Offensive Struggles Doom Steelers in Fall to Browns

CLEVELAND -- The Pittsburgh Steelers played lights-out defense for all four quarters against the Cleveland Browns but it wasn't enough to support a dismal offensive performance. The Steelers managed just 236 yards of total offense and 10 points - most of which came from running back Jaylen Warren - which wasn't enough to earn a victory and they fell 13-10 on the road to their rivals from Cleveland.

The Steelers won the toss and elected to defer their option to the second half. Chris Boswell sent the opening kickoff through the endzone for a touchback and the Browns, led by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, started with the ball on their own 25-yard line.

Thompson-Robinson converted the Browns' first third down of the afternoon with a seven-yard gain on a quarterback keeper. After allowing a couple of first downs, the Steelers eventually forced the Browns into a third and long and swallowed a screen pass to Jerome Ford well short of the first down marker, leading to a punt.

The Browns executed well and pinned the Steelers at their own nine-yard line. They only narrowly avoided incurring a safety on their first two plays of the game, when the Browns defensive line dominated the Steelers front to sack Kenny Pickett and stuff Najee Harris inside the one-yard line. They created some room for a punt with a short pass to Allen Robinson before kicking the Browns back to the 50-yard line.

The Browns drove up to the goal line behind a pair of first-down completions to David Njoku and Ford, who later punched in a one-yard touchdown run to break the ice with 4:35 to play in the first quarter. The Browns needed to challenge an initial ruling that pegged Ford short of the goal line to land their first points.

Trailing 7-0, the Steelers got some better position with a touchback on the ensuing kickoff but despite gaining a first down quickly, they stalled out around midfield and punted for the second time.

Cleveland took the ball back at their own 10-yard line after a strong kick from Pressley Harvin. Thompson-Robinson misfired on a pair of passes and the Browns, facing a fourth and one from their own 19-yard line, opted to punt.

Korey Bojorquez unleashed a booming 65-yard punt to flip the field and the Steelers started the next possession on their own 16-yard line.

They didn't let a delay of game penalty set them too far back as Pickett connected with George Pickens for a fist down along the sideline on third and 15. Jaylen Warren added two more first downs on the ground to put the Steelers over midfield. But after making inroads on the ground, the Steelers turned to the pass and after a pair of incompletions from Pickett, punted.

The Steelers and Browns exchanged punts at the end of their next two possessions before Cleveland began to string together a drive with just over three minutes left in the half.

Thompson-Robinson completed a 12-yard pass to Elijah Moore and then added 10 more yards on a holding penalty by Joey Porter Jr. They passed midfield by the two-minute warning and reached the redzone with under a minute remaining but the Steelers stood tall in the redzone, forcing tow incompletions with physical coverage on the outside from Trenton Thompson and Porter Jr. Dustin Hopkins nailed a 25-yard field goal to extend the Browns' lead to 10-0 at halftime.

The Steelers came out of intermission on fire, with Jaylen Warren changing the game before Browns fans could even get back to their seats. He ran 74 yards up the far sideline for a touchdown, giving Pittsburgh its first points of the game 50 seconds into the third quarter.

After stabilizing things at 10-7, the Steelers defense came on to try and steal some more momentum back and they did. Trenton Thompson deflected a third-down pass from Thompson-Robinson, nearly making an interception, and despite driving up to midfield, had to punt for the third time in four possessions.

Both sides traded three-and-outs before the Steelers finally broke through with a fourth down conversion by way of a quarterback sneak deep in their own territory. The conversion appeared to come at a cost when Pickett walked off the field with an apparent injury, but he returned to the game after Cleveland challenged the spot and lost. Still, the Steelers couldn't keep the drive alive and punted again with four minutes left in the third quarter.

The Steelers had Cleveland's next drive dead to rights when they held Cedric Tillman short of the sticks on third and long, but a roughing the passer call against Alex Highsmith gave the Browns new life. But their hopes were quickly dashed when Chandon Sullivan corralled a tipped pass from Thompson-Robinson for an interception at their own 23-yard line.

But another three-and-out from the Steelers was followed by a shanked punt from Harvin that gave the Browns starting field position in enemy territory with less than a minute to play in the third quarter. But Cleveland couldn't swing momentum with a drive of their own and had to punt from midfield to open the fourth quarter, still leading by just three.

The Steelers rode Warren, who touched the ball four times and gained 42 yards on the drive, to a game-tying, 28-yard field goal from Boswell with 7:40 left in regulation.

T.J. Watt put the Browns behind the sticks to begin their next possession with a sack on second down and Elandon Roberts cleaned up on fourth down by stopping Elijah Moore short of the first down marker on third and long. The Steelers got the ball back on the 44-yard line, tied at 10 with 5:47 left to play.

The Steelers gained some minor field position with a 12-yard completion from Pickett to Pickens but that was all and they were forced to punt back to Cleveland with 3:29 left in the fourth quarter.

The Browns offense took over at their own 14-yard line and Kareem Hunt gave them some breathing room with a 16-yard run aided by a hurdle over a Steelers defender. As the two-minute warning hit, the Browns stood at their own 32-yard line with the score still knotted at 10. They wouldn't gain another yard before punting but the Steelers returned the favor after Pickett misfired on three straight throws.

Cleveland took back over with 1:18 left on the clock and two timeouts, needing any kind of points to win the game. He opened the drive by hitting Moore for 15 yards, then Hunt for another six yards to move past midfield. Cooper hauled in an eight-yard reception to put the Browns on the edge of field goal range with 48 seconds left. After a timeout, Njoku gained 11 more yards, allowing the Browns to run out the remaining clock. After taking their final timeout, Cleveland moved five yards forward because of a delay of game penalty on Keanu Benton.

With five seconds left, Thompson-Robinson spiked the ball and Hopkins came on for a 34-yard field goal, which after the Steelers burned their final timeout, he made with two seconds left on the clock. The final seconds burned off when a hook and ladder attempt was stopped miles short of the endzone.

The Steelers fell to 6-4 with the loss, their first of the season to an AFC North opponent.

Make sure you bookmark All Steelers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett Takes Scary Hit Against Browns

Steelers DC Teryl Austin Named Candidate For NFL Job

Steelers Facing Huge Playoff Swing Against Browns

NFL Fines Steelers Rookie Nick Herbig

Steelers Make Several Roster Moves

Subscribe to the All Steelers YouTube Channel