Andre Szmyt kicked a career-long 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining, lifting the Cleveland Browns to a 27-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night in Cleveland.
Watson leads go-ahead drive
Deshaun Watson passed for 268 yards, completing 24 of 33 attempts with a touchdown and an interception. He went 4 of 5 for 46 yards on the decisive drive, marking the third straight week he has led a go-ahead fourth-quarter possession.
The Browns, now 3-1 for the first time since 2021, held a 21-7 lead late in the first half before the Steelers rallied to tie the game at 24-all.
Steelers' late rally falls short
Aaron Rodgers threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth with 1:44 remaining and then sneaked in the two-point conversion to level the score. Rodgers finished 22 of 40 for 299 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Rodgers had one final chance to move the Steelers into field-goal range, but Grant Delpit intercepted his pass at the Browns' 18 with one second left. Cleveland's defense sacked Rodgers five times.
Key performances and streaks
Pittsburgh's Jaylen Warren rushed for 93 yards on 17 carries, while DK Metcalf had five catches for 115 yards.
Cleveland have won eight straight Thursday night games, the longest active streak and fourth-longest in NFL history, with four of those wins coming against the Steelers. Pittsburgh (2-2) are 0-10 on the road against AFC North rivals on Thursdays.
After Cleveland went three-and-out on the opening possession, Pittsburgh drove 78 yards in 17 plays, capped by a 12-yard shovel pass to Wilson on a jet sweep. It was the second straight game the Steelers scored on their opening drive.
First-half dominance
Watson had 181 passing yards by halftime, his most in the first 30 minutes since joining the Browns in 2022. Jaleel McLaughlin tied the game at 7 on a 28-yard run around right end, breaking two tackles before scoring.
Cleveland took a 14-7 lead on Quinshon Judkins' 2-yard run, set up by a 60-yard completion from Watson to Denzel Boston. Harold Fannin Jr then caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Watson, his third in two games, giving the Browns their first 21-point second quarter since Week 13 of the 2020 season against Tennessee.
The Steelers cut the lead to 21-10 on Boswell's 31-yard field goal before halftime. Rodgers connected with Washington for a 21-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but the two-point conversion failed, leaving the score at 21-16 before the late rally.
