The Browns avoided a second collapse in four days despite still being emotionally scarred from an unbelievable one.
On Thursday night, Cleveland overcame an epic meltdown to defeat the nemesis Pittsburgh Steelers 29-17 thanks to two touchdown throws from Jacoby Brissett and a score from Nick Chubb on the ground.
We had the appropriate men in that room to be able to overcome it, and I believe we responded to that call, according to Brissett. We were aware that it wouldn’t be simple. The bell was answered by the lads.
Chubb’s one-yard run gave the Browns (2-1) a nine-point lead early in the fourth, and they clung to that advantage for dear life.
With 1:48 remaining, Chris Boswell’s 34-yard field goal brought the Steelers (1-2) within 23-17, and Pittsburgh next tried an onside kick. The New York Jets overcome a 13-point deficit in the final 1:55 of their 31-30 loss on Sunday, but the Browns swatted the ball out of bounds instead.
For a little moment, it appeared to be Sunday once more.
As the ball bounced around close to Pittsburgh’s sideline, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was questioned about his thoughts. He held his response for six seconds.
He said, “A much.”
When cornerback Denzel Ward stumbled on a Steelers fumble in the end zone on the final play, resulting in a pointless touchdown, Cleveland supporters could finally breathe.
Brissett went 21 of 31 for 220 yards and scored touchdowns by connecting with Amari Cooper and David Njoku. The 29-year-old, who is filling in for Deshaun Watson as he serves an 11-game suspension, produced his second straight strong performance.
With 9:29 remaining, Chubb, who had 113 yards, pushed and twisted past the goal line on fourth-and-goal to give the Browns a 23-14 lead.
In the first half, Mitch Trubisky and the Steelers’ sluggish offence showed signs of life, but they stalled out after the break, punting on their first three drives while only gaining 54 yards.
Trubisky was criticised for not throwing far enough the first two weeks; he attempted a few long throws but didn’t connect on many of them.
Mike Tomlin, the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, said, “I think Mitch made some plays, but we all fell short.” He said that he had no intentions to move to rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. “Our focus is on success. I didn’t want to win the game in order to impress anyone.
Although great end T.J. Watt isn’t on the Pittsburgh defence, tackle Cameron Heyward claimed that wasn’t the problem.
Heyward warned, “Nick Chubb will make you pay when you try to arm tackle him. “We must work much harder.
The victory made up for a trying few days for Cleveland.
After the disaster on Sunday, Myles Garrett criticised the crowd for jeering the Browns as they left the field, and a supporter was detained on suspicion of throwing a plastic bottle at owner Jimmy Haslam while he was on the sidelines.
The only drama this time was their victory against their despised Pennsylvanian neighbours.
Stefanski observed, “That’s not an easy thing to recover from.” “We discussed it on Sunday. We discussed it on Monday. You can’t let a loss linger, and we won’t let this win linger either, which is something I’m proud of about those men. However, I’m pleased with their response. You must have tenacity.
Garrett was certain the Browns will be able to move past their defeat on Sunday despite the short amount of time they have to heal.
Knowing this team and the players on it, “I didn’t have a question in my mind,” he added. “I know everyone was eager to get back on that field and play a whole football game to get that taste out of our mouths, and that’s what we did.
Everyone did their part, and all the teams worked well together to produce a truly exceptional victory.
In the third quarter, when Cleveland lost four players to injuries, including starting linebackers Anthony Walker Jr. and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, the Browns had a 16-14 lead thanks to rookie Cade York’s 34-yard field goal.
With 8:58 remaining before halftime, Brissett’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Njoku gave the Browns a 13-7 lead. But York missed an extra point for the second week in a row.
Before rolling right and scoring from the one-yard line, Trubisky guided the Steelers on a 75-yard touchdown drive, with 51 yards coming on the ground. Pittsburgh led 14-13 after Boswell’s PAT.
When the Steelers lost to New England last week, rookie receiver George Pickens voiced disappointment about not receiving the ball, stating he was open “90% of the time.” Moreover, he wasn’t joking.
When Trubisky did manage to connect him with a long pass, Pickens had to make an incredible one-handed catch to gain 36 yards.
CONTROL PARTY
Garrett fell short of Clay Matthews’ 62-sack team record by failing to record a sack. The All-Pro defensive end for the Browns was chipped, double-teamed, and only given credit for assisted tackles.
Various guards
Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, two guards who are All-Stars with the Cavaliers, acted as the Browns’ honorary captains. During the pregame festivities, Mitchell, who was recently acquired in a trade from Utah, broke a toy guitar.
INJURIES
CB, Steelers In the third quarter, Ahkello Witherspoon (right hamstring) hobbled off the field and never returned.
Browns: Walker’s immobile left leg was carried away. Walker, according to Stefanski, has a sprained knee and will have more testing done. Walker appeared to be injured as he clumsily bowed his back to avoid being blocked. Owusu-Koramoah (groyne) left without coming back. LT Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) momentarily left the game but came back. In the third, Taven Bryan (hamstring) also had an injury. During warm-ups, Ronnie Harrison had a hamstring injury and was unable to play.
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