CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter but rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19 on a snowy Thursday night in Cleveland.
Running back Nick Chubb, in his first game against the Steelers since sustaining a severe knee injury against the AFC North rival 14 months ago, scored a 2-yard, go-ahead touchdown with 57 seconds left, and Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson’s Hail Mary attempt was batted down in the end zone as time expired.
Fueled by Myles Garrett’s three-sack performance in the first half and a tough offensive effort amid the elements, Cleveland built an 18-6 lead early in the fourth quarter after quarterback Jameis Winston’s 2-yard touchdown run and pass to tight end David Njoku on a 2-point conversion attempt. But a pair of turnovers appeared to doom the Browns. First, Winston lost a fumble on a strip-sack by linebacker Nick Herbig that led to a 19-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to wide receiver Calvin Austin III, giving the Steelers a 19-18 lead. He later threw an interception to cornerback Donte Jackson.
But after a defensive stop and a 16-yard punt, Winston led the Browns on a nine-play, 45-yard drive that included a fourth-down conversion to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, capped by Chubb’s second score of the game.
The win is Cleveland’s seventh straight victory on Thursday night.
Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:
Describe the game in two words: No quit. Four days after giving up 21 points in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints, their seventh defeat in their previous eight games, the Browns delivered a gritty victory in front of their home crowd against the AFC North-leading Steelers.
QB breakdown: The Winston experience was in full effect amid the elements. He threw what appeared to be a back-breaking interception late in the fourth quarter but ultimately kept giving the Browns a chance to win with extended plays and clutch throws. He finished 18 of 27 with 219 yards passing with an interception and a fumble. It marked Winston’s third quality start in four games since taking over in Week 8.
Troubling trend: The Browns entered Week 12 having given up 16 completions on passes thrown 20 yards downfield this season, tied for the seventh most in the NFL, and gave up another deep completion on Wilson’s only such attempt Thursday. — Daniel Oyefusi
Next game: at Denver Broncos (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, Dec. 2)
Three plays after Steelers safety DeShon Elliott made snow angels in the end zone at Huntington Bank Field, Wilson found Austin streaking across the same goal line through heavy snow showers and hit the wide receiver for a touchdown to erase a 12-point deficit for a one-point lead. But the celebration was short-lived.
Doomed by a failed two-point conversion, the recurrence of earlier offensive stagnation and a shanked punt, the Steelers gave up a winning drive capped off with a Chubb touchdown in a 24-19 loss.
Though the Steelers forced three Browns turnovers, the offense turned the takeaways into only seven points, and the defense couldn’t hold up late on a short field after the punt. With less than a minute to go after Chubb’s touchdown, the Steelers’ offense again couldn’t move the ball effectively and stalled out 50 yards away from the same end zone where Elliott celebrated and Austin scored.
The loss ended the Steelers’ five-game win streak and handed Wilson his first loss as the team’s starter. Though Wilson completed 21 of 28 attempts for 270 yards and a touchdown, he struggled against the Browns’ pass rush as Garrett recorded three sacks.
Describe the game in two words: Trap game. Come on, a hapless 2-8 Browns team hosting a 8-2 Steelers team days removed from a monster win against the Ravens? We should’ve known better. The Browns were amped up. And hampered most severely by recurring offensive errors, the Steelers started flat before rallying late.
Troubling trend: Wilson’s boom-or-bust play under pressure. Through three quarters, Wilson had only three incompletions and 204 passing yards. But he again struggled under pressure, taking four sacks in that span, including a strip sack. Yet, Wilson also completed 5 of 6 passes for 86 yards under that pressure, including several deep shots. But for as energizing as the deep balls were, the sacks were far more costly. Wilson took a sack for a loss of eight yards at the end of the Steelers’ first drive. Instead of a 50-yarder, kicker Chris Boswell attempted a 58-yarder and missed for only the second time this season as it sailed wide right.
Pivotal play: Herbig’s fourth-quarter strip sack. For the second game in a row, Herbig forced a fumble and Elliott recovered it, getting home against Winston in the fourth quarter. The ball bounced loose and Elliott recovered it at the Browns’ 27-yard line. The critical turnover came on the heels of the Steelers’ first touchdown in seven quarters, and it set up another Steelers score a couple of plays later as Wilson found Austin for the go-ahead, 23-yard touchdown strike. — Brooke Pryor
Next game: at Cincinnati Bengals (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 1)
