Andre Szmyt's 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds left lifts Browns past Steelers 27-24

One explosive quarter changed Cleveland's night

Pittsburgh scored first when Aaron Rodgers found Roman Wilson for a 12-yard touchdown with 2:59 left in the opening quarter, but Cleveland seized the game in a sharp second-quarter burst. Jaleel McLaughlin broke loose for a 28-yard rushing touchdown at 12:14, Quinshon Judkins added a 2-yard score at 8:28, and Deshaun Watson hit Harold Fannin Jr. from 2 yards with 1:22 left in the half.

That sequence gave the Browns a 21-7 lead before Chris Boswell's 31-yard field goal with eight seconds left trimmed it to 21-10 at the break. In a game that finished almost even on total yardage, that one quarter stood out as Cleveland's cleanest work. The Browns produced 372 yards to Pittsburgh's 361 and made both of their red-zone trips count.

Watson's line was efficient rather than spectacular: 24 completions on 33 attempts, one touchdown and one interception. Cleveland spread the offence around him. Judkins paired his rushing touchdown with six catches for 43 yards, Denzel Boston led the Browns with 89 receiving yards, and KC Concepcion added 64 more. The Browns did not need a single overwhelming performance because several drives found a useful contributor.

The tie lasted only 92 seconds

After a scoreless third quarter, Rodgers gave Pittsburgh a route back into the game. He connected with Darnell Washington for a 21-yard touchdown at 10:10 of the fourth, although the failed two-point pass left Cleveland ahead 21-16. Szmyt answered with a 44-yard field goal at 6:37, stretching the margin to eight points again and setting up one more swing.

Pittsburgh still had another push. Rodgers finished a late drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth with 1:42 left, then ran in the two-point conversion himself to level the score at 24-24. Cleveland's response was immediate and final: it moved into range for Szmyt, whose 56-yard kick with 10 seconds left settled the game.

Rodgers threw three touchdown passes and Pittsburgh generated enough explosive production to stay alive throughout the night. DK Metcalf caught five passes for 115 yards, Wilson added 74 yards to go with his first-quarter score, and Jaylen Warren ran 17 times for 93 yards. The problem for the Steelers was not a lack of playmakers. It was the number of stalled possessions around them: Pittsburgh went 4-for-13 on third down, allowed five sacks and came away with only one field goal on Boswell's 1-for-2 evening.

Our take

Cleveland won because it handled the highest-value moments better, not because it played a tidy game. The Browns were flagged 14 times for 88 yards and turned the ball over twice, numbers that usually turn a close division game the other way. What rescued them was their finishing. They were perfect in the red zone, and every kick Szmyt was asked to make went through, including the final two from 44 and 56 yards.

The Browns also got just enough from a defence that bent but did not completely break. Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit each intercepted Rodgers, and Cleveland's pass rush produced five sacks, with Maliek Collins, Adin Huntington, Isaiah McGuire, Sam Williams and Mike Hall Jr. all recording one. That pressure matters because the game was otherwise narrow in almost every team category.

For Pittsburgh, the comeback should not hide the thinner margins underneath it. Three Rodgers touchdown passes, 93 rushing yards from Warren and a 115-yard night from Metcalf are the kind of numbers that usually give a team a strong chance. But two interceptions, five sacks allowed and a 4-for-13 mark on third down kept forcing the Steelers to make up lost ground. They nearly pulled it off anyway. Cleveland just had the last, and longest, answer.

Scoring moments

1. Period 1 · 2:59

   Roman Wilson 12 Yd pass from Aaron Rodgers (Chris Boswell Kick)

2. Period 2 · 12:14

   Jaleel McLaughlin 28 Yd Rush (Andre Szmyt Kick)

3. Period 2 · 8:28

   Quinshon Judkins 2 Yd Rush (Andre Szmyt Kick)

4. Period 2 · 1:22

   Harold Fannin Jr. 2 Yd pass from Deshaun Watson (Andre Szmyt Kick)

5. Period 2 · 0:08

   Chris Boswell 31 Yd Field Goal

6. Period 4 · 10:10

   Darnell Washington 21 Yd pass from Aaron Rodgers (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)

7. Period 4 · 6:37

   Andre Szmyt 44 Yd Field Goal

8. Period 4 · 1:42

   Pat Freiermuth 3 Yd pass from Aaron Rodgers (Aaron Rodgers Run for Two-Point Conversion)

9. Period 4 · 0:10

   Andre Szmyt 56 Yd Field Goal