The Pittsburgh Steelers showed plenty of fight Thursday night. The problem was they waited too long to show it.

Pittsburgh erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and tied the game with less than two minutes remaining, only to watch Cleveland march back down the field and steal a 27-24 victory on a 56-yard Andre Szmyt field goal with 10 seconds remaining.

It was a frustrating ending to a game the Steelers had every opportunity to win.

Pittsburgh falls to 2-2, while Cleveland improves to 3-1 and moves into first place in the AFC North.

 

Steelers Start Fast

Pittsburgh couldn’t have asked for a much better start.

The Steelers opened the scoring with an impressive 17-play drive that ate nearly 10 minutes off the clock. Aaron Rodgers finished it by finding Roman Wilson for a 12-yard touchdown, giving Pittsburgh an early 7-0 lead.

For a moment, it looked like the Steelers were going to control the game.

Then everything changed.

 

Cleveland Takes Over the Second Quarter

The Browns completely flipped the game in the second quarter, scoring three consecutive touchdowns.

Jaleel McLaughlin broke loose for a 28-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Quinshon Judkins followed with a 2-yard touchdown run, and Deshaun Watson later connected with Harold Fannin Jr. for another 2-yard score.

Just like that, Pittsburgh went from leading 7-0 to trailing 21-7.

Chris Boswell’s 31-yard field goal shortly before halftime made it 21-10, but Cleveland had already seized control of the game.

The Browns outscored Pittsburgh 21-3 over the final 12:15 of the first half.

 

Steelers Defense Gives Them Life

Pittsburgh had chances to climb back into the game in the second half.

T.J. Watt recovered a Watson fumble, and Robert Spears-Jennings later intercepted Watson, giving the Steelers opportunities to change the momentum.

The Steelers finally took advantage early in the fourth quarter.

Rodgers hit DK Metcalf for a huge 43-yard gain before connecting with Darnell Washington for a 21-yard touchdown that pulled Pittsburgh within 21-16.

Suddenly, a game that looked like it might get away from Pittsburgh was very much alive.

Cleveland responded with a 44-yard Szmyt field goal to extend the lead to 24-16 with 6:41 remaining.

 

Rodgers Leads the Comeback

With the game on the line, Rodgers gave Pittsburgh a chance. The veteran quarterback engineered an 80-yard drive with the Steelers desperately needing eight points.

Facing fourth-and-10 near the Cleveland goal line, Pittsburgh stayed alive when the Browns were called for defensive pass interference.

Rodgers immediately capitalized, finding Pat Freiermuth for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:42 remaining.

Now Pittsburgh needed two.

Instead of putting the ball in the air, the 42-year-old Rodgers took matters into his own hands, sneaking into the end zone for the two-point conversion.

24-24.

After trailing 21-10 entering the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh had come all the way back.

 

The Defense Couldn’t Finish It

All the Steelers needed was one final stop.

They didn’t get it.

Watson and the Browns moved into Pittsburgh territory, doing just enough to give Szmyt an opportunity. From 56 yards away, Szmyt drilled the game-winning field goal with 10 seconds remaining.

Rodgers’ desperation pass on Pittsburgh’s final possession was intercepted by Grant Delpit, officially ending the comeback attempt.

 

Rodgers Puts Up Numbers, But Pressure Hurts Pittsburgh

Rodgers finished 22-of-40 for 299 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions and was sacked five times.

DK Metcalf was Pittsburgh’s biggest receiving threat, catching five passes for 115 yards, while Roman Wilson added 74 yards and a touchdown.

Jaylen Warren was productive on the ground with 93 yards on 17 carries.

Watson finished 24-of-33 for 268 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Cleveland. The Browns finished with 372 total yards compared with Pittsburgh’s 361.

 

Another Painful Night in Cleveland

The Steelers can point to their fourth-quarter comeback as evidence of their toughness. But moral victories don’t count in the AFC North.

Pittsburgh allowed 21 points in the second quarter, Rodgers was sacked five times, the Steelers failed to fully capitalize on Cleveland’s second-half turnovers, and when the defense needed one final stop after the offense fought all the way back, it couldn’t get it.

That is what makes this loss hurt.

The Steelers didn’t lose because they couldn’t compete with Cleveland. They lost because they didn’t play a complete football game.

And against a division rival on the road, sometimes one bad quarter is all it takes.

 

Final: Browns 27, Steelers 24.

Pittsburgh heads home 2-2 after watching what could have been a memorable comeback turn into another painful loss in Cleveland.