Denzel Ward got the yes-or-no version of the Steelers "dirty" talk on Wednesday: is Pittsburgh a dirty team?
"They do a few things a little differently," the Browns cornerback said.
That isn't a yes. It isn't a no, either, and nobody in Cleveland has handled this week's noise better.
The word Ward got handed
Jared Verse brought the word into the rivalry after the Oct. 1 win over Pittsburgh, saying he has no respect for anybody who plays "too dirty." On Tuesday, Cam Heyward went on Rich Eisen's show and sent back a warning: "Those are words that were said and they will be addressed."
So Ward got asked about that first.
"I don't know, that's on them, whatever Cam Heyward and those guys address. I'm trying to get a win. Whatever comes with getting a win, that is where I am going to be at."
Then came the direct question and the "little differently" line. He followed it with credit, saying the Steelers have "been playing very well since our last game and been improving each week," and then with the stakes: "We're competing for that No. 1 spot."
He didn't walk back Verse's accusation and he didn't add to it. He just left it on the table and went to work.
Ward knows about the flags from that night
He was part of the mess. On Pittsburgh's opening drive on Oct. 1, the Browns drew five penalties while the Steelers marched 73 yards for a touchdown, and one of those flags was illegal contact on Ward. He answered by picking off Aaron Rodgers on a pass meant for Michael Pittman Jr., his first career interception of Rodgers, and took home a game ball.
Cleveland finished with 14 penalties for 88 yards. Todd Monken didn't dodge it Monday.
"There were a few times in that game where we did go across the line, whether it was the quarterback, whether it was the physicality, whether it was personal fouls, and ultimately that's Browns hurting Browns."
That's why "a little differently" beats anything louder. A team flagged 14 times isn't winning a conduct argument. Mike McCarthy is already pointing at the line of scrimmage as the place this rematch gets settled, and Cleveland's best reply is a cleaner game.
Nine seasons, no regular-season win in that building
Ward is in his ninth season, and the Browns haven't won a regular-season game in Pittsburgh since 2003. He had an answer for that, too.
"For me, this is a new game," Ward said. "I don't look at the history or look at what happened. This is two different teams, different people."
He's playing like a man with no use for old tape. His 20th career interception came Sunday at Tennessee.
"You can talk about the history and everything, but it would do well for us just to get a win and keep stacking."
Image: AI-generated image.
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