Jacoby Brissett threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for a score and the Cleveland Browns bounced back from their epic meltdown four days earlier to beat the rival Pittsburgh Steelers 29-17 on Thursday night.
The Browns (2-1) built a nine-point lead early in the fourth on Chubb’s one-yard run and then held on for dear life.
The Steelers (1-2) pulled within 23-17 on Chris Boswell’s 34-yard field goal with 1:48 left before Pittsburgh attempted an onside kick. But unlike in Sunday’s 31-30 loss, when the New York Jets overcame a 13-point deficit in the final 1:55 helped by a recovery, the Browns batted the ball out of bounds.
Cleveland fans could finally exhale when cornerback Denzel Ward fell on a Steelers fumble in the end zone on the final play for a meaningless touchdown.
Brissett connected with Amari Cooper and David Njoku for TDs, and finished 21 of 31 for 220 yards. The 29-year-old had his second straight solid game as he fills in while Deshaun Watson serves an 11-game suspension.
Chubb had 113 yards and pushed and twisted across the goal line on fourth-and-goal with 9:29 left to put the Browns ahead 23-14.
Mitch Trubisky and the Steelers’ stagnant offense showed signs of life in the first half, but bogged down after halftime, punting on their first three possessions while gaining just 54 yards.
Criticized for not throwing deep the first two weeks, Trubisky launched a few long balls but didn’t connect nearly enough.
The win smoothed over a rough few days for Cleveland.
Sunday’s debacle was followed by Myles Garrett criticizing fans for booing the Browns as they left the field, and a fan was arrested on charges he threw a plastic bottle in the direction of owner Jimmy Haslam on the sideline.
But there was little drama this time, just a win over their hated neighbors from Pennsylvania.
Rookie Cade York’s 34-yard field goal gave the Browns a 16-14 lead in the third quarter, when Cleveland lost four players, including starting linebackers Anthony Walker Jr. and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, to injuries.
Brissett’s seven-yard TD pass to Njoku put the Browns up 13-7 with 8:58 left before halftime. But for the second straight week York missed an extra point.
Trubisky led the Steelers on a 75-yard scoring drive 51 yards coming on the ground before the QB rolled right and scored from the 1. Boswell’s PAT put Pittsburgh ahead 14-13.
Steelers rookie receiver George Pickens expressed frustration about not getting the ball during a loss to New England last week, saying he was open “90% of the time.” He wasn’t joking, either.
Trubisky finally hit him with a long ball, but it took a spectacular, one-handed catch by Pickens for a 36-yard gain.
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