Browns Flipping the Script With Win Over Steelers

The Cleveland Browns don’t look like the usual Cleveland Browns with a 3–1 start.

Cleveland reached that record for the first time since 2021 after a 27–24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that included another rarity: the Browns scored 21 points in the second quarter, the first time Cleveland has put up that many points in a quarter since 2020.

“I can’t speak for them, but I’ve always believed in the players that I’ve coached, and I believe in these guys,” Browns head coach Todd Monken told reporters afterward. “What other way is there?”  

Cleveland proved that with quarterback Deshaun Watson, who had been counted out by many for years due to injuries and off-field troubles.

“I’ve just been trying to manage, day by day,” Watson told reporters about the past. “There were challenges. There was a lot of self-talk, family talks, and mental treatments that I had to go through.”

Watson looked anything but that against Pittsburgh, with 24–33 passing for 268 yards and a touchdown, but also an interception. He completed 72.7 percent of his passes for a second time this season and went over 200 yards for a third time this year.

“Every day is a challenge. That’s why I say my slogan is ‘4OVE.’ It’s focusing on victories every day,” Watson told reporters afterward. “I gotta win today, and I gotta win this moment as I talk to you guys and go from there”

Watson’s two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin made it 21–7 in the second quarter. The Browns looked set with a 21–10 halftime lead that lasted five minutes into the fourth quarter before the Steelers rallied.

Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected with tight end Darnell Washington for a 21-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, which sparked the rally. Suddenly, the Browns looked like they could revert to their old selves with just a 21–16 lead.

After all, the Browns fumbled once and punted in the third quarter, and Watson threw his interception in the early fourth quarter. Cleveland didn’t fold when the Steelers pulled within a score, as Watson led the Browns on a seven-play, 40-yard drive to go up 24–16 with a 44-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt.

Rodgers answered with another scoring drive of eight plays and 80 yards, capping it with a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth. The Steelers knotted the game at 24–24, with Rodgers rushing for the two-point conversion.

“That’s part of the NFL,” Watson said. “You have to ride the waves. So many momentum shifts; they are the best in the world, just like us.”  

Watson responded to the Steelers’ comeback by leading a game-winning drive of seven plays, 36 yards, and Szmyt capped it with a 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds left for a 27–24 edge. While Rodgers threatened to get the Steelers in field goal range, the Browns nixed it as safety Grant Delpit picked him off.

“I just knew, I knew it was money. He told me the landmark, which was like the 42-yard line; he was like, man, you got me a little extra, so he would just line it up, and we see it all the time, he’s just going to be money,” Watson said.

Browns defensive back Denzel Ward also picked off Rodgers once, and Cleveland’s pass rush sacked Rodgers five times. Adam Huntington, Isaiah McGuire, Sam Williams, and Mike Hall Jr. all had sacks.

Rodgers went 22–for–40, passing for 299 yards and three touchdowns, versus two picks. He had major help from wide receiver DK Metcalf, who had five catches for 115 yards, and the Steelers also had success on the ground, with Jaylen Warren totaling 92 yards.

Cleveland rushed the ball effectively, totaling 112 yards and two touchdowns. Quinshon Judkins led the Browns with 53 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.