CLEVELAND (AP) Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns are developing a knack for coming up big in the fourth quarter.
Watson led a go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter for the third straight week as he moved the Browns into position for Andre Szmyt’s career-long 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining that gave Cleveland a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
“I knew it was money. He told me the landmark, so he was just lining it up and we see it all the time,” Watson said about Szmyt’s second field goal, which gave the Browns a 3-1 record for the first time since 2001.
The Browns had a 21-7 lead late in the first half before the Steelers rallied to tie it at 24-all. Aaron Rodgers threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth with 1:44 remaining and Rodgers sneaked in for the 2-point conversion.
Watson went 4 for 5 for 46 yards on the winning drive, including two completions to Jerry Jeudy for 27 yards. The 10-year veteran was sacked for a 4-yard loss with 19 seconds left, which put the ball on the Steelers 38, but it ended up not mattering as Szmyt drilled the kick down the middle to extend his streak of made field goals to 22.
“I honestly said, ‘I’ll hit it from anywhere,”‘ but I told him ‘let’s get to the 42, maybe a 60-yard field goal,’ He got me a couple extra yards, so kudos to him,” said Szmyt, who had his third field goal in the final 15 seconds since joining the Browns last season.
Cleveland has won eight straight Thursday night games, the longest active streak and fourth longest in NFL history. Four have come against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh (2-2) is 0-10 on the road against AFC North rivals on Thursdays.
Watson completed 24 of 33 passes for 268 yards with a touchdown and interception. He passed for 181 yards in the first half, his most since being traded by Houston to Cleveland in 2022.
“Happy for Deshaun. Not happy about the sack there at the end, but three straight fourth-quarter comebacks really cool for him and our team,” Browns coach Todd Monken said.
Rodgers, who was 22 of 40 for 299 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, had one final chance to get the Steelers in field goal range, but he was picked off by Grant Delpit at the Browns 18 on a Hail Mary throw with 1 second left.
Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren rushed for 93 yards on 17 carries and DK Metcalf had five catches for 115 yards.
“I wouldn’t say it was our cleanest game all the way around,” Rodgers said. “They were getting after us on some of the long yardage stuff that we weren’t winning a bunch. I missed some throws I usually hit.”
The Browns defense got consistent pressure on Rodgers with five sacks and 10 quarterback hits.
“We had some protection challenges. It was a five-man pressure, man-to-man game. They established that right from the beginning,” Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think it was an aggressive game plan by them. I kind of expected some of it, and we were one play short.”
Pittsburgh controlled the first 15 minutes and took a 7-0 lead when Roman Wilson took a shovel pass 12 yards around left end on a jet sweep.
Momentum shifted on the second play of the second quarter after Denzel Ward picked off Rodgers’ pass intended for Michael Pittman Jr. at the Browns 44.
The rest of the first half was all Browns. It was the first time since Week 13 of the 2020 season against Tennessee that the Browns scored at least 21 points in the second quarter.
“Denzel flipped it, and then we kind of got things going a little bit, got in a good rhythm,” Monken said.
Jaleel McLaughlin tied it at 7 with 12:14 remaining in the first half on a 28-yard run around right end. The fourth-year running back broke a pair of tackles at the 22 and went through a narrow opening at the 15 before scoring.
Cleveland took a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter on Quinshon Judkins’ 2-yard run off right guard. The touchdown came three plays after Watson found Denzel Boston for a 60-yard completion to the Steelers 14 on the first play of the drive.
Harold Fannin Jr. then hauled in his third touchdown in two games on a 2-yard pass from Watson on third-and-goal with 1:22 remaining.
The Steelers got within 21-10 on Boswell’s 31-yard field goal with 8 seconds left before halftime.
Rodgers rolled right and connected with Washington for a 21-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to bring Pittsburgh within 21-16. The 2-point conversion attempt failed.
Steelers: DT Derrick Harmon (foot) was carted to the locker room during the second quarter and did not return. CB Jamel Dean (ankle) went out late in the second quarter and did not return.
Browns: DT Mason Graham (left knee) was injured in the first quarter and did not return. DT Mike Hall Jr. (right ankle) went out late in the second quarter but came back in the third.
Steelers: Host Indianapolis on Oct. 11.
Browns: At the New York Jets on Oct. 11.
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