By Tiffany Williams –
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers did not need Aaron Rodgers to throw three touchdown passes. They did not need a spectacular fourth-quarter comeback. They did not even need their offense to play its best football.
They needed a running game that could punish Cleveland, a defensive front that could terrorize Deshaun Watson and a team capable of delivering when the stakes were highest.
On Sunday, November 1, at Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh delivered all three.
Jaylen Warren rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown, Rico Dowdle added 56 yards and another score, and the Steelers’ defense recorded eight sacks, forced two turnovers and kept the Cleveland Browns out of the end zone in a commanding 27-6 victory.
The Steelers improved to 6-2, extended their winning streak to four games and entered their bye week in first place in the AFC North.
For Cleveland, the afternoon became a brutal demonstration of what happens when an offense cannot protect its quarterback, establish a running game or finish drives inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
The Browns managed just 34 rushing yards on 15 attempts, lost two fumbles and failed to score a touchdown despite gaining 326 gross passing yards.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, rushed for 200 yards, scored three touchdowns on the ground and controlled the most important moments of the game.
But Rodgers was not satisfied.
“Not very complete. Defense played excellent. Special teams did fine. But offense should have had a lot more points, yeah.”
That assessment came from a quarterback whose team had just won by 21 points.
It also revealed the standard Pittsburgh is attempting to establish under head coach Mike McCarthy.
“Definitely, you got to say ‘trending’ [with] winning four in a row,” McCarthy said. “I think we are exactly what our record says we are. I think we’ve really focused on improving in certain areas. I think we’re doing that.”
The coach pointed directly to the running game and defense as the foundation of the victory.
“I think our run defense has really set the bar really high these last two weeks. I just thought the way they started the game was real impressive. We wanted to run the ball, so that was a focal point today. I feel like we accomplished that.”
Pittsburgh did more than accomplish that objective.
The Steelers overwhelmed Cleveland at the line of scrimmage, averaging 6.1 yards per rushing attempt while limiting the Browns to just 2.3 yards per carry.
Warren was the centerpiece of that domination.
He carried 17 times for 143 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt, and produced one of the afternoon’s most remarkable plays with a 51-yard run on third-and-13.
Rodgers could hardly believe it.
“No. I mean, he’s put himself in all the conversations. He’s playing incredible. To be able to call a trap on third and 20, get a first down, is pretty wild. Don’t expect that. Can’t remember the last time that happened when I was out there.”
The official play-by-play recorded the explosive run as a third-and-13 conversion, but Rodgers’ description captured how improbable the play felt.
The quarterback was equally enthusiastic about Warren’s overall performance.
“Love having him on our team. Fantastic teammate. He’s making a lot of plays.”
Linebacker T.J. Watt offered an even more colorful description.
“He’s a bowling ball with teeth, man. You can’t get him down.”
Watt described Warren as the type of player whose personality and toughness become infectious inside a locker room.
“Jaylen is just funny, man. He’s the guy that’s out there in December, when we’re practicing and it’s like 12 degrees, he’s in a T-shirt and shorts. You’re like, “What the heck?” That’s just who he is. He’s a hard tackle. He’s a great locker room guy. Very selfless. But man, he loves football and you can see it in the way that he plays.”
That physicality was evident almost immediately.
Cleveland won the opening coin toss and elected to receive, but its first possession quickly unraveled.
Quinshon Judkins gained four yards on the opening play before Watson was sacked for a two-yard loss by Alex Highsmith and Keeanu Benton.
Watson was shaken up on a third-down play that resulted in a roughing-the-passer penalty against Jaquan Brisker. Shedeur Sanders temporarily entered the game.
On third-and-14 from the Cleveland 40, Sanders completed a short pass to Harold Fannin Jr.
The play initially appeared to end with Fannin down by contact.
Pittsburgh challenged the ruling.
Replay overturned the decision, determining that Fannin had fumbled and Daequan Everette had recovered the football at the Cleveland 42.
It was the first major defensive breakthrough of the afternoon.
Pittsburgh immediately had an opportunity to seize control.
But the Steelers failed to capitalize.
Rodgers threw incomplete on first down, Warren gained three yards, and another incompletion brought up fourth down.
Chris Boswell attempted a 57-yard field goal.
The kick sailed wide left.
Cleveland had escaped the turnover without allowing points.
That relief lasted less than a minute.
Watson returned to the game, but on second-and-seven near midfield, Patrick Queen and Cameron Heyward combined to sack him for a five-yard loss.
