The Pittsburgh Steelers offense sputtered for most of the night and despite taking the lead in the fourth quarter, a late touchdown by RB Nick Chubb lifted the Cleveland Browns over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 24-19 win.
The Browns deferred on the coin toss so Pittsburgh opened up with the ball. The drive looked promising after a 16-yard run by RB Jaylen Warren and then a 22-yard completion to TE Pat Freiermuth on 3rd and 6 to move to the Cleveland 39, but the drive stalled out with Russell Wilson taking a sack on 3rd and 3 from the Cleveland 32 that lost eight yards. K Chris Boswell came in for a 58-yard try, but his attempt in the wind and snow was wide right.
After forcing a three-and-out, Pittsburgh got some splash on its second drive when QB Russell Wilson hit WR George Pickens for a gain of 31 yards to move Pittsburgh into Cleveland territory. On 4th and 2, they’d bring QB Justin Fields out to try and convert the first down, but he was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage and the Browns would take over.
Cleveland struggled on offense in the first quarter with a pair of three-and-outs, and Pittsburgh had another field goal opportunity with Boswell. He made this one from 48 yards out with 10:53 left in the first half. That drive was ignited by a 46-yard catch by WR Calvin Austin III to move the Steelers into Cleveland territory. The Steelers took a 3-0 lead.
The Browns’ offense got moving on their next drive, and they converted on a 4th and 1 from the Pittsburgh 16. A few plays later, Chubb would punch it in from two yards out and Cleveland would take a 7-3 lead with four minutes left in the first half. QB Jameis Winston was 6-6 for 55 yards on the drive.
On the second play of the ensuing drive for Pittsburgh, Wilson fumbled and it was recovered by LB Winston Reid at the Pittsburgh 31, giving the Browns great field position. The Browns would settle for a field goal on the drive, though they would take the clock down to 43 seconds left in the half as they extended their lead to 10-3.
The score remained 10-3 in the first half, as EDGE Myles Garrett got his third sack of the game to end the half.
The Steelers forced a turnover to open the second half, as after a completion to WR Cedric Tillman, S DeShon Elliott forced the fumble and it was recovered by CB Donte Jackson. Pittsburgh took over at its own 25, but Cleveland would force a turnover on downs with RB Jaylen Warren getting stopped behind the line of scrimmage on a 4th and 1 run, and the Browns took over at the Pittsburgh 45. The Pittsburgh defense then forced a three-and-out, so the Steelers got the ball back with 9:09 left in the third quarter trailing 10-3.
The offense again looked stagnant, but Wilson was able to hit WR Van Jefferson for a 35-yard gain on 3rd and 10 to the Cleveland 31, and the Steelers would go for it on 4th and 1 from the Cleveland 22 instead of sending out Boswell in the driving snow. On fourth down, Wilson found TE Pat Freiermuth along the left sideline for a first down to the Cleveland 13. The Steelers would face a 3rd and 13 after a high snap led to a sack on second down, and the Steelers had to settle for a field goal after the third down completion to Pickens was short of the sticks. Boswell hit from 28 yards to cut the Cleveland lead to 10-6 with 1:56 left in the third quarter.
Cleveland’s drive began on their own 36, and on the first play of the drive TE Blake Whiteheart moved the Browns into Pittsburgh territory with a 29-yard reception. Cleveland converted on 4th and 1 later in the drive with a four-yard run by Chubb, and they got inside the five on a completion to TE Jordan Akins for 18 yards. The Steelers’ defense would hold until fourth down, when QB Jameis Winston scrambled for a one-yard touchdown. Cleveland would convert the two-point conversion, and the Browns took an 18-6 lead with 12:16 left to play.
A much-needed 30-yard run by QB Justin Fields gave Pittsburgh some life on their next drive, and two plays later he drew a roughing the passer penalty to get the Steelers right outside the red zone. A completion from Wilson to Harris later in the drive got the Steelers inside the five, and they capped the drive off with a touchdown run by Jaylen Warren. Boswell’s extra point cut the Cleveland lead to 18-13 with 7:57 left, and the Steelers had some momentum.
They capitalized on that momentum with OLB Nick Herbig getting a strip sack of Winston, and Elliott recovered at the Cleveland 27. On third down, Wilson went to WR Calvin Austin III in the end zone, and Austin made the catch and Pittsburgh took a 19-18 lead. They went for two to try to extend the lead to three points, but the fade to RB Cordarrelle Patterson was incomplete, so the lead would remain 19-18 with 6:15 left in the fourth.
The Browns would move the ball into Pittsburgh territory with QB Jameis Winston making an impressive throw on the run on 3rd and 12 to WR Jerry Jeudy for a 26-yard gain to the Pittsburgh 38. But a few plays later, Winston threw an interception, as his throw went right into the arms of CB Donte Jackson, and the Steelers would take over at their own 24. The Steelers would go three-and-out though, and they punted it back to Cleveland with 3:29 left. Corliss Waitman’s punt was shanked and went just 16 yards, and the Browns took over at the Pittsburgh 46.
Pittsburgh would force Cleveland into a fourth down, and the Browns would go for it on 4th and 4 from from the Pittsburgh 38 and would convert on a pass to Jeudy along the sideline for a gain of five. After the Browns picked up a penalty on third down, the Steelers accepted the penalty and put the Browns in a 3rd and 7 instead of a 4th and 2, and Cleveland converted on a 15-yard completion to Jeudy. A defensive delay of game gave the Browns a first and goal, and Chubb would get them down to the one-yard line. Chubb would punch it in on the next play, and Cleveland took a 24-19 lead with 57 seconds left after the two-point conversion failed.
The Steelers would have 57 seconds and a timeout to try and win the game, but with 16 seconds left they’d have the ball at the Cleveland 44 after a completion to Warren. With six seconds left, Pittsburgh went for the hail mary, but it got knocked down in the end zone and the Browns held on for the win.
The loss drops the Steelers to 8-3, while Cleveland moves to 3-8. The Steelers remain in first place of the AFC North, while the Browns remain in last place, although they now have wins over both the Steelers and Ravens.
