In a crucial AFC North matchup, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked as miserable as a team can as they lost to the Cleveland Browns, 13-10, on a Dustin Hopkins 34-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game. With the loss, the Steelers dropped to 6-4 while the Browns advanced to 7-3 and second place in the AFC North in what was one of the worst combined offensive showings you’ll see in a game this season.
The Browns dominated the first half of Sunday’s game. Their first drive ended in a punt but backed Pittsburgh up inside their 10 after punt returner WR Calvin Austin III let Corey Bojorquez’s boot land over his head. Facing 1st and 10 on its seven, Pittsburgh’s first offensive play of the game went backwards. Working out of shotgun, QB Kenny Pickett dropped back to his goal line and immediately faced pressure up the middle from DE Myles Garrett, sacking Pickett right on the chalk. Officials ruled Pickett was just outside the goal line, preventing the safety. But the drive was over before it began, and Pittsburgh punted away.
Benefitting from great starting field position at midfield, rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, in his second NFL start, moved the Browns downfield. Cleveland leaned on what they do best, a heavy dose of the run game coupled with play-action, including finding TE David Njoku wide open in the right flat for an 18-yard gain. On 3rd and goal from the Steelers’ 1, RB Jerome Ford muscled his way to the edge of the goal line. Initially ruled short of the end zone, Browns’ head coach Kevin Stefanski challenged the ruling, and the refs overturned it, concluding Ford worked his right arm over the goal line.
Pittsburgh’s offense floundered the rest of the quarter. But the defense settled in, containing the Browns’ running game while Thompson-Robinson struggled to hit open receivers underneath. The Browns’ touchdown drive was followed by five combined punts.
Cleveland closed out the half with points. Going on a 17-play slog that mixed the run and pass, Thompson-Robinson’s end-zone shots to TE David Njoku and WR Amari Cooper were unsuccessful, rebuffed by S Trenton Thompson and CB Joey Porter Jr. The Browns settled for a short field goal from Hopkins, putting them ahead 10-0 at the half. It marked only the third time since the Browns returned to Cleveland in 1999 that they shut Pittsburgh out through the first 30 minutes, joining 2006 and 2019 contests.
At the break, the Browns had outgained the Steelers, 163-64. Pittsburgh had as many punts (four) as it did first downs. Pickett had just 34 passing yards through the first half. Garrett feasted on Moore and the offense had several miscommunications as the Steelers went just 1-of-5 on third down, continuing their struggles in important moments. In his return from injury, TE Pat Freiermuth wasn’t targeted and only played rotational snaps early on.
The offense came alive on the Steelers’ opening drive of the third quarter. Pittsburgh leaned on its running game. And leaned on RB Jaylen Warren. Taking a toss to the right on 2nd and 9, Warren found space and got key downfield blocks from C Mason Cole and WR Miles Boykin, springing him for a 74-yard touchdown. It was the team’s longest run since 2014 and made it a 10-7 Browns advantage.
The punting continued after that play. Four in a row as each side traded field position in a game that set NFL offenses back to its original story, a slightly modified form of rugby where punting to gain ground, not points, was often the goal. The next splash play occurred late in the third quarter. On third down and on the edge of field goal range, Thompson-Robinson’s pass was contested by CB Joey Porter Jr. and intercepted by CB Chandon Sullivan off the tip. It was the first turnover of the day for either side.
Still, Pittsburgh’s offense did nothing with the chance. Again, they went third and out and again, failed on third down, moving to 1-of-9 on the day. Punter Pressley Harvin III shanked an attempt for a 20-yard boot that started the Browns in Steelers’ territory, but Pittsburgh’s defense made another stand to force a Browns’ punt. Cleveland’s offense kept its conservative nature as Thompson-Robinson threw in the flats and rarely tested things downfield.
After a long layoff where Warren hardly saw the football, the team finally went back to him. A 3rd-and-13 screen converted for 14 yards. Tough runs creating something out of nothing. But a fourth quarter drive stalled, forcing Chris Boswell to attempt a 28-yard attempt. It was good, tying the game with 7:40 left to play.
Both sides had cracks at breaking the tie but could not. Until the final drive of the game. After three straight Pickett incompletions, the Browns started their drive at their own 35. Spreading the field out, Thompson-Robinson hit WR Elijah Moore for 15 yards on the first play before hitting TE David Njoku and WR Amari Cooper for 19 combined yards the following two plays. They worked their way into field goal range, setting up a 34-yard field goal attempt Hopkins. His kick went right down the middle, Cleveland going ahead 13-10 with two seconds left.
The Steelers couldn’t pull out a miracle on the final play and lost the game. Pittsburgh will take on the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday at 1 PM/EST, another road game for the Steelers.
