Earlier this year, after the Los Angeles Rams lost the NFC Championship Game, defensive end Jared Verse acknowledged that he needed to mature. Now, Verse has left LA for the Cleveland Browns, but he still managed to dominate headlines for his aggressiveness, as the Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23 on Thursday Night Football. After the matchup, however, Verse revealed that the Steelers had been trash-talking him, and he is now even more excited to face them later this season.
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“They were talking crazy,” Verse said of the Steelers’ players. “I was telling them, ‘You’re double-teaming, y’all sliding, y’all garbage.’ I was talking crazy to them. I don’t have any respect for anybody that plays too dirty and does too much extra sh** after the game, excuse my French. So, I can’t wait to see them again. It’s going to be a good time when I see them again.”
Verse’s frustration didn’t come in a vacuum. Thursday night’s AFC North clash was a chippy affair, with both sides equally involved in making the matchup increasingly heated.
The clearest incident came in the first quarter. Pittsburgh’s wide receiver DK Metcalf caught a pass from Aaron Rodgers on third down, picked up a first down, and then was flagged for taunting. The penalty cost the Steelers 15 yards. The Browns, on the other hand, were flagged for 14 penalties, costing them 88 yards, and Jared Verse was at the center of the attention.
Verse received an unnecessary roughness penalty during the game and was repeatedly involved in exchanges with Steelers players. At the same time, he also appeared to swing at Pittsburgh offensive lineman Mason McCormick, although the officials did not flag that specific incident.
Meanwhile, the Browns defense itself played an extremely physical game. The unit sacked quarterback Aaron Rodgers five times and recorded multiple hits against him. Verse, on the other hand, finished the game with 2 tackles. After the game, he cleared his stance on the way his team is playing.
“This ain’t the old Browns,” he said. “We’ve got new swag. We’re a lot more aggressive, a lot more, you know, getting after it. This is something different here. We’re going to make this whole city rock.”
However, it’s not the first time the defensive end has talked about opponents giving him extra attention. Earlier in the season, Verse acknowledged that opponents were using chips and double teams against him after he arrived in Cleveland following the Myles Garrett trade.
Against Jacksonville, ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reported that Verse was chipped on 31.1% of his pass-rush snaps and double-teamed on 12.5%, both higher than his rates during his first two seasons with the Rams.
That said, the Steelers and the Browns will meet again later this season in Week 9. At the same time, Jared Verse will have another opportunity to back up his words on the field.