Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had some fun at the expense of the Cleveland Browns on Sunday night. He took a shot at the AFC North team while helping recap the day's NFL action.
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The moment came during Sunday night's airing of Football Night in America on NBC. Host Maria Taylor worked through the highlights from the day's games while Tomlin helped provide his thoughts.
As they got to the Jaguars' decisive 34-10 win over the Browns, Tomlin made a joke about his former team's rival.
Mike Tomlin: "In the words of my friend JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Browns is the Browns." 🏈💀🎙️ pic.twitter.com/5jRJYeRgG1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 14, 2026
"No, not off to a good start here," Tomlin said while watching Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson throw an interception. "He throws an interception. In the words of my good friend JuJu Smith-Schuster, 'The Browns is the Browns.'"
The Browns did not have a strong start to the season after making the controversial decision to name Watson the starter. The offense only generated 272 yards and 14 first downs. Watson threw for 205 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Meanwhile, the Browns defense gave up 360 yards of offense to the Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who threw four touchdown passes during the blowout.
This is not the first time that Tomlin has joked about a quarterback that the Steelers faced during his time as head coach. He also previously had some fun at the expense of Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who missed Week 1 with a sudden back injury.
Speaking on the NBC set at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, Tomlin previewed the Week 1 matchup between the Steelers and the Falcons. He explained that this matchup was less about Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and more about Tagovailoa, the expected starter for the game.
"His last visit to Pittsburgh didn't go well," Tomlin said. "I was in the stadium that day. They lost. He got benched. I think it's gonna be a good day for Mike McCarthy, (defensive coordinator) Patrick Graham and the Steelers and company."
The game he referenced took place in December 2025. The Steelers defeated the Dolphins 28-15 on Monday Night Football as Tagovailoa threw for 253 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Then-Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel then acknowledged after the game that the quarterback play "was not good enough" and he indicated that benching Tagovailoa remained possible. The team later made the move and sent Tagovailoa to the bench.
