(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Throughout Ben Roethlisberger's career, he has dominated in his home state of Ohio, especially in Cleveland with a record of 11-2-1.
Since the opening of FirstEnergy Stadium in 1999, there wasn't a Browns' quarterback who had won as many games as Roethlisberger until Baker Mayfield won his 12th home game midway through the 2020 season. Roethlisberger is also quite relieved that Mayfield surpassed him in wins at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“I don’t know this rivalry ever went away,” Roethlisberger said. "Rivalries are great. AFC North football, they are always going to be rivals and there are going to be great games. I’m just glad that I’m not the most winning quarterback in their stadium history anymore.”
Roethlisberger is also looking forward to Sunday's matchup against the Browns in Cleveland, which should be a hostile environment, especially after this past January when the Browns embarrassed the Steelers in the wild-card game.
"It will be fun," Roethlisberger said. "Halloween. The fans are awesome. You can say what you want about the rivalry and this, that and the other, but the fans are awesome. They're passionate. It'll be exciting.
"It's a challenge. Like I said they're passionate. Anytime your fans have a nickname, or an area has a nickname, is pretty cool. They like to get on us and it's part of the game. Obviously, when you go there and you play well and you win it has a little extra feeling of satisfaction, but it's not easy to play there."
While Roethlisberger has owned the Browns over the last 17 seasons with a 24-3-1 overall record and just two losses in Cleveland, the Browns have won the last two meetings, and the Steelers haven't beat the Browns in Cleveland since 2017. Although, Roethlisberger hasn't played in Cleveland since 2018, a game in which ended as a tie.
Roethlisberger and the Steelers will try to show the Browns that they still have the upper hand in the rivalry. However, if the Steelers fall to the Browns, it would appear that there's a changing of the guard.