The Cleveland Browns on Thursday night kept fighting long after the outcome had been decided, and it will likely cost them their best defensive player.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett ripped off Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph’s helmet and hit him with it in the head in the final seconds as the Browns’ 21-7 win over the Steelers ended with a wild brawl.
Garrett faces a likely suspension for his actions and Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey will likely be disciplined for kicking Garrett in the head.
Players from both sidelines spilled on the field during the melee, which began after Garrett wrestled Rudolph to the ground well after he completed a short pass on a meaningless play. Garrett, Pouncey and Larry Ogunjobi were ejected.
Rudolph got his hand on Garrett’s helmet first as the players grappled on the ground, but Garrett escalated the brawl after he got back on his feet. He yanked the helmet off Rudolph and swung wildly, hitting the quarterback on the top of the head. Rudolph threw his arms in the air in disbelief after the impact, and Pouncey retaliated by punching and kicking Garrett.
“The reality is he’s going to get suspended, we don’t know how long and that’s going to hurt our team,” Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said after the game.
Fox commentator Troy Aikman called Garrett’s actions “barbaric.”
Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr was shown replays of the brawl on the NFL Network set.
“It’s ugly,” Beckham Jr said. “It’s not something we want in the NFL.”
Rudolph, a second-year player who in Week 2 took over for injured Ben Roethlisberger, has already missed time this season with a concussion after he was knocked unconscious from a helmet-to-helmet hit by Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas.
Before the ugly ending, Mayfield threw two touchdown passes and scored on a 1-yard plunge as Cleveland held on to defeat the banged-up Steelers for just the fourth time in 10 years and improved to 2-0 in the AFC North for the first time.
The Browns (4-6) have won two in a row after dropping four straight, a skid that put first-year coach Freddie Kitchens’ job in jeopardy.
However, Mayfield’s 8-yard touchdown pass to undrafted rookie tight end Stephen Carlson with 5 minutes, 25 seconds left helped clinch a rare win over the Steelers.
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