Steelers vs Browns recap: Cleveland coughs away lead, then rallies for 24-19 win in snowfest

The Browns improve to 3-8 as Jameis Winston leads the rally against the Steelers in the snow.

The Cleveland Browns had a snowfest at Huntington Bank Field against their AFC North division rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns led 18-6 mid-way through the fourth quarter, but Pittsburgh rallied with two quick touchdowns to make it 19-18. In the final moments, the Browns rallied after two offensive turnovers, and pulled off the game-winning touchdown for a 24-19 victory! Let’s get to the full game recap.

---

Pre-Game

The Cleveland Browns are ready for prime time over the next two weeks, even though their record isn’t worthy of it. The first prime time game comes on Thursday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in Week 12. The action kicks off at 8:15 pm ET, and we will be bringing you live game updates and highlights here throughout the game.

Weather could play a role in Cleveland pulling off an upset against the 8-2 Steelers, but with the way things have gone for the Browns, we are projecting that the bad guys pick up the victory. Pittsburgh remains wildly consistent on defense too. But we’ll still be crossing our fingers for an upset!

---

1st Quarter

8:15 PM: With rain falling to begin the game, the Cleveland Browns kicked off. Dustin Hopkins kicked off and hit it on the ground, taking a nice bounce that forced Pittsburgh to begin their drive backed up at the 21 yard line. DT Shelby Harris blew up the Steelers’ first run play, a handoff to RB Najee Harris, for a loss of 1 yard. But then on the next play, RB Jaylen Warren got the Shotgun handoff and had a burst for 16 yards and a first down.

A few plays later, Pittsburgh faced a 3rd-and-1. That brought QB Justin Fields into the game, and as the ball was being snapped, a false start happened. QB Russell Wilson came back for 3rd-and-6 and threaded a pass to TE Pat Freiermuth for a gain of 22 yards into Cleveland territory, beating CB Greg Newsome. Now in Cleveland territory, the Steelers faced a 3rd-and-3 from the 32 yard line. Wilson dropped back and DE Myles Garrett helped collapse the pocket for an 8-yard sack back to the 40 yard line.

With the weather conditions, K Chris Boswell still came on for a 58-yard field goal — but it was pushed to the right for just his second miss of the year!

8:25 PM: After the missed field goal, the Browns’ offense took over with great starting field position at their own 48 yard line. Cleveland faced an immediate 3rd-and-7 after QB Jameis Winston’s first pass was tipped, and RB Nick Chubb had a 3-yard run. It was pushed back to a 3rd-and-12 due to a false start by LG Joel Bitonio, which isn’t ideal against this top Steelers defense. RB Jerome Ford caught a short pass, but only gained 8 yards, which sent P Corey Bojorquez out. The ball went off the side of his foot, though, for a 12-yard punt. He was bailed out a bit by a personal foul on Pittsburgh, which put the ball at the 19 yard line for Pittsburgh’s second drive.

8:31 PM: The Steelers faced another early third down at 3rd-and-6. As Wilson so often does, he lofted the ball up the right sideline, underthrowing it a tad, and WR George Pickens made the adjustment with CB Denzel Ward in coverage for a 32-yard gain into Cleveland territory again. A few plays later, on 3rd-and-6 again, a crossing route picked up 4 yards, setting up 4th-and-2. He left the offense on the field and brought Fields out again. Fields kept it, but Cleveland’s defense wasn’t fooled, stuffing Fields for a 2-yard loss and a turnover on downs.

8:39 PM: The Browns once again started with good field position, although this time at their own 40 yard line, with 3:25 left in the opening quarter. Chubb began with a gain of 6 yards after breaking a tackle. His next carry went for 2 yards, setting up 3rd-and-2. Winston took a big dropback on third down, but then was off-balanced as he tried to deliver a throw to WR Cedric Tillman, leading to an incomplete pass. Bojorquez came on for another punt, with this one downed at the 10 yard line.

8:43 PM: The Steelers got a 7-yard quick slant to Pickens on third down to end the first quarter and move the chains.

