The Pittsburgh Steelers avenged their Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, overcoming a slow start offensively from Russell Wilson and company to beat the Browns 27-14 at Acrisure Stadium. Wilson threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns with George Pickens sidelined, while the Steelers added 120 yards on the ground and forced three turnovers.

The Browns won the toss and chose to defer, so the Steelers opened the game with the ball but went three-and- out on their opening drive. The Steelers forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and would take over at the Cleveland 36 after the Browns were forced to punt out of their own end zone. Despite a 20-yard run by RB Najee Harris to open the drive, the Steelers had to settle for a field goal and took a 3-0 lead following a 30-yard field goal by K Chris Boswell with 9:32 left in the first quarter.

The Browns answered, though, as a 20-yard completion by WR Elijah Moore moved Cleveland to the Pittsburgh 36. Three plays later, QB Jameis Winston climbed the pocket and hit WR Jerry Jeudy for a 35-yard touchdown, giving the Browns a 7-3 lead with 5:50 left in the first quarter.

The score would remain 7-3 at the end of the first quarter, as Pittsburgh’s offense struggled to get much of anything going. DL Keeanu Benton came through with an interception of Winston with 13:26 left in the second quarter to give the Steelers good field position. CB Greg Newsome II was then flagged for defensive pass interference against WR Calvin Austin III, and the Steelers had a 1st and 10 at the Cleveland 12.

BIG MAN SNAG 🙌 @keeanu_benton
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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 8, 2024

The Steelers would punch it in on a one-yard touchdown run by Najee Harris, and Pittsburgh took a 10-7 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half. They extended their lead on their next drive, taking 5:38 off the clock and driving 45 yards in 11 plays with Boswell ending the drive by hitting a 54-yard field goal to give Pittsburgh a 13-7 lead with 4:21 left in the half. The Browns put together a long drive before the end of the half, but K Dustin Hopkins missed a 38-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the first half, and the Steelers would take their 13-7 lead into the half.

The Browns got the ball to open the second half. Jerome Ford returned the opening kickoff 56 yards to the Pittsburgh 39, and an unnecessary roughness penalty from CB Joey Porter Jr. gave the Browns another 15 yards on their first play of the drive. The Steelers defense settled in, though, and the Browns had to try another field goal. This time, Hopkins missed from 43 yards out, and the Steelers kept their 13-7 lead.

Pittsburgh capitalized off Hopkins’ miss, driving 67 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. The drive was sparked by a 21-yard completion to TE Pat Freiermuth on third down. Jaylen Warren was also a catalyst with a 14-yard run and a 14-yard reception. The drive was capped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass to WR Van Jefferson to extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 20-7 with 8:37 left in the third quarter.

The Browns would go for it on fourth down on their next drive, but a questionable play call led to Jerome Ford being stopped behind the line of scrimmage. The Steelers got going with a 22-yard completion to WR Mike Williams, and two plays later they found the end zone again with Russell Wilson hitting Freiermuth for a 20-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 27-7 with 3:51 left in the third quarter.

RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE! @pat_fry5
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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 8, 2024

Both teams traded punts, and then the Browns got on the board again with 7:19 left following a 14-play drive. Winston hit TE David Njoku, who made an impressive snag by the right pylon. Hopkins’ extra point cut the Steelers lead to 27-14.

With 4:43 left, the Steelers ran a sweep to RB Cordarrelle Patterson and the ball was punched out, with DE Myles Garrett recovering. Cleveland took over at midfield trailing by 13, but the Steelers got the ball right back two plays later with CB James Pierre intercepting Winston. It gave the Steelers the ball back up two scores at their own 36.

BALL HAWK JAMES PIERRE!
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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 8, 2024

The Steelers punted it back to the Browns with 3:03 left after Garrett sacked Wilson, but Kadarius Toney muffed the punt and WR Ben Skowronek recovered. The Steelers took over at the Cleveland 20. A first down run by Najee Harris on the other side of the two-minute warning would seal the win, and the Steelers improved their record to 10-3.

Pittsburgh will head across the state for a matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles next week, while the Browns will host the Kansas City Chiefs.

Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth gives hilarious reason for punting ball into stands

Russell Wilson and Pat Freiermuth keyed the Steelers victory over the Browns

Head coach Mike Tomlin has the Pittsburgh Steelers playing like a team that may have a chance to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for AFC superiority this year. They earned their 10th victory of the year in Week 14 when they hammered the rival Cleveland Browns 27-14 once again at home. The architects of the victory included quarterback Russell Wilson and tight end Pat Freiermuth, as the Browns were not able to contain either one.

TOUCHDOWN PAT FREIERMUTH!! HES BEEN BALLING IN THE STEEL CITY
pic.twitter.com/kY2r6b8HmG
— LandonTengwall (@landon_tengwall) December 8, 2024

Freiermuth has taken on a huge role this season as he knows his quarterback will look to him in crucial situations. In the victory over the Browns, Freiermuth caught a 20-yard TD pass from Wilson in the third quarter that allowed the Steelers to stretch the lead to 27-7. After he made his diving catch into the end zone, Freiermuth celebrated in unusual fashion.

He picked himself up, extended the ball in his right arm and then punted the football into the stands. He couldn’t say exactly what motivated him to put his punting skills on display, but he said it felt good and that he knows a fine is coming.

“Someone had to get fined,” he said, laughing. “My grandfather’s probably pissed on me, but man, it’s all good.”

Steelers have opened up a significant lead in AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) crosses the goal line on a pass completion for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. — Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

At the start of the season, the Steelers looked like a potential playoff team because they have never had a losing record under Tomlin. However, they appeared to be a notch below the powerful Baltimore Ravens and potentially the Cincinnati Bengals.

That has not been the case. Wilson has played above expectations in his first year with the Steelers as he has shown he can deliver the ball downfield on a consistent basis.

As a result, the Steelers have built a 10-3 record and that gives them a two-game lead over the Ravens with just four games to go in the regular season. The Bengals and the Browns are effectively out of the race.

Wilson completed 15 of 26 passes for 158 yards against the Browns with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Freiermuth caught 3 passes for 48 yards and the touchdown that he celebrated by booting the ball into the stands.

In addition to Wilson and Freiermuth, the Steelers are getting a significant contribution from running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Harris has run for 824 yards, is averaging 4.0 yards per carry and has scored 4 touchdowns. Warren has rushed for 312 yards, is averaging 4.0 yards per attempt and has scored 1 touchdown.

While George Pickens did not play against the Browns due to a hamstring injury, he is the other key factor in the passing game. He has caught 55 passes for 850 yards with 3 touchdowns. He has 16 receptions of 20 yards or more.