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Browns beat Steelers with Dustin Hopkins field goal after struggling in second half

Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal
·13 min read

CLEVELAND — The Browns offense was nonexistent for 28 minutes of the second half on Sunday. Really, for most of the first half as well.

Yet, with 1:18 remaining in a tie game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns found themselves at their own 35. That's when, led by their rookie quarterback, they found the offense they needed.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed four consecutive passes to move the Browns to the Steelers 26. Three plays later, Dustin Hopkins kicked a 34-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to give the Browns a 13-10 win over the Steelers.

It was Hopkins' second consecutive game-winning field goal in the final 5 seconds of a game. He beat the Baltimore Ravens with a 40-yarder as time expired last week.

The win kept the Browns (7-3) a half-game behind the Ravens (8-3) in the AFC North standings. The Steelers (6-4) are third.

Thompson-Robinson was 4-of-5 passing on the final drive, with the only incompletion being a spike to set up Hopkins' field goal at the Pittsburgh 17. He netted 39 passing yards on the drive.

The rookie out of UCLA was 24-of-43 passing for 165 yards and a 54.9 passer rating for the game. He did throw an interception.

Kenny Pickett was 15-of-28 passing for 106 yards and a 62.5 passer rating for Pittsburgh.

Follow along here throughout the day for updates from this crucial AFC North game.

Browns, Steelers trade punts in final 3 minutes

The Browns picked up a first down at their own 29 after forcing a Steelers punt. That was all they could do with the ball, though.

They punted it back to the Steelers with less than 1:45 remaining. Pittsburgh, though, went three-and-out from its own 30.

The Browns, after the Steelers punt, got the ball at their own 35 with 1:18 remaining.

Browns get defensive stop needed to get ball back

The Browns received the defensive stop they needed to set up a chance to win Sunday. The Steelers had first down at the Browns 40 with just over five minutes left.

However, Kenny Pickett threw an incompletion while under pressure on first down, then Najee Harris was dropped for a 5-yard loss on second down. On third down, Jaylen Warren gained 2 yards to force a punt.

Rodney McLeod ruled out with bicep injury

The injury added to the insult of the Steelers' scoring drive was that the Browns lost safety Rodney McLeod to a bicep injury. He was immediately ruled out, leaving rookie Ronnie Hickman to fill in for him.

Myles Garrett's sack not enough to prevent Steelers tying FG

Myles Garrett made another disruptive play in Sunday's game, sacking Kenny Pickett for a 10-yard loss at the Browns 27. That left the Steelers in a third-and-21 situation at the Cleveland 27.

Najee Harris then got loose for a 17-yard run to the Browns 10. That set Chris Boswell up for a 28-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10 with 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.

End 3rd quarter: Cleveland Browns 10, Pittsburgh Steelers 7

The Browns will be punting to start the fourth quarter from the Pittsburgh 49. They hold a 10-7 lead over the Steelers.

Cleveland has a 186-165 edge in total yards.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson throws first interception of game, but doesn't hurt

Dorian Thompson-Robinson made his first big mistake on third-and-15 from the Pittsburgh 36. His pass was deflected by Joey Porter Jr. and intercepted by the Steelers' Chandon Sullivan at the Steeler 23.

The Steelers went three-and-out, though. The Browns got great starting field position off the punt, which was shanked out of bounds at the Pittsburgh 45.

James Proche II gives Browns good starting field position

James Proche II nearly wore goat horns for his fumbled punt in the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens. On Sunday, he gave the Browns a good starting spot late in third quarter.

Proche went 21 yards to put the Browns at the Steelers 48. However, the good field position was wasted.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett momentarily shaken up on fourth-down conversion

Kenny Pickett kept the ball to pick up a yard on a fourth-and-1 from the Steelers 29. However, in the process of the play, his helmet came off and he was momentarily shaken up.

Kevin Stefanski challenged the ruling that it gained the first down. The call stood on the review.

The timeout for the review allowed Pickett to re-enter the game without missing a play.

Denzel Ward delivers the blow to force a Steeler three-and-out

Denzel Ward's physicality is part of the reason why his previous concussion history is so concerning. However, it's part of the cornerback's game.