---

2nd Quarter

8:47 PM: Pittsburgh started the second quarter at their own 26 yard line, with the game scoreless. Warren had back-to-back short runs to set up a 3rd-and-9. Wilson, who started the game 7-of-7, continued that streak with his biggest play of the game as WR Calvin Austin broke free deep over the middle for a 46-yard gain, down to the Browns’ 26 yard line.

On the next play, Harris broke a ton of tackles, all of them for a loss, but on the final one, the ball was poked free. Wilson fell on top of it, but it was still for a loss of 3 yards. Pittsburgh tried a screen pass on second down, and an illegal formation penalty was declined to make it 3rd-and-10. Wilson’s perfect streak continued, but it was just a checkdown pass to avoid a sack. Boswell came on for a 42-yard field goal, but before he could try it, a false start penalty pushed it back 5 yards. The 47-yard field goal was good, giving Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead.

8:58 PM: Cleveland’s third possession started with their worst field position at the 20 yard line, and ironically enough, they got their best play as Winston found WR Jerry Jeudy for 16 yards on a catch-and-run slant. Jeudy then caught the next pass for 8 yards, setting up 2nd-and-2. Chubb then moved the chains with a 4-yard gain up to the Browns’ 48 yard line. Winston ran a playaction fake on the next play, finding Jeudy again for 15 yards and a first down, into Pittsburgh territory.

Ford received the carry on the next play and powered forward for 9 yards, setting up a convenient 2nd-and-1. Winston kept it and plunged forward for 3 yards and a first down to the 25 yard line. A few plays later, they faced a 3rd-and-7. WR Elijah Moore made the catch over the middle, gaining 6 yards and facing a long 4th-and-1. They decided to go for it, and Chubb found the hole for a 5-yard gain, setting up a first down at the 11 yard line.

After a timeout, Winston ran a playaction fake and hit TE David Njoku, who rumbled to the 2 yard line and setting up a 2nd-and-1. Chubb got the handoff and finished the drive with a touchdown, putting the Browns on top 7-3 (yes, K Dustin Hopkins made the extra point).

9:12 PM: The Steelers faced their first deficit of the half with four minutes to go. After a 2-yard gain on first down, Wilson ran a playaction fake and Garrett stripped him from the edge. The ball was loose, and LB Winston Reid dove on top of it at the Steelers’ 31 yard line!

9:14 PM: Winston found Moore for a 9-yard gain on the first play, they ran another quarterback sneak to move the chains on second down, leading into the two-minute warning.

From the 20 yard line, Chubb ran for 2 yards — but then a false start on LT Germain Ifedi pushed them back to a 2nd-and-13 at the 23 yard line. Winston took the Shotgun snap and connected with Moore for 6 yards, making it a manageable 3rd-and-7 from the 17 yard line. Pittsburgh burned a timeout, hoping to get the ball back, with 1:27 remaining. They tried to catch Pittsburgh off guard by running the ball, but only gained 1 yard. They kept the offense out there, but it was just to burn clock and try to force an offsides call. Cleveland took a timeout and sent Hopkins on the field for a 34-yard field goal, which he made to give the Browns a 10-3 lead with 0:40 remaining.

9:25 PM: The Browns needed to avoid allowing a score before the end of the first half. They kicked a touchback, and Pittsburgh, with one timeout, lined up in Shotgun. He threw downfield and hit Freiermuth for a 19-yard gain to midfield. Garrett was having none of this, though, as he ended the half by sacking Wilson to prevent a score, keeping it a 10-3 lead for the Browns.

---

3rd Quarter

9:42 PM: The Browns received the ball to begin the second half, starting at the 30 yard line. TE Jordan Akins caught a pass up the seam for 12 yards on the opening play. Winston then did a great job buying time and finding Tillman for a 24-yard gain, but as he tried to spin away from a tackle, the defender popped the ball free and Pittsburgh recovered at the Pittsburgh 25 yard line.

