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 The game was played at First Energy Stadium (now known asHuntington Bank Field) in Cleveland, Ohio | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | November 14, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | First Energy Stadium Cleveland,Ohio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Browns by 3[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Clete Blakeman | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 67,431 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Fox/NFLN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Joe Buck,Troy Aikman,Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink | ||||||||||||||||||
On November 14, 2019, thePittsburgh Steelers traveled toCleveland,Ohio, to face off against theirrivalCleveland Browns, in week 11 of the2019 NFL season. The game ended in a 21–7 victory for the Browns, but the most notable event occurred on the second-to-last play of the game, where a massive brawl broke out on the field between players of both teams. After Brownsdefensive endMyles Garrett tackled SteelersquarterbackMason Rudolph after he passed the ball, Rudolph grabbed Garrett's facemask out of anger, and Garrett retaliated by pulling Rudolph's helmet off his head and swinging it at Rudolph, hitting him in the head as various Steelers players came to Rudolph's defense. After the brawl, a total of three players (Garrett, Brownsdefensive tackleLarry Ogunjobi, and SteelerscenterMaurkice Pouncey) wereejected from the game for their participation in the brawl and were suspended the next day.[2] The fight immediately became one of the most infamous on-field skirmishes in NFL history.
Coming into the matchup, the Steelers' playoff chances would have been boosted with a win, as the team slumped to a slow start due to an injury to starting quarterbackBen Roethlisberger in their week 2 game against theSeattle Seahawks, forcing Rudolph to take over the starting job.[3] The Steelers slumped to an 0–3 start before winning four straight games (including a 17–12 win against thedefending NFC championLos Angeles Rams),[4] coming into this matchup with the Browns.
At the start of the season, the Browns were theorized to beSuper Bowl contenders early, as they had made a massive trade forNew York Giants starwide receiverOdell Beckham Jr. in the offseason[5][6] and hired a new head coach inFreddie Kitchens. However, the Browns got off to a disappointing start, starting the year 2–6 before beating theBuffalo Bills 19–16 the game prior to this matchup with the Steelers.[7]
After the Steelerspunted the ball on the first drive, the Browns drove down the field and scored the firsttouchdown of the game to go up by 7. After both teams traded punts, the Browns scored again to make it 14–0 with 9:22 left in the second quarter. The Browns kept the 14-point lead at halftime after the Steelersturned the ball over on downs, as well as aninterception and a punt to end their half. After the second half started, the Browns punted before Rudolph threw an interception toJoe Schobert. After the Browns punted once again, the Steelers finally scored their first touchdown of the game with a touchdown pass toJaylen Samuels.
The Browns then missed a field goal to close out the quarter, but the Steelers turned over on downs before both teams traded punts once again. Rudolph threw another interception to Schobert to set up another Browns touchdown to make it 21–7. Rudolph threw his fourth interception of the game on the next drive before a Browns punt to give the ball back to the Steelers with a little over a minute to go.[8]
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After Mason Rudolph was sacked to make it 3rd-and-29 at the Steelers' 17-yard line with 15 seconds remaining, he made a short pass toTrey Edmunds, who then went out of bounds after an 11-yard gain. After Rudolph released the ball, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett tackled Rudolph to the ground. Rudolph then grabbed Garrett by the facemask as they scuffled on the ground before eventually rising back up to their feet. Garrett then grabbed Rudolph's facemask to retaliate and pulled Rudolph's helmet off him. As Rudolph tried to attack Garrett, he then swung Rudolph's helmet at him, hitting him in the head with it.
Upon seeing this, Steelers offensive linemenDavid DeCastro andMaurkice Pouncey rushed to his defense, as DeCastro tackled Garrett to the ground and lay on top of him, while Pouncey proceeded to punch and kick him in the head several times as both teams cleared their benches. Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi then ran up to Rudolph and shoved him to the ground. After multiple shoves and trash talk, both teams were separated for several minutes before head refereeClete Blakeman announced personal foul penalties on Garrett, Ogunjobi, and Pouncey, as all three players were ejected from the game.[2][9]
After the game, Garrett, Ogunjobi, and Pouncey were suspended without pay for fighting. Garrett was suspended indefinitely and was also fined $45,623. Garrett filed for an appeal, but was rejected by the NFL. Garrett was later reinstated by the NFL on February 12, 2020.[10]
Pouncey was suspended for three games and fined $35,096 for the kicks and punches to Garrett's head. Pouncey filed for an appeal, and the NFL reduced his suspension from three games to two. Ogunjobi was suspended for one game and filed for an appeal, in which his $10,527 fine was rescinded. After the game, a total of 33 players were fined. Rudolph was fined $50,000 for his participation in the fight. SteelerssafetyMinkah Fitzpatrick and Browns wide receiverJarvis Landry were each fined $3,507 for entering the fighting area. Both the Steelers and Browns organizations were fined $250,000 as well.[11]
Garrett claimed to have felt remorse for his actions, stating that he "lost his cool and I regret it". Rudolph called Garrett's move "cowardly and bush league". Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens stated, "That's not who we want to be at the end of the game. That's not who Myles wants to be. That's not who we're gonna be. You have to be able to maintain your composure in times like that. I'm embarrassed. Myles is embarrassed. It's not good. He understands what he did. He understands it's totally unacceptable and we've got to get through it."NFL on Fox commentatorJoe Buck cited the incident as "one of the worst things I've ever seen on a professional sports field."[12] Browns quarterbackBaker Mayfield voiced displeasure in Garrett's actions, stating: "It's inexcusable. I don't care, rivalry or not, you can't do that. That's kind of the history of what's been going on here lately, hurting yourself. And that's just endangering the other team. It's inexcusable. (Garrett) knows that. I hope he does now."[2]
Following the game, the Cleveland Browns released a statement apologizing to Mason Rudolph as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, stating:
We are extremely disappointed in what transpired last evening at the end of the game. There is no place for that in football, and is not reflective of the core values we thrive for as an organization. We sincerely apologize to Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Myles Garrett has been a good teammate and member of our organization and community for the last three years, but his actions last night were completely unacceptable. We understand the consequences from the league for his actions.
— Statement from the Cleveland Browns following the game[13]
Both teams played another game 17 days later inPittsburgh, with the Steelers winning 20–13.[14] Both teams went on to miss the2019–20 NFL playoffs, with the Steelers finishing 8–8, while the Browns finished 6–10.