Headed to the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, the Cleveland Browns survived a late comeback attempt by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in a narrow 24-22 victory.
Locked in a defensive battle in the game’s opening 30 minutes, the Browns offense came alive in the second half as quarterback Baker Mayfield tossed a touchdown pass to tight end Austin Hooper, along with getting a rushing score from Jarvis Landry. Nearly blowing a late fourth-quarter lead, the Steelers would look to tie on a two-yard touchdown pass from Mason Rudolph to JuJu Smith-Schuster. However, Kevin Stefanski’s group would snuff out the ensuing two-point and onside kick attempts by Pittsburgh to secure the 6th seed in the AFC playoffs.
Why the Pittsburgh Steelers Lost
Entering week number 17 with little to play for as a result of clinching the number three seed in the AFC playoffs, the Steelers turned to Rudolph with Ben Roethlisberger sitting out due to rest. Slow starting in the first half, Pittsburgh managed just two field goals by kicker Matthew Wright. However, in only his second start since losing to the Browns a year ago, the 25-year-old would begin to catch fire in the final 30 minutes, tossing two touchdown passes to cut the Browns lead to two. Finishing with 315 passing yards on the day, Rudolph was ultimately unable to upset their divisional rival as a late two-point pass attempt would sail over the head of Smith-Schuster to hand the team just their fourth loss of the season.
Fighting hard despite being without three of their top defensive players in linebacker TJ Watt, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, and cornerback Joe Haden, the Steelers sacked Mayfield four times while holding the former number one pick to just 197 yards through the air. However, the team struggled to get the Browns offense off the field as their opponent converted 6-12 third-down attempts to extend drives. Along with this, Pittsburgh was ultimately unable to control the Browns ground game. They allowed 192 yards on the ground, highlighted by a 47-yard first-quarter scamper by running back Nick Chubb.
Why the Cleveland Browns Won
Getting back to their ground game after struggling over the past few weeks, the Browns took an early lead after Chubb plowed through the Steelers defense on a long 47-yard score. Moving the ball efficiently in the second half after carrying a narrow 10-6 lead into the break, Mayfield marched the ball into Pittsburgh territory on back to back passes of 13 and 14 yards to Rashard Higgins and David Njoku. Displaying his mobility later on, the former number would pick would scamper for 44 yards before finding Hooper across the middle for a two-yard score. Extending their lead later on, Cleveland efficiently moved the ball down to their opponent’s two-yard line before scoring on an end-around by Landry.
Battling all game long despite being down defensive backs Denzel Ward and Andrew Sendejo and linebackers B.J. Goodson and Malcolm Smith, the Browns defense made multiple key stops down the stretch to secure the victory. Snuffing out a late Steelers comeback attempt early on in the second half, cornerback MJ Stewart intercepted an errant pass by Rudolph on third and nine to help maintain the lead. Led by defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (7 quarterback hurries) and linebacker Jacob Phillips (8 tackles), Joe Wood’s group also held strong at the end of the game after an unsuccessful two-point attempt by the Steelers.
Highlights
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What’s Next
Set for a rematch next Sunday, the Browns will travel to Pittsburgh to battle the Steelers at 8:15 pm. After snapping the longest playoff drought in the league, the team will look for just their first win at Heinz Field since 2003 after losing the previous 17 matchups between the two teams.
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