Steelers beat Browns 27-6 to claim AFC North top spot

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren rushed for 143 yards and scored a touchdown on his 28th birthday to lead his team to a 27-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The win moved Pittsburgh into first place in the AFC North and snapped a losing streak in the rivalry series.

The Steelers avenged a road loss to Cleveland from a month prior by controlling the line of scrimmage. The result marked the 23rd consecutive regular-season win for Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium against their rivals. That total ties the NFL record for the longest home winning streak against a single opponent, a mark previously held by the Green Bay Packers against the Detroit Lions from 1992 to 2014.

Cleveland defensive end Jared Verse told reporters during the week that the Browns would make Pittsburgh their own. The prediction did not hold up on the field. The Steelers defensive line sacked quarterback Deshaun Watson eight times. Pittsburgh offensive guard Mason McCormick slammed Verse into the turf during a field goal attempt, forcing a call for unnecessary roughness.

Warren and Rico Dowdle exploited large gaps in the Browns defensive line. The Steelers ran for 200 total yards, with 160 of those coming in the first half. That was the highest first-half rushing total by any team this season. Dowdle’s 56 yards included a nine-yard run that gave Pittsburgh an early lead.

Tight end Pat Freiermuth added a one-yard tush push on the final play of the first half to extend the lead to 20-6. In the third quarter, Aaron Rodgers connected with Darnell Washington on a 58-yard pass. That play set up Warren’s one-yard touchdown run, which put the game out of reach.

Rodgers finished 13 of 25 passes for 172 yards and one interception. The interception was picked off by Cleveland defensive back Denzel Ward after the ball was bobbled by Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf. Watson passed for 324 yards, much of it in the final quarter after he took a late hit from Pittsburgh linebacker Jaquan Brisker. He was briefly replaced by Shedeur Sanders, who fumbled the ball on a handoff to Harold Fannin Jr. The Browns also fumbled on their next possession.

Cleveland defensive tackle Maliek Collins suffered an elbow injury in the first half. Cornerback Tyson Campbell was evaluated for a possible concussion. The Browns finished with a 5-3 record, while the Steelers improved to 6-2.