Steelers' Payton Wilson Denies The Upcoming Browns Game Is About Seeking Revenge; Cites A Bigger Goal

The Pittsburgh Steelers and their quarterback, Russell Wilson, are on a tear this season. Justin Fields initially led the team to a 4-2 record while Wilson nursed a calf injury, but Wilson came in Week 7 and has gone 5-1 to make their overall record 9-3. Wilson's one loss so far was a disastrous snow-filled game against the Cleveland Browns. Now, just about two weeks after that frustrating loss, the Steelers will face their AFC North rivals again. Many fans call this "a revenge game," but to one of Pittsburgh's rising stars, it isn't that at all. 

During their first 2024 matchup, the Browns' defense shut the Steelers down for the entire first half except for a single field goal from Chris Boswell. The Steelers took the lead in the fourth quarter, but despite intercepting Jameis Winston once, the defense couldn't stop him, Jerry Jeudy, and Nick Chubb down on their final possession. Pittsburgh did get the ball back with less than a minute left, but despite a valiant effort, they couldn't find the end zone, and the Browns won 24-19.     

These two teams are old rivals and it didn't matter to the Browns that they were 2-8 at the time and playing a team who was 8-2, they just wanted to beat the team they hate so much. Heading into this upcoming game, it would be easy to assume that the Steelers want revenge for that loss. According to a post on X from 93.7 The Fan, Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson said that isn't the case. 

"Coach T [Mike Tomlin] did an amazing job this morning, it's not really a get back game, it's a get better game," Wilson told 93.7 The Fan. "I think the things we did, we did to ourselves. It's fixing those problems and trying to come out with a win on Sunday."

There is no shortage of areas to fix as the Steelers gear up for a Browns team that is now 3-9 after losing to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. While the Steelers' offense came out strong in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals winning a shootout, they were slow to start against Cleveland. Pittsburgh had been having some issues with their red zone offense, winning two games off nothing but field goals in 2024, and it showed against Cleveland. 

Head Coach Mike Tomlin decided to employ Fields as a weapon to cure some of their short down and red zone issues. Fans were happy to see him return against the Baltimore Ravens, even if his slide was a little early. The whole point of using Fields would be confusing the defense and forcing them to plan for two different quarterbacks. However, the offense looked more confused against the Browns than the Browns' defense did, and other than a big run, they seemed prepared for Fields.  

Steelers' T.J. Watt Will Get A Chance To Quiet Myles Garrett

Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt always battles Myles Garrett for the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award. It is no secret that in 2023, he felt disrespected by the league after Garrett won the award for the first time, despite Watt having a statistically better season across the board.

This led to some predictable chirping from Garrett before and after the game. Unfortunately, Watt's impact on the game felt limited, while Garrett's did not. The defensive end had three sacks, a forced fumble, and five tackles. 

While Garrett earned himself the right to talk a little trash, Watt took a classier approach and told the media that it isn't personal for him; his issue is with the voting system. 

Do you think this should be a revenge game? Click to comment below. 

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