Such as when Ward delivered a shot to Steelers running back Najee Harris on a 1-yard completion on third-and-4 from the Pittsburgh 19. It stopped the Steelers' second drive, and forced a punt.

Jaylen Warren gets loose for 74-yard Steelers touchdown

It took the Steelers two plays to close the gap on the Browns to start the third quarter. Specifically, it took one Jaylen Warren 74-yard touchdown run on the second play of the quarter to pull Pittsburgh within 10-7 just 50 seconds into the second half.

Warren's run netted more yards than Pittsburgh had for the entire first half. The Steelers had just 64 net yards in the first 30 minutes.

Halftime: Cleveland Browns 10, Pittsburgh Steelers 0

The Browns have a two-score lead on the Steelers at halftime. Pittsburgh will get the ball to start the second half.

It's a 163-64 edge in total yards for the Browns. The Steelers are 1 of 5 on third down.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson helps Browns drain clock, get field goal

Dorian Thompson-Robinson got the best of both worlds on his final drive of the first half. The Browns quarterback effectively drained the clock, and extended the lead.

The Browns got the ball at their own 17 with 5:29 remaining in the first half. They gave it up with 5 seconds left in the half after Dustin Hopkins kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it 10-0 Cleveland.

Thompson-Robinson completed 6 of his first 7 passes for 42 yards on the 17-play, 77-yard drive to get to the Steelers 6. However, the drive bogged down there with a spike to stop the clock, followed by two incompletions into the end zone.

Thompson-Robinson also had a big 5-yard run to midfield on third-and-4 to keep the drive alive. He is 13-of-19 passing for 98 yards with a 80.6 passer rating for the half.

Ogbo Okoronkwo sack forces another Pittsburgh punt

The Steelers got on the Cleveland side of the 50 for the second consecutive possession. They ended up punting for the fourth straight drive.

Ogbo Okornkwno dropped Kenny Pickett for an 11-yard loss on a third-and-2 from the Browns 49. While Okoronknwo got the sack, Myles Garrett forced Pickett back into the waiting arms of Okoronkwo.

Anthony Walker Jr. walks to locker room with hamstring injury

The Browns defense suffered a tough loss early in the second quarter when linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. walked to the locker room with a trainer. The announcement in the press box was that it was a hamstring injury and he was questionable to return.

Walker suffered a season-ending torn quad tendon in the Browns' home win over the Steelers last season. He had not missed a game yet this season.

End 1st quarter: Cleveland Browns 7, Pittsburgh Steelers 0

The Browns hold a 7-0 lead over the Steelers after 15 minutes of play. They have an 84-16 edge in total yards.

Starting the second quarter, the Browns face a fourth-and-1 from their own 19.

Jerome Ford scores on replay challenge for Browns lead

The Browns needed to challenge another questionable officials ruling to finally get points on the board. Jerome Ford was originally ruled to have been stopped shy of the goal line from the Steelers 1 with 4:35 remaining in the first quarter.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski threw his challenge flag 20 yards down the sideline to get an official's attention to challenge the play. After about two minutes looking at the play, referee Shawn Hochuli announced that Ford had the ball in his right arm, which crossed the goal line.

The score gave the Browns a 7-0 lead.

Officials don't give Browns safety on Myles Garrett sack

The Browns defense appeared to clearly get points for themselves on the very first Steeler play. However, despite no evidence of any kind of forward progress, the officials did not give Myles Garrett credit for a safety on the sack of Kenny Pickett.

Pickett never appeared to get out of the end zone when Garrett dropped him for his 12th sack of the season. However, officials said PIckett's forward progress was stopped at the 1.

The Steelers ultimately went three-and-out.

Three-corner defensive lineup to start for Browns

The Browns started with three cornerbacks in the game on defense. Here's the first-play lineup:

Dorian Thompson-Robinson gets comfortable early, but no points

Dorian Thompson-Robinson was 3-of-4 passing for 18 yards on his first possession, which ended in a punt at the Pittsburgh 44. Thompson-Robinson also was able to scramble for a 6-yard gain to get a first down.

The Browns used eight plays on their opening drive.

James Hudson III starts at right tackle, not Dawand Jones

Dawand Jones was active, but James Hudson III got the start at right tackle as the Browns started with the football.

