Steelers defense shines, hold Browns out of endzone in wire-to-wire win
Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes as the Pittsburgh Steelers topped the visiting Cleveland Browns 23-9 on Sunday afternoon.
Rodgers (21-of-30 for 235 yards) found Connor Heyward and DK Metcalf for second-half touchdowns, while Chris Boswell kicked three field goals for Pittsburgh. Jalen Ramsey had two of the Steelers’ six sacks.
Dillon Gabriel was 29-of-52 for 221 yards for Cleveland, which has not won a regular-season game in Pittsburgh since 2003. The Browns managed only 248 total yards of offense, including 81 yards on Harold Fannin Jr.’s seven receptions, as they still have not scored more than 17 points in a game this season.
Rodgers and Darnell Washington hooked up for a 36-yard pass on the second play of the game, leading to Boswell’s 44-yard field goal.
The Steelers tacked on two more field goals in the second quarter before the Browns finally got on the board on Andre Szmyt’s 31-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.
However, Cleveland was unable to carry over any momentum into the third quarter, as the team went three-and-out to open the second half.
Pittsburgh cashed in on its ensuing possession, driving 79 yards to the end zone. Rodgers sprinted out right before finding a well-covered Heyward for a 12-yard score.
Szmyt responded with a 53-yard kick for the Browns before the Steelers came back with another touchdown to take a 23-6 lead. Rodgers found Roman Wilson (12 yards) and Washington (14 yards) for nice gains during the drive, and then Metcalf got open down the right sideline for a 25-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Gabriel and the Browns then compiled an 18-play drive, but they had to settle for Szmyt’s 32-yard field goal to get within 23-9 with 9:29 left.
Boswell slipped on a field-goal attempt with under four minutes to go, keeping it a two-possession game. Cleveland drove into the red zone in the waning minutes, but Gabriel’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
–Field Level Media