9:44 PM: Harris got three straight carries for Pittsburgh, trying to commit to the ground game to start their second half. Warren then got the next carry, setting up a 3rd-and-7 at the Pittsburgh 40 yard line. The defense covered well, and Wilson had to lob a dumpoff to Warren. S Juan Thornhill did a nice job getting a hit on Warren, but Warren did gymnastics to nearly get the first down still on a stumble. On 4th-and-inches at the 46 yard line, Pittsburgh decided to go for it, and DT Maurice Hurst stuffed Warren for a loss of 1 yard and a turnover on downs!

9:50 PM: The Browns ran the ball twice to set up a 3rd-and-4 at the Steelers’ 39 yard line. The ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage, though, making the Browns 0-of-5 on third downs. They sent the punt unit out, and the coverage units couldn’t stop the ball from going to the end zone for a touchback.

9:55 PM: With the snow falling more, the Steelers ran the ball with Warren for gains of 9 and 5 yards. The defense came up strong on the next two plays, but on 3rd-and-10, Wilson found WR Vance Jefferson wide open up the left side for a 35 yard gain, down to the Browns’ 31 yard line.

Harris was stopped for a loss of 1 yard on the next run, but then Wilson scrambled on second down to make it 3rd-and-inches. The handoff went to Harris, and Cleveland’s short-yardage defense came through again, stuffing the play for no gain. Boswell came on for a 41-yard field goal with the snow swirling. Pittsburgh took a timeout, though, and now decided to go for it. Wilson scrambled away and delivered a strike to Freiermuth for 9 yards and a first down to the 13 yard line.

A high snap on second down was still pulled in by Wilson, but it led to a loss. On 3rd-and-13 from the 16 yard line, Wilson hit Pickens for 7 yards. With the heavy snow, on 4th-and-7, Boswell came out for a 28-yard field goal, and it was good — the snow was so heavy that the TV audience couldn’t even see where the ball went. Now, it was a 10-6 game with 1:56 left in the third quarter.

10:08 PM: The Browns came out aggressive with a playaction fake and toss the ball downfield to TE Blake Whitehurst for a gain of 28 yards. Chubb followed that up with a run for 6 yards, but DE T.J. Watt got him for a 1 yard loss. To end the third quarter, Tillman caught a pass underneath and was stopped just short of a first down.

---

4th Quarter

10:14 PM: Cleveland faced a 4th-and-1 at the 27 yard line to start the fourth quarter, and with the snow coming down as much as it was, it was an easy decision to go for it. Winston kept it and handed it to the upback (Chubb), who got enough for the first down with a 4 yard gain.

Winston found Akins up the left seam, as he was wide open for 18 yards and a first down to the 5 yard line. On 1st-and-goal at the 5 yard line, Chubb got the carry for 3 yards. On 2nd-and-goal from the 2 yard line, Chubb worked his way to the 1¹⁄₂ yard line. On 3rd-and-goal, the Browns had the perfect playcall on with a playaction fake and Njoku was open. The ball slipped off his hands, though, and he dropped it.

On 4th-and-goal, the Browns lined up in Shotgun, Winston bought time and kept dodging shoestring tackles from behind, and then he gave up his body as he dove to the end zone for a touchdown! That made it a 16-6 game.

Cleveland went for, and Njoku held on to the two-point conversion on a much tougher catch to make it a 18-6 game.

10:26 PM: Pittsburgh’s response a few pays later was to put Fields in, and it worked as he ran for a burst of 30 yards. He stayed in the game, but was stopped for a loss of 2 yards on the next run. With Fields still in Shotgun, he passed the ball, but LB Jordan Hicks was flagged for roughing the passer. Wilson then returned with the ball at the 22 yard line now.

The Browns jumped into the neutral zone to set up a 2nd-and-3 from the 15 yard line. Off of playaction, a dumpoff to Harris picked up the first down, setting up 1st-and-goal at the 5 yard line. The Browns then stuffed an end around for a loss of 2 yards, but Delpit was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. On 1st-and-goal at the 3 yard line, Warren punched it in with Fields handing out off to make it an 18-13 game with 7:57 remaining.

10:35 PM: Could the Browns maintain the lead and finish the game strong? Ford returned the kickoff to the 24 yard line to start the drive. Chubb got the first touch for a 1 yard gain. On second down, Winston dropped back, hesitated on his first read, and Pittsburgh stripped the ball and recovered at the 27 yard line.

