Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin offered a measured compliment to Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken on Sunday night after the Browns rallied for a 13-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Speaking on NBC’s “Football Night in America,” Tomlin said, “I kinda like Coach Monken.”
Host Maria Taylor followed up by asking, “Y’all friends now?” Tomlin replied, “I didn’t say we were friends,” while smiling.
The comment marked a shift from earlier remarks. After Cleveland’s season-opening 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tomlin had said, “The Browns is the Browns,” borrowing a line once used by former Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Monken responded after the Browns’ 23-19 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.
“Browns are gonna Browns. (Expletive) that!” he said in his postgame news conference. Tomlin later noted, “Hey, I’m glad that I can still motivate, although I’m not coaching anymore.”
Cleveland improved to 4-2 with the victory and holds the top spot in a three-way tie atop the AFC North with the Steelers and Ravens, both also 4-2. The Browns have beaten both division rivals this season.
The Steelers defeated the Buccaneers 26-19 in overtime on Sunday to reach 4-2. Pittsburgh’s win came hours after Cleveland’s result.
Against Baltimore, the Browns trailed 10-0 at halftime and managed just 46 yards and three first downs in the first half. They scored 13 unanswered points after the break.
Deshaun Watson completed 16 of 26 passes for 164 yards. He connected with Jerry Jeudy on a 33-yard gain late in the fourth quarter that set up Andre Szmyt’s 37-yard field goal as time expired. Szmyt’s earlier 48-yard attempt had been blocked, but the Ravens were called for offside on the subsequent try.
Audric Estime’s two-yard touchdown run with 8:33 remaining tied the game at 10-10. The score came after Derrick Henry fumbled, giving Cleveland possession deep in Baltimore territory. Henry finished with 58 yards on 17 carries.
Baltimore quarterback Tyler Huntley started in place of Lamar Jackson, who missed a second straight game with an ankle injury. Huntley completed 19 of 31 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown.
The Browns’ defense limited the Ravens after their first two possessions. Cleveland also beat the Steelers 27-24 in Week 4. After that game, the team’s social media account posted a Minecraft-themed graphic captioned “game over,” a reference to Tomlin’s recent display of a Minecraft city he has built over more than a decade.
Monken, in his first season as an NFL head coach, previously served as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator. The Browns next play at the Tennessee Titans.
