The Pittsburgh Steelers secured a 27-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday. The win extends their lead in the AFC North standings to two games, with the Baltimore Ravens on a bye week.
The Steelers improved their record to 10-3 and avenged a previous loss to the Browns on November 21. Despite missing leading receiver George Pickens due to a hamstring injury, the Steelers' defense played a crucial role in the win. They intercepted Browns quarterback Jameis Winston twice and sacked him three times.
"I appreciate the defense providing some short fields and splash in order to get us going as a team. It is a team game in that way," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt made an early impact with a tackle for loss, while Alex Highsmith returned from injury to sack Winston, forcing an early punt. Calvin Austin III's punt return set up Chris Boswell's field goal for an initial 3-0 lead.
Winston responded with a touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy, giving Cleveland a brief lead. However, Keeanu Benton's interception energized both the crowd and his teammates. "Definitely, especially having a big man get an interception," Benton commented.
Najee Harris capitalized on Benton's play with a touchdown run, putting Pittsburgh ahead 10-7. Boswell added another field goal before halftime after DeShon Elliott broke up a potential scoring pass from Winston.
Cleveland struggled with missed field goals by Dustin Hopkins, which proved costly as Wilson connected with Van Jefferson and Pat Freiermuth for touchdowns, extending Pittsburgh's lead to 27-7.
Cleveland narrowed the gap with David Njoku's touchdown catch but failed to capitalize further after Ben Skowronek recovered Kadarius Toney's muffed punt late in the game.
Wilson completed 15 of 26 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns for Pittsburgh. Elliott recorded 13 tackles while Patrick Queen added ten tackles for the Steelers' defense.
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