The 1970 season was still a slog for the Steelers when the Browns came to town on November 29, but Pittsburgh found something that afternoon that had been missing far too often: control. Behind a pair of Terrys at quarterback, a defense that kept tightening the screws and a standout day from Andy Russell, the Steelers rolled past Cleveland 28-9.
That kind of result did not look obvious early in the year. Pittsburgh had opened with three straight losses and had already run its losing streak to 16 games after a defeat in Cleveland. Chuck Noll’s first season had ended 1-13, but the Rooney family stuck with him, and the organization kept buying into the idea that the building job would take time.
The media guide that year made the case in plain language. “It was obvious that significant progress was made in 1969. Noll’ accepted the Steelers job with great credentials and everything and anything that happened in 1969 did not do anything to tarnish his hard-earned reputation.”
It added, “It is generally agreed among knowledgeable pro football people that he is the man who can lead the Steelers into the ranks of pro football’s top teams and last season was the first step in building a solid foundation.”
Even with the rough start, Noll still had reason to believe his team was moving in the right direction. “I think we have a much better team than last year’s, even if we have lost three games,” he said before adding, “It’s a young team.”
The quarterback situation reflected that youth. Noll rotated rookie Terry Bradshaw and second-year man Terry Hanratty, still searching for the right answer. For this one, Hanratty got the nod first - and delivered.
He guided an 88-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Ron Shanklin, with Allan Watson adding the extra point. Cleveland answered with field goals of 16 and 38 yards, but Pittsburgh’s defense took over from there. Chuck Beatty intercepted a pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, sending the Steelers into halftime with a 14-6 lead.
Hanratty’s day ended after he suffered a slight concussion, and Bradshaw handled the second half. The Browns added a 46-yard field goal, but Bradshaw quickly made them pay. On first down, he drilled a pass over the middle to Shanklin, who got past his man and went untouched for an 81-yard touchdown.
Later, Bradshaw padded the lead with a screen pass to John Fuqua, and Fuqua did the rest, racing 57 yards to the end zone to finish the scoring.
The Browns had come in led by quarterback Bill Nelson, who had been traded from Pittsburgh to Cleveland in 1969 for Dick Shiner. The Browns also held a 32-9 edge in the series that dated to 1950, when Cleveland entered the NFL from the AAFC.
Andy Russell knew what that meant, and he made it clear before kickoff that the Steelers had not forgotten. “Boy, we hope we can Sunday,” said Russell.
After a Wednesday workout, he said the defense held an impromptu meeting and made a promise: “All members of the defense sort of pledged that we would play the game on Sunday as if it was for the title. We are going to walk all over the Browns if we can.”
Russell backed it up with one of his best performances, finishing with four tackles and several batted down passes. When reporters came looking for a quote afterward, he initially pointed them elsewhere.
Eventually, he gave them this: “I study the game so I can get the jump,” Russell said. “I like to know exactly what the offense is doing.
I feel more aggressive now than I did when I was a rookie.”
Nelsen, with a smile, offered his own take on the afternoon: “It’s probably the best game they have played all year. It had to be against me.”
Bradshaw agreed. “This by far was the best game we played,” he said. “It was the best overall defensively and the best overall offensively.”
The victory pulled Pittsburgh into a three-way tie with Cleveland and Cincinnati atop the AFC Central at 5-6. The Steelers would lose their final three games and finish 5-9, but the Browns win still mattered as a sign of what was coming. Pittsburgh was starting to grow up.
Cincinnati eventually won the division, only to be knocked out by the Colts in the divisional game. Baltimore then went on to beat the Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V.
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