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The Steelers rallied after a bad first half against the Browns.
scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion to tie Thursday night's game in the final two minutes, Watson had a shot to make up for what to that point had been a rough second half.
Watson completed enough passes to get kicker Andre Szmyt close enough to try a 56-yard field goal, and he hit it with 10 seconds left to give the Browns a 27-24 win. Cleveland is 3-1 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC North, at least for a few days.
"It was electric. It was amazing. This is what it's all about," Watson told Amazon Prime Video after the game.
"Nights like this, in Cleveland, in front of our home fans, getting them Ws, getting them wins, this is what it's all about. "of Browns fans to do so. That seemed like it could be the end of a tumultuous relationship. But the Browns stuck with Watson, even though there were plenty of reasons to move on.
Cleveland was moving the ball at will on Pittsburgh. Watson had what might have been the best half he has had with the Browns. He completed 14 of 17 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown in the first half. His 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. gave the Browns a 21-7 lead.
Watson was in control. He was spreading it around but mostly finding a talented pair of rookie receivers. Second-round draft pick Denzel Boston had 74 yards on three catches in the first half and first-round pick KC Concepcion had 58 yards on four catches. Since the Browns' oft-maligned trade for Watson in 2022, the offense has rarely looked good.
Cleveland has suffered through so many bad quarterbacks through the years, the first half had to be unrecognizable to Browns fans. Of course, the struggles of the Steelers' defense played its part in that. At one point Amazon Prime Video showed T.J. Watt making the unusual move of grabbing a headset from an assistant on the sideline and then was in a heated discussion with the coaches up in the press box.
Getting picked apart by Watson was driving Watt and the Steelers mad. Pittsburgh's defense was much better in the second half. Watt tried to get the Steelers back in the game in the third quarter. He had a great play to strip Watson on a run-pass option and recovered the fumble himself.
But his offense couldn't move the ball and punted after a sack. A great challenge by the Steelers' coaches in the fourth quarter got Pittsburgh back in the game. The Steelers got an interception downfield but there was clear defensive pass interference. Pittsburgh challenged, saying linebacker Jack Sawyer tipped Watson's pass.
When a pass is tipped, there can be no pass interference afterward. The replay review showed the ball was tipped, so not only was the pass interference penalty wiped out but the interception stood. The Steelers drove down after that pick and scored their first touchdown since the first drive of the game, on a nice Rodgers pass to tight end Darnell Washington. The Steelers didn't get the 2-point conversion but trailed just 21-16.
The Browns finally got their first points of the second half on a field goal, pushing the lead to eight points. The Steelers punted quickly but downed a punt at the 1-yard line. Watson had Fannin wide open for what would have been a key first down but he missed him badly and Cleveland punted. Rodgers had 3:32 to get the Steelers a touchdown and 2-point conversion.
Rodgers immediately completed a couple of passes to get into Browns territory, and then another pass to DK Metcalf got Pittsburgh to the 12-yard line. Rodgers kept throwing jump balls to Washington and finally on fourth down they drew a penalty to keep the drive alive. The next play, tight end Pat Freiermuth caught a touchdown. The Steelers went for 2 and the tie, and after an offsides penalty Rodgers got in on a sneak to even up the game.
Watson moved the Browns into field-goal range, but took a sack that pushed Cleveland back a bit. Then he had a terrible third-down pass, and that left Szmyt to attempt a 56-yard field goal with 15 seconds left. Szmyt hit it.
"Just belief, hope, determination," Watson said, when asked on Amazon Prime Video what he sees in his teammates. "Those guys look at me and they want me to lead the ship. I just told them, 'Believe in me, do what I ask and I'm going to make a play when the opportunity comes.
'" The Browns are on a roll. Nobody expected Watson to be leading a first-place team after four weeks of the season. An interception by Grant Delpit clinches the win for the Browns. Cleveland takes over with 1 second left on the clock.
Did we say the Browns were knocked out of field goal range? Head coach Todd Monken and kicker Andre Szymt didn't listen. An incomplete pass by Deshaun Watson stopped the clock with 10 seconds remaining and the ball at the Steelers' 38-yard line. Szymt then nailed a 58-yard field goal for a 27-24 lead.
Following a 4-yard pass to KC Concepcion, Deshaun Watson is sacked by Payton Wilson for a 4-yard loss that probably knocks the Browns out of field goal range. Deshaun Watson shakes off the false start penalty and hits Harold Fannin Jr. for a 12-yard gain to the 50-yard line with 49 seconds remaining. The Browns' QB follows up with a 10-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy to the Steelers' 40-yard line. There are 38 seconds left in regulation.
Zion Johnson is called for a false start, pushing the Browns back to their 38-yard line on first-and-10. On first-and-10 from their 26, Deshaun Watson connects with Jerry Jeudy over the middle for 17 yards. Following an offsides penalty on the Browns, the Steelers get one more shot at a 2-point conversion. And Aaron Rodgers pushes through on a quarterback sneak to tie the score at 24-24.
Aaron Rodgers hits Pat Freiermuth for a 3-yard touchdown pass after getting another chance on fourth down due to a Cleveland pass interference penalty. Browns called for pass interference on fourth-and-10 After two incompletions in the end zone to Darnell Washington, Aaron Rodgers looks for his big tight end one more time on fourth-and-10 from the Cleveland 11-yard line. The pass goes incomplete, but Browns safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is called for pass interference. The Steelers will get one more chance.
Aaron Rodgers just misses Darnell Washington down the right seam on second-and-10. It's third-and-10 with 1:55 left in regulation. A delay of game penalty pushed Pittsburgh back to the Cleveland 16-yard line. But Aaron Rodgers got those 5 yards back with a pass to Germie Bernard.
DK Metcalf takes Steelers to Browns' 12-yard line Aaron Rodgers is 4-for-4 passing on this drive. Two of his passes have gone to DK Metcalf for 49 yards. Aaron Rodgers completes passes of 13 yards to Roman Wilson and 22 yards to DK Metcalf, moving Pittsburgh to the Cleveland 45-yard line with 2:46 remaining. Following the 15-yard completion, the Browns only gained 2 yards on their next three plays.
Corey Bojorquez booms a punt 81 yards, but it goes in the end zone for a touchback. The Steelers take over at their 20-yard line with 3:32 left in regulation. A 15-yard pass from Deshaun Watson to Denzel Boston gives Cleveland a big first down with 5:18 left in regulation. Pittsburgh goes three-and-out after the Browns' field goal.
Following a 5-yard run by Jaylen Warren, Aaron Rodgers throws two incompletions. A Cameron Johnston punt is downed by Brandin Echols to pin Cleveland at its 1-yard line with 5:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. Cleveland boosts its lead to 8 points after an Andre Szmyt 44-yard field goal. Pittsburgh needs a touchdown and 2-point conversion to tie the score now.
Jamel Dean, Derrick Harmon out for Steelers Jamel Dean and Derrick Harmon are out for the Steelers for the rest of the game, according to Prime Video's Kaylee Hartung.
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