'It's Really A Rivalry Now': Pittsburgh Steelers And Cleveland Browns Meet Sunday In First Matchup Since On-Field Brawl
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Fans are saying the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns is now alive and well.
The Steelers and Browns made national headlines for all the wrong reasons after a brawl broke out during their game.
The two teams are set to play Sunday at Heinz Field in a much-anticipated matchup between division foes.
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Pittsburgh Public Safety said they will have people in and around the stadium but would not give specifics on their plans.
Heinz Field officials said they are not doing anything differently on Sunday, but they will have a zero-tolerance policy in place to make it a fun and safe atmosphere for everyone there.
Fans said the rivalry between the two teams is now alive and well.
"It's really a rivalry now," Jim Coen, the owner of Yinzers in the Burgh, said. "Kind of reminds me of the Bengals a few years ago. They want a rivalry but there are ways of doing it without doing that."
It didn't take long for the fight from their last matchup to turn into t-shirts you can find in the Strip District.
There are also signs that say, "If it's Cleveland Brown, flush it down," or shirts like "worst state ever" written inside the outline of Ohio.
"That stadium is going to be so loud," Coen said. "I don't worry about their fans coming here. "
Not to be outdone, a now-viral video of Browns fans swinging a Steelers helmet at a Mason Rudolph piñata made its ways around social media.
"And now against the Browns, they think he's a racist. They're going to be taking shots," John Lizzi from Beechview said.
Fans think it may be best to start quarterback Devlin Hodges to let Mason Rudolph avoid any retaliation from their last matchup.
"I think Mason is a good quarterback. But I think the concussion, along with the skirmish last week, really kind of rattled him," Chuck Foight of Ross Township said.
The bad blood may be back between the historic rivals, but fans hope everything stays clean in the stands.
"We're going to behave. It's going to be a good game," Coen said. "They're going to be a lot less problems. I feel the refs are going to be watching this game a lot more than in Cleveland."
