Facing blizzard-like conditions and a tough Steelers team, the Browns braved the elements to record a 24-19 upset win over visiting Pittsburgh on Thursday night. 

Ahead 18-6, the Browns surrendered the lead after allowing two touchdowns in less than two minutes late in the fourth quarter. Cleveland wouldn’t let this one get away, though, as Browns quarterback Jameis Winston engineered a game-winning drive that was punctuated by Nick Chubb’s short touchdown run with just under a minute left. The Browns defense preserved the win after knocking down Russell Wilson’s Hail Mary heave in the end zone as time expired. 

The Browns, who led 10-6 at halftime, increased their lead to 12 points following Winston’s 2-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal early in the fourth quarter. The Steelers responded with two touchdowns, the second one set up by outside linebacker Nick Herbig’s forced fumble of Winston. But Pittsburgh’s defense came up short on Cleveland’s game-winning drive, as Winston picked up his second win as the Browns’ starting quarterback. 

Cleveland’s defense was spearheaded by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who won his individual battle vs. 2021 DPOY T.J. Watt. Garrett had three sacks in the first half, his final one a forced fumble that set up a field goal by Dustin Hopkins. Watt, who did not have a sack, was unable to bring down Winston on his pivotal touchdown run. 

Here’s a closer look at how the Browns pulled off the upset 

Why the Browns won 

Cleveland was the far superior team on fourth down. The Browns were 4 of 4 on fourth down, while the Steelers were just 1 of 3. Both of Cleveland’s touchdown drives in the fourth quarter included fourth-down conversions. 

Offensively, the Browns received a stellar game from Winston, who prior to Thursday night had never started in an NFL game that was played in sub-40 degree weather. Winston threw early and often to Jerry Jeudy, who dominated his one-on-one matchup with Steelers No. 1 cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Winston (who received excellent protection most of the night) was complemented by Chubb, who scored two touchdowns against Pittsburgh’s vaunted run defense. 

Defensively, the Browns got after Wilson, sacking him four times. The unit also contained Najee Harris and the Steelers’ ground game, as Pittsburgh averaged a meager 3.53 yards per carry. After falling behind 19-18, the Browns’ defense gave their offense enough time to engineer a game-winning drive by forcing a quick three-and-out. 

Why the Steelers lost 

This wasn’t the defense’s best outing, but the majority of the blame for this loss falls on the offense and special teams units. Offensively, the Steelers didn’t finish a drive until late in the fourth quarter. Some of that can be attributed to questionable play-calling, such as Justin Fields’ poorly executed running play that resulted in a 2-yard loss on fourth-down late in the first quarter. 

Wilson (who finished with 270 yards and a touchdown on 21 of 28 passing) completed his first 11 throws, but he made some bad reads (he missed a wide open Pat Freiermuth down the field in the first half) and held onto the ball too long in several instances. It didn’t help that Dan Moore Jr., Broderick Jones and the rest of Pittsburgh’s offensive line was woefully outplayed by the Browns’ defensive front. Wilson did bounce back in the second half, as his touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III gave Pittsburgh the lead with 6:15 left. 

Pittsburgh’s special teams, a strength of the team during its 8-2 start, had a forgettable night in Cleveland. Chris Boswell capped off Pittsburgh’s opening drive with a missed, 58-yard field goal attempt. But that miss was nothing compared to punter Corliss Waitman’s 15-yard shank that gave Cleveland the ball on Pittsburgh’s 45-yard-line to begin its game-winning drive. 

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t have his best game, either. His shaky time management was once again on display when he allowed the Browns to take 46 seconds off the clock prior to Chubb’s touchdown. That was time Pittsburgh could have used for its final drive. 

Turning point/play of the game 

Jeudy’s 15-yard catch on Cleveland’s game-winning drive deserves mention, but Winston’s gritty touchdown run that gave the Browns a 12-point lead takes the cake. On the play, Winston outran Watt before enduring a nasty hit in the end zone. Despite the lick, Winston held onto the ball while giving the Browns a momentum-changing score. 

Quotable 

“I’ve got a lot of respect for him, a lot of respect for all of the guys over there … but I’m No. 1. That’s from EDGE (rusher) 1, to Defensive Player of the Year, I’m the guy. That runs through me. There’s no other person being defended as I am or schemed or played against like I am. Just goes to show … I’m gonna find a way.” — Garrett during his postgame interview with Prime Video when asked about Watt, who hasn’t spoken to Garrett after he won last year’s DPOY 

What’s next

Pittsburgh (8-3) will face the Bengals (4-7) next Sunday in Cincinnati. Cleveland (3-8) will travel to Denver next Sunday to face rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the rest of the 6-5 Broncos.