On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers hit the field at home for a key divisional game against the Cleveland Browns, with first place in the AFC North on the line. Coming into this game, Jared Verse had been doing a lot of trash talk, prompting Steelers veteran Cam Heyward to issue a warning of his own prior to the matchup.
In the first half of the game, Steelers offensive lineman Mason McCormick picked Verse up and threw him to the ground violently, seemingly making good on Heyward's words.
(Via Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team on X, formerly Twitter)
Fans in the comment section had thoughts on the wild play, which occurred as the Steelers were attempting a field goal.
“As a Browns fan, he deserved it,” wrote one fan.
“He said they play dirty. They literally proved him right in the first quarter,” added another.
There was plenty of fan anticipation for this matchup as a result of the comments from both Verse and Heyward, and McCormick's violent play certainly brought things to a boiling point.
The Browns and Steelers have long been known to have highly physical games against one another over the years, with the AFC North becoming known as one of the hardest-hitting divisions in the NFL landscape.
It remains to be seen if any discipline will come down from the NFL as a result of McCormick's play.
For their part, the Steelers got off to a strong start to this one, taking a 10-3 lead at one point in the first half.