The Browns beat the Steelers 24-19 on Thursday night, but Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was not impressed.
Pickens said after the game that the snow and wind in Cleveland prevented the Steelers from playing their best, and that the Browns are not the better team.
“The conditions played a huge, huge part in today’s game. I don’t really think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all. I think the conditions kind of saved them today,” Pickens said.
The weather certainly affected the game, but both teams had to deal with it, and if the Steelers couldn’t deal with it as well as the Browns could, that’s a reflection on the Steelers.
Does Pickens have a point that the Steelers are 8-3 and the Browns are 3-8, and the Steelers will be favored when they meet again in Pittsburgh in Week 14? Yes. But it was a strange time for Pickens to say it, after losing to the Browns in a game that could make a big difference in the Steelers’ quest to win the AFC North.