other teams to remain in the playoff hunt.

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Steelers WR Diontae Johnson being evaluated for a concussion

Three Steelers players have concussions tonight.

This is starting to get ridiculous. In the first half, the Steelers lost starting running back James Conner (shoulder) and starting wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) and now the other starting wide receiver Diontae Johnson is being evaluated for a concussion and his return is questionable.

This leaves James Washington as the only viable receiving option on the field. The only other two healthy receivers are Johnny Holton who hasn’t caught a pass all season and Tevin Jones who was just signed today.

Miraculously the Steelers only trail the Browns 14-7 in the third quarter.