Browns overcome miscues, snow to take down Steelers
By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND — With snow falling, Nick Chubb plowed forward.
On a play that looked eerily similar to the one in Pittsburgh last year that threatened to end his career, Chubb kept his legs moving and pushed his way into the end zone for a touchdown he and his teammates won’t forget.
Chubb ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left, and the Cleveland Browns stunned one of their division rivals on Thursday night, beating the Steelers, 24-19, and ending their five-game winning streak.
Chubb’s score came in his first game against the AFC North-leading Steelers (8-3) since the running back sustained a season-ending left knee injury in Week 2 last September in a Monday night game against the Steelers.
Chubb, who had injured the same knee while playing at Georgia in 2015, had to endure grueling rehab sessions to make it back on the field, and the sight of him scoring against the dreaded Steelers was almost poetic.
“It meant a lot to me. I know it means a lot to him,” said Myles Garrett, who had three sacks. “He won’t say it, but it’s true. I’ll say it because this time last year we were sick to our stomachs. There was just so much in the air, so for him to come back and be pivotal in this game just speaks to the kind of resilience and the man that he is.
“We absolutely love him.”
Chubb also scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter.
The Browns (3-8) had blown a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter and were down 19-18 before getting the ball back with 3:22 remaining after Pittsburgh punter Corliss Waitman shanked a 16-yarder.
With snow piling up and covering the yard lines on the field, Cleveland’s Jameis Winston completed a third-down pass to Jerry Jeudy to the Pittsburgh 9-yard line. Two plays later, Chubb barreled into the end zone.
Chubb did not speak to the media afterward, but his teammates were overjoyed and couldn’t wait to share his story.
“I’m his No. 1 fan when he’s out there,” Browns running back Jerome Ford said. “If I could, I would start the ‘Chubb’ chant every time he steps on the field.”
The Steelers had one last chance, but Russell Wilson’s Hail Mary on the final play was knocked down by Browns safety Grant Delpit in the end zone, touching off a wild celebration at Huntington Bank Field.
Amid a disastrous season, beating the Steelers eased pressure on coach Kevin Stefanski and gave Cleveland fans something to savor.
“Our guys love playing under the lights,” Stefanski said. “They love playing in front of these fans. Add the snow element, it was pretty cool.”
With early snow flurries giving way to blizzard-like conditions in the fourth quarter that blanketed the field in white – Amazon Prime Video used graphics on its telecast to show the otherwise invisible numbers and hash marks – the Steelers quickly erased an 18-6 deficit, scoring two touchdowns in just over a minute.
Wilson’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III with 6:15 left put Pittsburgh ahead by one. Nick Herbig’s strip-sack of Winston set up the go-ahead score and put the Steelers in position to win their sixth straight and open a two-game lead in the AFC North over Baltimore.
However, the Browns responded and pulled off their second divisional win after beating the Ravens last month.
“We should’ve won that game,” Wilson said. “We felt like we battled in a tough environment. The way we answered in the fourth quarter was pretty special and we had a chance at the end, too.”
Jaylen Warren scored on a 3-yard run midway through the fourth to pull the Steelers to 18-13. Then, as always seems to be the case, Pittsburgh’s defense came up with the big play as Herbig got to Winston and safety DeShon Elliott recovered the fumble.
Garrett outplayed Steelers star T.J. Watt – like he planned.
Garrett dominated the first half, sacking Wilson and putting constant pressure on the Steelers’ quarterback. The performance came during a week in which the Browns star commented about Watt’s seeming slight when Garrett was named Defensive Player of the Year over him last season.
“I wanted to make it known that I’m the guy, I’m No. 1 as an edge defender. That was a statement I was intending to make and I think I made.”
Garrett set up Cleveland’s second score with a strip-sack of Wilson. As he was being blocked, Garrett popped the ball from Wilson’s grip and linebacker Winston Reid recovered.
The Browns drove to the 16 and settled for a 34-yard field from Dustin Hopkins, who missed two kicks weeks a week ago in a loss at New Orleans.
Chubb’s touchdown dive in the second quarter capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive by the Browns, who gained just 19 yards and had two three-and-outs in the first quarter.
The Steelers drove inside Browns territory on their first three possessions, but came away with just three points.
Chris Boswell, who made six field goals last Sunday for all of Pittsburgh’s points in a win over Baltimore, missed a 58-yard field goal in the first quarter while the field was still in good shape. It was only his second miss in 31 attempts this season.
INJURIES
Steelers: Wide receiver Van Jefferson (quadriceps) left briefly in the first half but returned. … Linebacker Elandon Roberts was forced out in the fourth quarter with an unspecified injury.
Browns: Wide receiver Cedric Tillman was checked for a head injury.
UP NEXT
The Steelers play at Cincinnati on Dec. 1.
The Browns play at Denver on Dec. 3.