10:37 PM: Pittsburgh had the momentum, and Wilson went for it all —he had a receiver open in the end zone, but the throw was off for an incompletion. On second down, Warren picked up 4 yards. On 3rd-and-6 from the 23 yard line, Wilson fired a strike to Austin over the middle for a 23-yard touchdown to give the Steelers a 19-18 lead with 6:15 to go, beating Newsome. They went for two, but the pass was incomplete.

10:43 PM: The Browns now needed any score to re-take the lead. Ford’s return got out to the 33 yard line. The snow started falling harder again, as Winston’s first down pass was knocked down — however, a holding penalty on the defense made it first down to the 37 yard line. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson came in for his first snap and handed the ball off to Chubb for a gain of 2 yards.

Winston returned, but after giving up the sack on the previous drive, Ifedi jumped for a false start, making it 2nd-and-12. Off of a playaction fake and rollout, Winston delivered a perfect 26 yard pass to Jeudy, down to the 38 yard line!

After two straight incomplete passes, Winston overthrew Moore and the ball was intercepted. Pittsburgh took over at the 24 yard line with 4:22 remaining.

10:50 PM: Pittsburgh wanted to work some clock, running with Harris for 3 yards, and then Fields came in on second down. Fields handed it to Harris 3 yards, setting up 3rd-and-4. The Browns burned their first timeout, and on third down, head coach Mike Tomlin opted to keep Fields in the game for the dual threat. Fields lofted a ball down the left sideline, but it fell incomplete, and Pittsburgh sent out the punt unit. The punt was shanked for just a 16 yard punt, so Cleveland took over at the Steelers’ 46 yard line with 3:22 to go.

10:56 PM: Ford got the handoff for an 7-yard gain to the 38 yard line. Winston bought time and found Akins late, but he couldn’t hang on despite being wide open. On third down, Winston tried to zip it to Njoku over the middle, but it was double covered and incomplete. On fourth down, they had to go for it with 2:36 remaining. The sideline pass went to Jeudy, and he secured it for the first down to the 33 yard line. Akins then caught an 8-yard pass to the 25 yard line with 2:05 and the clock stopped.

On second down, Ford was stopped for virtually no gain, setting up 3rd-and-2 at the two-minute warning and a possible big decision looming: at what yard marker do you feel confident letting Hopkins try a field goal in this weather?

Winston tried a playaction pass on third down, but faced pressure and the ball was incomplete, with an illegal touch. That pushed it back to 3rd-and-7 at the 30 yard line, giving the Browns two shots to convert it instead of one shot. Winston found Jeudy for 15 yards, and a 5-yard penalty added on put the ball at the 9 yard line.

Chubb got the handoff and picked up 7 yards, setting up 2nd-and-goal at the 2 yard line. Chubb punched it in on the next play to give the Browns at 24-19 lead! The Browns went for two again, and Winston couldn’t connect this time.

11:12 PM: The Steelers had 0:57 left and one timeout, needing a touchdown. Hopkins’ kickoff was short, and Warren took it out to the 36 yard line with 0:50 to go. A couple plays later, it was 3rd-and-1 with 0:23 left at the 45 yard line. The Steelers used their last timeout after an 11-yard pass to Warren. With 0:16 left, the ball was at the Browns’ 44 yard line.

An incomplete pass left 10 seconds remaining. Wilson got a 9-yard pass to the sideline, putting it at the 35 yard line with 0:06 left. On Wilson’s Hail Mary attempt, the Browns knocked it down and secured the victory!

---

Quick Hitters

• QB Jameis Winston: 18-of-27 for 219 yards, 1 INT, 1 fumble. 3 rushes, 7 yards, 1 TD.
• RB Nick Chubb: 20 carries, 59 yards (3.0 YPC), 2 TD.
• WR Jerry Jeudy: 6 catches, 85 yards.
• DE Myles Garrett had 3 sacks and 1 forced fumble in the first half.
• DE T.J. Watt was a complete non-factor.