The Steelers gave themselves a real shot at stealing this one back, but Cleveland had the last word. Andre Szmyt drilled a 56-yard field goal in the closing minute, and the Browns walked out with a 27-24 win to move to 3-1.
Pittsburgh came out sharp and controlled the opening stretch. The defense forced a three-and-out right away, and the offense answered with a long, methodical 17-play drive that ate up nearly 10 minutes and ended with Roman Wilson catching a jet touch pass for a touchdown.
It looked like a clean launch. Instead, the game flipped fast.
Aaron Rodgers was intercepted by Denzel Ward, and Cleveland cashed it in with a 28-yard touchdown run by Jaleel McLaughlin. After another Steelers three-and-out, the Browns needed only four plays to strike again, with Quinshon Judkins scoring from two yards out.
Pittsburgh had a chance to slow the bleeding with a field goal, but Chris Boswell missed from 48 yards. Cleveland kept pressing, and Harold Fannin finished a two-yard touchdown pass to stretch the lead to 21 unanswered points.
Boswell did get one through before halftime, cutting it to 21-10.
The Steelers’ defense finally settled down after the break. After giving up 21 points in the first half, Pittsburgh allowed just three in the second and came away with two takeaways.
T.J. Watt forced a fumble on Deshaun Watson and recovered it himself, though the Steelers couldn’t turn that into points.
Later, Jack Sawyer got a tip on Watson’s pass, and Robert Spears-Jennings made the interception. That takeaway set up one of Rodgers’ best throws of the night, as he scrambled right and fired a 21-yard touchdown to Darnell Washington.
Pittsburgh went for two and missed, leaving it 21-16.
Cleveland answered with a field goal to make it 24-16, but Rodgers wasn’t done. He guided an eight-play, 80-yard drive and hit Pat Freiermuth for a touchdown to pull the Steelers within two. After a Jared Verse penalty moved the ball to the one-yard line, Mike McCarthy called for an Aaron Rodgers sneak to tie it at 24-24.
That only set the stage for Cleveland’s final drive. The Browns went 36 yards in seven plays to get Szmyt into range, and his 56-yarder put Pittsburgh behind for good. Rodgers got one final chance, but Grant Delpit intercepted the desperation throw to end it.
Rodgers finished 22 of 40 for 299 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He and DK Metcalf found their best rhythm of the season, connecting five times for 115 yards. Still, the missed Boswell kick, five sacks allowed on Rodgers, and a defense that couldn’t finish the job left the Steelers at 2-2.
In Other News...
Steelers Defense Just Took A Brutal Hit Against The Browns
A Thursday night collision with the Browns brought an early injury scare for Pittsburgh, as defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was carted off with a foot injury and quickly listed as questionable. The timing could not have been worse for a defense already trying to slow Clevelands momentum, with the Browns taking a 21-10 lead into halftime.
Harmons exit leaves the Steelers with a bigger problem than just one missing body in the middle. His presence matters in both the run game and the pass rush, and Pittsburgh now has to adjust on the fly while trying to keep Cleveland from controlling the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Just Complicated One Steelers Blame Game
Aaron Rodgers added a layer to the Steelers postgame frustration after the late possession in the loss to Cleveland, pushing back on the idea that the play was simply about Jaylen Warren being the intended answer on second down. Rodgers said five players were running routes on the snap, a reminder that what looks obvious from the outside can be a lot messier once protection, timing and route distribution come into play.
For a Pittsburgh offense still trying to sort through what went wrong in a tight, late-game sequence, that matters. The ball ending up with Warren does not automatically tell the full story of the design, and Rodgers explanation points to the kind of breakdown that can involve more than one player and more than one decision. In a game that already invited blame, the more interesting question may be how much of that play was about execution, and how much was about the pressure closing in around it. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Already Have A Rodgers-McCarthy Sideline Problem
The Steelers got a little reminder in Week 4 that bringing familiar faces together does not always mean smooth sailing. During Thursday nights game against the Browns, Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy were caught in a heated sideline exchange after Rodgers grew frustrated over a delayed play call, and McCarthy fired back with a profane retort.
For Pittsburgh, it was the kind of moment that can linger because of how much history is wrapped into it. Rodgers and McCarthy won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay before reuniting in Pittsburgh, so the chemistry was never going to be a mystery, but neither was the possibility of old competitive habits resurfacing when the pressure ratchets up. Fans who were hoping for a clean reunion got a glimpse of something a lot messier, and it will be worth watching how that dynamic plays out moving forward. [Read more 🡒]