PITTSBURGH — The Cleveland Browns entered Sunday's game against the Steelers on a 21-game regular-season losing streak when facing their rivals in Pittsburgh. Their last regular-season win in The Steel City was back in 2003. On Sunday, that streak was extended as the Browns lost their 22nd regular-season game in Pittsburgh, falling to the Steelers, 23-9.
1Q
After winning the coin toss and electing to defer, the Browns started Sunday's game on defense. But the Steelers' first play of the game did not go the Browns' way. Aaron Rodgers hit tight end Darnell Washington on a short pass, but missed coverage allowed him to turn it into a 36-yard gain.
With the ball in Cleveland's territory after just one play, it was up to the defense to hold the Steelers off. Pittsburgh was able to move the chains one more time before the Browns held them to a 44-yard field goal, which Steelers' kicker Chris Boswell hit to take a quick 3-0 lead.
The Browns weren't able to get on the board in their opening drive, stalled by both a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Jerry Jeudy and then a dropped pass from Jeudy on third-and-19.
Forced to punt, Corey Bojorquez sent it 52 yards downfield to the Steelers' 12-yard line, but Pittsburgh broke free for a 47-yard return. The Browns caught a break on the play, though, after the Steelers were flagged for an illegal blindside block, moving the ball half the distance to the goal from the spot of the penalty.
Cleveland's defensive efforts held strong on the next drive, and after defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka wrapped up Rodgers, forcing him to dump it out to his nearest running back, Shelby Harris was there with the tackle for loss—helping force Pittsburgh to punt it away after one more unsuccessful play.
A six-play drive for the Browns saw rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel sacked for a loss of seven before connecting with fellow rookie Gage Larvadain on a play that looked like it had legs as Larvadain wiggled out of a tackle—but the refs, seemingly prematurely, blew the play dead. The Browns punted once again to end the first quarter.
2Q
After a not-so-great 21-yard punt to the Steelers' 29-yard line, Pittsburgh ran an 11-play drive that saw Cleveland's new cornerback, Tyson Campbell, who the team acquired in a trade with the Jaguars earlier in the week, tested heavily. Campbell, covering Steelers receiver DK Metcalf, locked things down and broke up a pass with his body to kill the drive and hold the Steelers to another field goal attempt. Boswell's 50-yarder was good, giving the Steelers a 6-0 lead.
The Browns went three-and-out on their next drive, capped off with a collapsed pocket and Gabriel's second sack of the game, this one for a loss of six.
It wouldn't be hard to guess how the Steelers' next drive would go because it looked similar to three of their previous drives. After gaining 49 yards in 10 plays, the Browns' defense once again held the Steelers to a field goal. Boswell hit a 48-yard field goal to make it a 9-0 game.
Cleveland had one more possession before the half, and while they didn't find the end zone, they stretched it three-and-a-half minutes and got in position for Andre Szmyt to hit a 31-yard field goal, entering the half on the board for the first time and trailing 9-3.
3Q
Getting the ball to start the second half, things started rocky for the Browns' offense and didn't get any better. Gabriel took his fourth sack of the day, taken down by Watt, and in the process fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Steelers. Luckily for the Browns, Watt was called for defensive offside, resetting the play. But an incompletion and a batted pass led to the Browns' fourth punt of the day.
It took some time, but the end zone was finally utilized in the third quarter. The problem was that it was the Steelers who found it. A 10-play drive took the Steelers 79 yards downfield and on a tight pass from Rodgers to tight end Connor Heyward, saw the first touchdown of the day. The score gave the Steelers a 16-3 lead over Cleveland.
Some injuries trickled into the third quarter, with tight end David Njoku leaving the field and heading into the blue medical tent for evaluation before returning to the game. Right tackle Jack Conklin also left the game, taken out to be evaluated for a concussion. Defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a hip injury.
As the quarter neared the end, the Browns were looking to put points on the board anyway they could. A series of brutal drops from tight ends Harold Fannin Jr. and David Njoku that would have extended the drive kept the Browns from a touchdown, but they did score three more points off the foot of Szmyt, who nailed his 53-yard attempt to make it a 16-6 game.
4Q
The Steelers started their next drive in the third quarter and kept it alive through the start of the final frame. A 25-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Metcalf with Campbell in coverage gave the Steelers a 23-6 lead.
Cleveland continued their efforts to generate some kind of offensive success, putting together a long drive. There were a number of near interceptions, including one to former Browns safety Juan Thornhill, but Gabriel had some luck on his side in that regard.
He didn't have luck on the drive, though. After some incompletions and another injury that saw Larvadain leave the game after taking a big hit to the head, things tanked for the Browns' offense on Pittsburgh's three-yard line. Gabriel was sacked by Steelers' Nick Herbig for a loss of 11 yards, killing what could have been their first touchdown drive. Instead, the Browns settled for their third field goal, a 32-yard attempt that Szmyt hit to make it a 23-9 game.
Gabriel had another near-interception and continued to be sacked. The rookie quarterback was taken down six times for a loss of 38 yards, hit even more times. Gabriel ended his day throwing 29 for 51 passes for 221 yards— no touchdowns in his second career start.
The Steelers had a chance to run up the score again, but Boswell slipped on the field during a 54-yard field goal attempt and missed it low, keeping the score the same.
Cleveland is now 1-5 on the season. After being on the road and overseas for the last three weeks, the Browns return home to take on the Miami Dolphins next Sunday inside Huntington Bank Field at 1 p.m.
