For most of their history, the Cleveland Browns have had to deal with taunts and mockery from their hated AFC North rivals from Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh Steelers fans repeatedly look down on the Browns, even though their own team remains far from Super Bowl contention.
Notably, both teams enter the 2026 season with new regimes, though they might be trending in opposite directions. While the Browns are getting younger and more talented and testing the waters with a first-time head coach, the Steelers are getting older and are rolling with a well-known underachiever in Mike McCarthy.
Reuniting McCarthy with Aaron Rodgers would've been a scary thought years ago, but it's more of a laughing matter in 2026. To make things worse for the Steelers, Rodgers may have tipped the team's hand on offense.
When asked about the reunion and the transition from Mike Tomlin back to his former Green Bay Packers head coach, Rodgers may have inadvertently revealed the blueprint to the offense.
"I spent 13 years in (McCarthy's offense)," Rodgers said via Chris Adamski of TribLive. "He's changed some stuff when he was in Dallas. ... It's stuff that we used to run, but he's just called it something different now."
Mike McCarthy's Steelers offense may not come with many surprises
Of course, one didn't have to be a football savant to assume that McCarthy would bring out his old playbook from his Packers days and run similar stuff in Pittsburgh. He did that with the Dallas Cowboys, though Dak Prescott clearly isn't Aaron Rodgers.
Still, plenty has transpired since the Packers cut ties with McCarthy. Rodgers' best days are far behind him, and while he's still one of the greatest throwers of the football in league history, he's been more of a shell of himself since leaving Wisconsin.
McCarthy is known for his timing-based offense and quick-passing concepts. That style plays to Cleveland's strengths on defense well.
The Browns parted ways with their best defensive player in Myles Garrett this offseason, but they're still stacked on that side of the ball. Their elite pass rush, sticky coverage, and speedy linebackers have routinely made life difficult for offenses that rely heavily on the quick game. Rodgers certainly struggled with it in his most recent matchup against the Browns, when the Steelers managed just six points and 4.3 yards per completion in a Week 17 home loss last year.
On paper, the Steelers' offense should be better with Michael Pittman Jr. opposite DK Metcalf. Still, with an aging quarterback, an unproven offensive line, and a head coach infamous for his poor game management, the Browns should love their chances against their divisional rivals in 2026.
Once again, the Steelers will rely on nostalgia. They believe that whatever worked for McCarthy and Rodgers in 2011 could still work in 2026, just like they believe they're still a Super Bowl contender just because they won a bunch of titles decades ago.
Add us as a preferred source on Google