3 Good and 3 bad from the Cleveland Browns survival of the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Cleveland Browns needed every second to survive the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Cleveland Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football to the tune of 29-17. The score did not reflect just how close and nail-biting the game actually was, however. It was a literal last-second touchdown that gave the Browns the massive win they got, but just seconds before it fans were biting their nails for the third straight week as the clock ticked down into the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

The first quarter was a bit slow to get started with both teams having to adapt to the very windy weather in downtown Cleveland. The Browns would punt twice, while the Steelers punted once, while also missing a field goal due to the wild wind. The Browns were able to get a touchdown when Jacoby Brissett found Amari Cooper in the endzone. The Steelers responded with a rushing touchdown by Najee Harris to tie the game just after the first quarter ended.

The Browns responded with a follow-up touchdown, where Brissett connected with David Njoku in the endzone. Cade York would miss the extra point to make the score 13-7. Not to be outdone, the Steelers saw Mitch Trubisky scramble for a touchdown, and the extra point saw the Steelers take the lead.

The Steelers would start the third quarter with a 10-play drive that ended in a punt, and the Browns responded with a 14-play drive that ended with a field goal and a two-point lead. The rest of the third was fairly uneventful.

The fourth quarter would see the Browns take a commanding lead when Nick Chubb would score a one-yard touchdown on 4th down, to go up 23-14, thanks in part to the extra point. A key third-and-long drop by Cooper ended up keeping the door open for the Steelers to mount a comeback. A field goal made the game 23-17, setting up another key on-side kick.

In typical Browns fashion, the game just can’t end smoothly. A key third-down rush saw the Browns come up short, setting up a key 4th and inches. The Browns end up punting the ball, allowing the Steelers one last try. That last-ditch effort ended up becoming a series of bad laterals, where the ball ended up in the endzone, allowing Denzel Ward to recover the ball and scored a defensive touchdown for the Browns.