There was a feeding frenzy in Aaron Rodgers’ prime time.
As part of the Cleveland Browns’ Thursday night home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland sacked Rodgers five times. And Browns defensive end Jared Verse had a message for the now-3-1 Browns.
“This is not the old Browns,” Verse said in his postgame press conference following Cleveland’s 27-24 victory, according to News 5 Cleveland. “There’s a new kick. We’re a lot more aggressive. We’re going after it a lot more. This is something different here. We’re going to rock this whole town.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is indeed just a few minutes’ walk from Huntington Bank Field, home of the Browns.
Defensive ends Isaiah McGuire, Adin Huntington and Sam Williams and defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Mike Hall Jr. had five Cleveland sacks. The streak totaled two combined tackles, including one for a loss.
Meanwhile, Cleveland stopped Rodgers twice (cornerback Denzel Ward in the second quarter and safety Grant Delpit in the fourth quarter) and linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who was the 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, led the Browns with nine combined tackles.
Elsewhere for the Browns, quarterback Deshaun Watson – who boasts a 101.2 passer rating and a 69.6% completion percentage – threw for 268 yards, one touchdown, one interception and completed 72.7% of his passes (24 of 33 passes) and helped lead the way for Clevenock in the Klevenock game. game-winning 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cleveland rushed for a combined 112 yards and two touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry.
In terms of a harbinger of things to come, Verse is in his first season with the Browns, who acquired him from the Los Angeles Rams as part of their trade return for superstar defensive end Myles Garrett in June.
The third-year linebacker, who was selected by the Rams with the No. 19 in the 2024 NFL Draft, was a professional player in each of his first two seasons in the sport (2024-25). Last year, he totaled 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 58 combined tackles. However, through Cleveland’s first four games this season, Verse has recorded just 10 combined tackles and no sacks.
However, Verse had something to say about the Steelers.
“They were talking crazy. I was telling them, ‘You all double and slide and you’re trash.’ I have no respect for anybody who plays too dirty and does too much — after the game.” The verse said in his postgame press conference for the Steelers, according to Cleveland 19 News. “I can’t wait to see them again. It’s going to be a great time when I see them again.”
The Browns will see the Steelers again in Pittsburgh on Nov. 1.
As a collective, the Browns are averaging three sacks per game (12 total), with second-year defensive tackle Mason Graham — who left Thursday night’s game in the first quarter with a knee injury — tallying a team-high four sacks and Schwesinger with a team-high 35 combined tackles. Elsewhere, Ward has forced two fumbles and safety Ronnie Hickman has recorded an interception, a sack and 24 combined tackles.
Thursday night marked the Browns’ third straight win, a streak that began after getting blown out on the road by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, 34-10. In Week 2, the Browns defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road (23-19) and then beat the Carolina Panthers at home (21-18).
Next up for Verse and the Browns is a road tilt against the New York Jets in Week 5 (Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. ET). They currently sit alone at the top of the AFC North with a 3-1 record.
