Browns fall to Steelers, extending home losing streak to 23 games

The Cleveland Browns lost their fourth-quarter magic on Sunday, falling 27-6 to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. The defeat snapped the team's winning momentum and extended their regular-season losing streak in Pittsburgh to 23 games, a tie for an NFL record.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson did not lead a late comeback. Instead, he was sacked eight times, bringing his season total to 33, the highest in the league. Watson accepted much of the blame for the performance, noting that the team missed a chance to assert dominance over their rivals.

"You can't just fall on just one loss," Watson said. "Of course, this was a big one. This was an opportunity for us to be able to really take control of that. But it didn't go our way."

The game started poorly for Cleveland. After winning the coin toss and possessing the ball first, Watson suffered a hit to the head from safety Jaquan Brisker and was evaluated for a concussion. Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders entered briefly before Harold Fannin Jr. fumbled away the possession. When Watson returned, his next series ended with another fumble.

The Steelers capitalized on the errors. They took the lead on a five-play, 45-yard drive that featured four rushing plays. The Browns' defense struggled to contain the run, allowing Pittsburgh to gain 200 rushing yards. Defensive end Jared Verse, who had called out the Steelers earlier in the season, was limited to one assisted tackle and was body-slammed by guard Mason McCormick.

"I don’t know who the hell that team was that walked out there, that presented themselves," Verse said. "We didn’t do enough across the board from the first quarter to the last quarter."

First-year coach Todd Monken said the young roster could not excuse the turnovers in the first two drives. The Browns have five wins so far, all of which came via fourth-quarter drives by Watson. That includes a 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh on Oct. 1. The team now has a bye week later this month and will play at New Orleans next week before hosting Houston.

"We're going to fight like hell to get better," Monken said. "That's all you can do."