Dawand Jones active at right tackle for Cleveland Browns

Rookie right tackle Dawand Jones is expected to be in the starting lineup for the Browns on Sunday afternoon. He missed last Sunday's win at the the Baltimore Ravens while he recovered from a knee injury.

Jones was listed as questionable coming into Sunday, more precautionary than anything else. He practiced on Thursday and Friday, the first time he had practiced since the Nov. 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The Browns' inactive list included a pair of players who had already been ruled out in safety Juan Thornhill (calf) and receiver Marquise Goodwin (concussion). The other three inactive Browns are rookies in center Luke Wypler, defensive end Isaiah McGuire and defensive tackle Siaki Ika.

The injury to Jones occurred during the third quarter against the Cardinals. He came out for one play, but finished the game out.

The previous week at the Seattle Seahawks, Jones left the game with a shoulder injury. While he came back in for one play, he didn't finish out the game.

James Hudson III finished out the Seahawks game and started and played the entire Ravens game in place of Jones. It was Hudson's only start of the season.

Mason Rudolph, Minkah Fitzpatrick among Steelers inactive players

Mason Rudolph is the Steelers' No. 3 quarterback and is inactive. So, too, are injured safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) and defensive tackle Montravius Adams (ankle).

The other Pittsburgh inactive players are cornerback Darius Rush, running back Godwin Igwebuike and offensive tackle Dylan Cook.

How to watch, stream and listen to the Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

  • TV channel: CBS WOIO-TV (Channel 19).

  • Stream: Paramount+, Fubo (free trial).

  • Announcers: Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Charles Davis (analyst) and Evan Washburn (sideline reporter).

How to listen to the Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers on the radio

  • The Cleveland Browns Radio Network will carry the game, with Jim Donovan (play-by-play), Nathan Zegura (analyst) and Je'Rod Cherry (sideline reporter) on the call. Among the affiliates in the Akron-Canton area are WAKR-AM 1590, WONE-FM 97.5, WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WKRK-FM 92.3, WKNR-AM 850 and WNCX-FM 98.5.

  • The Browns have also started a Spanish-language broadcast, with Rafael “Rafa” Hernández-Brito (play-by-play) and Octavio Sequera (analyst) on the call. Games will be streamed on La Mega Cleveland, as well as heard on WNZN-FM 89.1 in Lorain and WVKO-FM 103.1 in Columbus.

Browns-Steelers odds, money line, over/under

Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers injury report

  • Browns: Safety Juan Thornhill (calf), out; receiver Marquise Goodwin (concussion), out; offensive tackle Dawand Jones (knee, shoulder), questionable; offensive guard Michael Dunn (calf), questionable.

  • Steelers: Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring), out; safety Keanu Neal (rib), out; defensive tackle Montravius Adams (ankle), out; tight end Pat Freiermuth (hamstring), questionable

Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10

The Browns improved to 6-3 on the season with a 33-31 come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Dustin Hopkins made a 40-yard field goal as time expired to win the game. Cleveland trailed by 15 in the third quarter, and 31-17 with less than 12 minutes remaining. Greg Newsome II's first career interception was returned for a touchdown with 8:16 remaining to pull the Browns within 31-30, but Hopkins missed the point-after kick. Deshaun Watson followed up a 6-of-20, 79-yard, second-play pick six first half by completing all 14 second-half passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. He also suffered injuries to his ankle and shoulder, the latter of which has landed him on injured reserve.

The Steelers improved to 6-3 on the season with a 23-19 win over the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Chris Boswell made three field goals for Pittsburgh. Jaylen Warren ran for 101 yards and a touchdown for the Steelers. Pittsburgh was outgained 399-324, marking the ninth consecutive game this season in which it was outgained.

Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers series

Sunday's game will mark the 145th meeting between the Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers all-time, including the 142nd regular-season meeting. The series began in 1950.

  • Overall: Steelers 81-62-1

  • In regular season: Steelers 79-61-1

  • In playoffs: Steelers 2-1

  • In Cleveland: Browns 40-29-1

  • In Pittsburgh: Steelers 52-22

  • Streak: Steelers have won two in a row

  • Last meeting: Steelers won 26-22 in Pittsburgh on Sept. 18, 2023

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns beat Steelers on Dustin Hopkins field goal in last minute