CLEVELAND — The Browns are 1-11 and have lost seven straight.

They’ve dropped 12 in a row to the Steelers, and eight straight to Pittsburgh at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

If you’re not old enough to remember Tim Couch, you won’t recall the last time the Browns knocked off their archenemy from down the turnpike.

Yet, somehow, there was a feeling around the team that it had the momentum coming into tonight’s grudge match with Pittsburgh.

The fourth-quarter rally Sunday against the Chargers was part of the reason, even though it fell short. The improved play of quarterback Brady Quinn, the return to the field of rookie receiver Brian Robiskie and the out-of-nowhere contribution from tight end Evan Moore (six catches, 80 yards) added to the good vibes.

The Browns also had some tangible evidence, as they have improved in nearly every offensive category since the bye, including points per game, total yards, passing yards, red zone efficiency, third-down conversions and turnovers.

Finally, there’s the Steelers’ four-game losing streak, which includes a fourth-quarter meltdown Sunday to the Bruce Gradkowski-led Raiders.

“It’s evident we have weapons on offense now,” receiver/special teamer Joshua Cribbs said. “It’s evident we can move the ball and create plays. Now we just have to put it together and hopefully get a win.”

To an outsider, a victory would mean little in the big picture. It would hurt the Browns’ draft status, while probably being too little, too late to save coach Eric Mangini’s job after the season.

To some Clevelanders, it would mean everything in a season that’s been a disaster for months. The Browns could avoid getting swept in the AFC North, while at least interrupting the embarrassing dominance in the rivalry.

“It’d be huge,” left tackle Joe Thomas said. “It’s our biggest rivalry, it’s a team we haven’t beat in a long time and it would mean a lot to this team, and it would mean a lot to this city, really.”

Thomas was a freshman at Wisconsin when Couch knocked off the Steelers on a Sunday night in 2003.

“It’s been forever,” he said. “People in the city say it all the time, ‘Just beat Pittsburgh, that’s all we care about.’”

The Steelers have more at stake than a win in a rivalry that’s faded in some of their eyes. The defending Super Bowl champions are 6-6, mired in their worst streak since 2003 and will likely need to win their final four games to make the playoffs.

Only the 1987 New York Giants lost five straight a year after winning the Super Bowl.

“We’re not purposely trying to knock them out of the playoffs, but if winning does that, so be it,” Cribbs said.
Coach Mike Tomlin said after a loss to Baltimore — before the huge upset by Oakland — that Pittsburgh would “unleash hell” the rest of the season. He hasn’t backed down.

“We have to. It’s what’s required if we want to get in the tournament,” he said. “That is our desire. I was just stating the obvious.”

The Steelers have proved they can get hot, as they won five in a row before the skid. And it’s not like they’ve been overmatched lately, with all four losses by four points or fewer, including two in overtime.

Pittsburgh could also benefit from an unusual “home-field advantage.” The game’s been a sellout for months, but much of the crowd, perhaps more than half, is expected to be cheering for the Steelers.

It could resemble the ugly scene from Christmas Eve 2005, when the 41-0 fiasco ended with thousands of Steelers fans saluting their team and waving Terrible Towels.

“I’d be disappointed,” Cribbs said. “Hopefully Browns (fans) show up in record numbers.”

Loud Steelers cheers on the lakefront on national television would be another embarrassment for a Browns franchise that has become the butt of jokes across the country.

“I’m sure the media or the city might have something to say about it, but as a player we’ve got to focus more about the game, can’t really worry about it,” left guard Eric Steinbach. “There weren’t too many people Sunday in the stands. It’s frustrating, but …”

The weather could add another interesting dynamic. The temperature is supposed to be below 20 degrees, with frigid wind chills and the chance for snow.

“To be able to play Pittsburgh, at home, I’ve been looking forward to this for a while,” Mangini said. “I think we all have.

“I know we haven’t been on the plus side of that rivalry, but it doesn’t change the emotion that goes into the game. It would give me satisfaction to go out and play good football and win the game.”

Tonight

• Who: Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh
• Time: 8:20
• Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium
• TV/radio: Channel 3; WMMS 100.7-FM, WTAM 1100-AM

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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