CLEVELAND — The Steelers and Browns waged a throwback defensive slugfest Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium, and a pivotal AFC North clash ended with a 15-10 win for the visitors. Not exactly revenge for last year’s playoff loss, but a much-needed victory — without a kicker — to move to 4-3, stay in the early postseason picture and leapfrog the Browns to emerge from last place in the division.
Two weeks after looking shaky at times against a depleted Seahawks team, the Steelers defense rose up and shut down the Browns — especially their vaunted running game — on the shore of Lake Erie. Cleveland gained just 96 yards on the ground, the result of an inspired effort for the Steelers against the league’s top-ranked rushing offense. Star back Nick Chubb was held to to 61 yards on 16 carries, putting Baker Mayfield into too many situations where he had to make a throw. Mayfield finished with 225 yards on 20-of-30 passing.
The Steelers offense wasn't much better, with Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 266 yards and a touchdown on 22-of-33 passing, but everything continues to run through rookie Najee Harris. He carried 26 times for 91 yards and a leaping touchdown reminiscent of Michael Jordan taking off from the free-throw line.
Harris’ score was all the more significant given that the Steelers lost kicker Chris Boswell to a concussion late in the first half, and punter Pressley Harvin III wasn’t trusted to try a field goal or extra point the rest of the way.
It was over when: Roethlisberger threw short and Diontae Johnson ran long. A quick throw left following Cleveland’s first timeout to stop the clock with 1:48 left was all the Steelers needed, as Johnson turned it into a 50-yard gain, scampering to the Browns 22. He even went down inbounds, and the Steelers were able to run out the clock from there.
Player of the game: Pat Freiermuth. Only four catches for 44 yards, but did he look like Pittsburgh’s next great tight end or what? Three of those catches were huge. Two went for first downs, one setting up a Najee Harris touchdown, and the other was one of the plays of the season so far for the Steelers. Roethlisberger found Freiermuth in the back of the end zone, with Browns safety Ronnie Harrison draped all over him. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Penn State product got his hands on it, bobbled, nearly dropped it, but secured possession and tapped both feet inbounds to give the Steelers a 15-10 lead. Freiermuth’s seven targets also tied his career high set last game against Seattle. And hey, we can’t give this to Harris every game, can we?
Trending up: Zach Gentry. National Tight Ends Day was last week, but we’ll stick with the position here and go with Freiermuth’s backup, at least on this day. Gentry might have just climbed up the depth chart, though, with his three catches for 39 yards on five targets. He had four catches for 25 yards his whole career coming into this, the very definition of trending in the right direction. Veteran tight end Eric Ebron was out with a hamstring injury, and Gentry’s play as both a blocker and pass-catcher is starting to make Ebron look more and more like a bit player in this offense — maybe even a trade candidate ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
Trending down: Kendrick Green. It’s bad enough when any offensive lineman penalty negates a scoring play. But Green’s holding call that wiped out a 2-point conversion was like capturing an eclipse but forgetting to take your lens cap off. Ben Roethlisberger — 39-year-old Ben Roethlisberger! — caught Green’s snap, tucked the ball and plunged into the end zone for the score. It’s not hyperbole to suggest that might’ve been the last time in his career he tries to find the goal line with his legs rather than his arm. And he pulled it off, only for the rookie center to get whistled for a hold. Then again, perhaps Roethlisberger doesn't get that much room to run if not for Green breaking the rules. Devin Bush, who went ice-skating on D’Ernest Johnson’s 10-yard touchdown run, narrowly avoided the nod here but he must start playing better soon.
Next up: The Steelers get an extra day of rest before playing host to the struggling Chicago Bears at 8:15 p.m. next Monday night, their second prime-time game of the season. For some reason, the Steelers have lost three in a row against the Bears, and haven’t beaten them since 2005 — Ben Roethlisberger’s rookie year.
