Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren rushed for 143 yards on 17 carries and notched one of his team’s three rushing touchdowns, helping the Steelers move into sole possession of first place in the AFC North by throttling the visiting Cleveland Browns 27-6 on Sunday afternoon.
The Steelers (6-2) recorded their 23rd consecutive regular-season home victory over the Browns (5-3) by building a two-touchdown lead in the first half behind a strong running game and relentless pass rush.
Rico Dowdle had 56 yards on 15 carries and added a touchdown, and tight end Pat Freiermuth rushed for a score. Aaron Rodgers was 13-of-25 for 172 yards with an interception. Darnell Washington posted three catches for 94 yards.
The Steelers’ defense sacked Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson eight times, with T.J. Watt pacing the balanced effort with two.
Watson went 27-for-39 for 324 yards. Harold Fannin Jr. had 10 receptions for 154 yards, the third-most yardage ever by a Browns tight end.
It took just three plays for the game’s first significant moment, as Pittsburgh’s Jaquan Brisker was called for roughing the passer, keeping the series alive and sending Watson to the medical tent. Shedeur Sanders took over, but Watson emerged and was cleared to play.
Four plays later, the Steelers successfully challenged a non-fumble call, but Chris Boswell missed wide left from 57 yards. But two plays after the Boswell miss, Keeanu Benton recovered a Watson fumble, and Dowdle found pay dirt from nine yards at 7:57.
While Cleveland had minus-1 yard through its first 10 plays, Warren provided the home team’s best play with a twisting 51-yard run that set up the Steelers’ second score, a Boswell 20-yarder to cap an 86-yard drive for a 10-0 lead.
The Browns’ Andre Szmyt (32 and 49 yards) and Boswell (37) combined for three field goals in the second quarter, but the Steelers created some separation with a 69-yard drive over six plays in 44 seconds that resulted in Freiermuth’s 1-yard run for a 20-6 halftime lead.
Warren and Dowdle’s combined first-half rushing yardage (159) outdistanced Cleveland’s total yardage of 113.
In the third quarter, Rodgers connected with Washington on a 58-yard pass down to the 1-yard line. Warren then notched his second score on the next play for a 27-6 advantage at 9:39.
Early in the fourth, the Browns had a first-and-goal at the Pittsburgh 2-yard line, but Watson tossed three straight incompletions for a turnover on downs with 12:53 to play.