Verse Wanted His Teammates to Respond
Jared Verse took a hard fall Sunday when Steelers guard Mason McCormick met him in the air during a first-quarter extra-point try, upended him and dumped him headfirst onto the turf. Officials flagged McCormick for unnecessary roughness, producing a 15-yard penalty and possibly a fine. On Wednesday, Verse told reporters he had spoken with his Browns teammates about what happened. Their failure to defend him, he said, bothered him deeply. ESPN quoted him saying the lack of reaction around him had upset him “a lot.”
Jared Verse gets slammedpic.twitter.com/dBLCQ54brG https://t.co/TnCSdzKmjV
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) November 1, 2026
The Next Play Hit a Nerve
Verse said a similar play happened to Derek Barnett on what he believed was the next field goal. He said he lost his temper then because Barnett was one of his brothers and teammates. For Verse, the issue was not only the penalty or the way he landed. It was the quiet response from the players around him. In his view, teammates were supposed to treat the hit as a personal matter for the team, not just another whistle. That is a demanding definition of sideline solidarity, but Verse made clear he expected it.
Verse Also Owned His Part
The defensive end did not place every ounce of blame on his teammates. He admitted he had failed to warn them about his plan to go after the Steelers and their fans before kickoff. “I got to be better than that,” Verse said. Before the rematch, he had declared that the Browns were “making Pittsburgh ours.” He also spent the week taking jabs at Cam Heyward and the Steelers. The dispute traced back to the teams’ Week 4 meeting, according to BroBible, so the pregame talk was not exactly appearing from thin air.
McCormick Gave a Different Account
McCormick rejected the idea that he singled out Verse. After the game, he said he never targeted the Browns pass rusher and was only carrying out his assignment. Browns coach Todd Monken said Monday that Cleveland needed to “speak with your play.” Verse did not apologize for his approach, saying he likes to talk and attack and plays with that edge. The scoreboard, however, favored Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 27-6, took sole possession of first place in the AFC North and dropped Cleveland to 5-3. The Browns also failed to score a touchdown for the first time all season, according to the team’s recap.
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