Queen forced the football loose, and Benton recovered at the Cleveland 45.
Two Cleveland possessions.
Two lost fumbles.
The Steelers had another short field.
This time, they made the Browns pay.
Warren gained three yards before Rodgers connected with Gainwell Bernard for nine yards and a first down.
Dowdle then burst through the middle for 15 yards, carrying the ball to the Cleveland 18.
On the next play, Dowdle attacked the right edge for another nine yards.
Facing second-and-one at the Cleveland 9, Pittsburgh brought an additional lineman onto the field.
Dowdle followed his blocking through the right guard position and crossed the goal line for the game’s first touchdown.
Boswell converted the extra point.
With 7:57 remaining in the first quarter, Pittsburgh led 7-0.
Cleveland’s offense continued to struggle.
Watson threw incomplete on first down, connected with Tyrie Wallace for three yards and then was sacked by Nick Herbig for a seven-yard loss.
The Browns punted.
Pittsburgh took possession at its own 12-yard line with 6:17 remaining in the quarter.
What followed was one of the game’s defining possessions.
Warren opened the drive with a 15-yard run to the Pittsburgh 27.
After a run for no gain and a completed pass that lost three yards, the Steelers faced third-and-13 from their own 24.
Cleveland had an opportunity to force a punt.
Instead, Warren exploded through the middle.
The offensive line opened a massive running lane, and Warren accelerated into the secondary for a 51-yard gain to the Cleveland 25.
One play transformed a potential three-and-out into a scoring opportunity.
McCarthy later explained why Pittsburgh’s trap-blocking concepts proved so effective.
“The trap is something that we haven’t done a lot of. I think everybody was excited to get the traps called today. Obviously, it was a good scheme versus their defense and so forth. The first one was huge. It looked like a rocket ship the way it opened up.”
The Steelers continued marching.
Rodgers connected with DK Metcalf for four yards. Warren gained eight more, and Dowdle converted another short-yardage opportunity.
Pittsburgh reached the Cleveland 2-yard line as the first quarter ended.
The Steelers led 7-0 after controlling the football for 9 minutes, 48 seconds of the opening period.
They had already demonstrated the formula that would ultimately decide the game.
Run the football.
Force turnovers.
Pressure the quarterback.
And make Cleveland fight for every yard.
But Pittsburgh’s offense also began showing signs of a problem that would follow it throughout the afternoon.
The Steelers were moving the ball effectively between the 20-yard lines, yet struggling to finish possessions near the goal line.
Three consecutive plays from the Cleveland 2 failed to produce a touchdown.
Rodgers threw two incompletions before Warren was stopped for no gain.
Boswell entered and converted a 20-yard field goal.
With 14:05 remaining in the second quarter, Pittsburgh led 10-0.
Rodgers later acknowledged the missed opportunity.
“There were a couple of other opportunities. Yeah, we didn’t execute down there on the goal line.”
Cleveland finally responded with its most productive possession of the first half.
Starting at its own 25, Watson found Fannin for eight yards. Judkins gained seven yards for a first down, and the Browns began moving the chains.
Watson connected with Fannin for 12 yards on third-and-six, then found him again for a 25-yard gain to the Pittsburgh 19.
The Browns had reached the red zone.
But Pittsburgh’s defense tightened.
Judkins managed only one yard on first down.
A false-start penalty pushed Cleveland backward, and although Watson found Fannin for nine more yards, the Browns could not convert on third down.
Andre Szmyt kicked a 32-yard field goal.
With 8:43 remaining before halftime, Cleveland had cut the deficit to 10-3.
Pittsburgh answered with another sustained possession.
Rodgers found Darnell Washington for 24 yards, and Dowdle broke off a 14-yard run before fumbling.
Troy Fautanu recovered the football for Pittsburgh, preventing what could have been another costly turnover.
The Steelers continued advancing but again failed to reach the end zone.
Boswell converted a 37-yard field goal with 3:27 remaining in the half.
Pittsburgh led 13-3.
Cleveland mounted another response.
Watson moved the Browns downfield, including a 24-yard completion to KC Concepcion, but the drive again stalled before the end zone.
Szmyt converted a 49-yard field goal with 45 seconds remaining.
The Steelers’ lead had narrowed to 13-6.
For Cleveland, that should have been an opportunity to enter halftime within one possession.
Instead, Pittsburgh delivered the play sequence that effectively broke the game open.