This week’s Thursday Night Football broadcast brings together the Browns de Cleveland and the Steelers de Pittsburgh for the 146th edition of Toll highway rivalry.
The oldest meeting in the American Football League (AFC), the Browns and Steelers first met in 1950 when the former joined the NFL. They have been part of the AFC North since 1970 and have played each other twice per season since then.
The name “Turnpike Rivalry” is taken from the Ohio-Pennsylvania Turnpike automobile routes that connect the cities of Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The word “turnpike” refers to the type of toll previously used on some roads.
The two cities are 210 kilometers apart and there is always a large away contingent during matches, making the two-hour journey to follow their team. This practice is facilitated by the fact that both teams have strong fan bases and well-established fan groups.
“Seeing the blood, sweat, tears it happened. These games are hard-nosed and hard-fought,” Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston said of the Browns-Steelers rivalry. “The true definition of cold weather football.” This is the first.»
Which players have represented the Browns and Steelers?
Considering the length of the Browns-Steelers rivalry, it’s no surprise to see that a number of famous NFL stars have played for both teams. Bettor Chris Gardocki played for the Steelers for three years, winning Super Bowl XL in Pittsburgh, before spending five seasons with the Browns.
Born in Cleveland Chuck Noll won two NFL championships with the Browns as a player in the 1950s before embarking on a coaching career. He took over a declining Steelers team in 1969 and transformed them into a veritable powerhouse, leading the team to four Super Bowl triumphs and four AFC titles over a mammoth 22-year span in Pittsburgh.
The rivalry between the teams is normally good-natured but a recent incident has highlighted the tension between the two teams. In 2021, Steelers wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster took aim at the much-improved Browns, insisting he was unconvinced by their progress.
“I think it’s still the same Browns teams that I play every year,” Smith-Schuster said. “I think they are anonymous gray faces. They have some good players on their team, but at the end of the day, I don’t know. The Browns are the Browns.»
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