Steelers overcome loss of kicker Chris Boswell, rally to beat Browns

CLEVELAND – Playing the entire second half without their kicker forced the Pittsburgh Steelers to adopt a go-for-broke mentality Sunday afternoon on the road against the Cleveland Browns.

• Such as when they faced a fourth-and-2 near the goal line in the fourth quarter while trailing by a point.

• Or when they kept the offense on the field to attempt 2-point conversions after scoring a pair of touchdowns.

That approach played into the hands of 39-year-old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as he faced his home state rival for perhaps the final time at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Roethlisberger engineered two second-half touchdown drives, and the Steelers overcame the absence of kicker Chris Boswell to defeat the Browns, 15-10, for their third consecutive victory.

“Any of you guys know Ben – that doesn’t change his mentality,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “He plays like we’ve got no kicker anyway. He’s an Ohio boy. He’s trying to win when he comes home.”

Roethlisberger’s 2-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth on fourth down with 11 minutes, 4 seconds remaining lifted the Steelers to their first and only lead. The Steelers held on, getting a fumble recovery and turnover on downs on Cleveland’s final two possessions to improve to 4-3 while sending the Browns to 4-4 and into the AFC North cellar.

The win improved Roethlisberger to 12-2-1 in Cleveland.

Afterward, Roethlisberger offered advice to the Steelers’ young players, including as Najee Harris, who rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown, and Freiermuth, whose juggling catch and toe-tap in front of the end line provided the go-ahead points.

“Don’t ever, ever take a win against these guys in this stadium for granted – ever,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s always hard fought. It’s something special. I’ve played a lot of games here, and I don’t take any of them for granted.”

The Steelers lost Boswell with the score tied, 3-3, and 1:38 left in the first half. He was flattened by Browns defensive tackle Jordan Elliott while running out of bounds after throwing a fake-field goal pass out of the end zone.

Boswell held his head as he was taken to the locker room, where he was diagnosed with concussion symptoms. The injury left the Steelers without a kicker, although punter Pressley Harvin III was used on kickoffs.

“I take responsibility for it,” Tomlin said. “I shouldn’t have called it unless we were ready to run it with detailed execution. It’s obvious that we weren’t (ready), and it’s on me.”

The Browns put the Steelers into a 10-3 hole when they scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, with D’Ernest Johnson finding the end zone on a 10-yard run.

The touchdown was one of the few big running plays executed by the Browns, who entered the game leading the NFL by averaging 170 rushing yards per game. They finished with 96 – or less than the Steelers, who at one time had the NFL’s worst rushing unit but ended the day with 115 yards.

“The run game component was going to be big,” Tomlin said. “We had to stop their run. We had to run it, and largely I think we answered the call in that regard. That, more than any reason, is why we were victorious.”

Harris converted on a fourth-and-1 near midfield on the Steelers’ ensuing drive. It was the first fourth-down conversion of the year for the Steelers, who were 0 for 5 before that. A 22-yard completion to Freiermuth set up Harris’ 8-yard run in which he covered half the distance with a leap into the end zone.

With the extra point out of the equation, the Steelers bunched four receivers to the left and Chase Claypool to the right. Roethlisberger surveyed his options after the snap and dived into the end zone for the unlikely 2-pointer. A holding call, however, negated the play. The second attempt from the 12 was unsuccessful and the Steelers trailed, 10-9, with 3:39 to go in the third.

“I wish it would have counted,” Roethlisberger said. “That would have been a good story.”

It still was. After the Steelers forced a three-and-out, Roethlisberger led the Steelers on a 13-play, 83-yard touchdown drive. It included completions of 13 and 24 yards to tight end Zach Gentry, a pass to Harris that gained 20 yards and a toss to Claypool for 14 that set up the Steelers at the Cleveland 2.

It took another fourth-down conversion for the Steelers to get the job done and take a 15-10 lead. Freiermuth had the awareness to get both feet down in the end zone before tumbling out.

“That was my issue in camp and one of the preseason games, not getting my one foot in,” he said. “I was used to college with one foot in, but I’ve been working on it after practice, and I’m glad it paid off here.”

The Browns advanced to the Steelers 32 before linebacker Joe Schobert dislodged the ball from wide receiver Jarvis Landry’s grasp on an 8-yard completion. T.J. Watt recovered at the 20 with 6:04 left. The Browns got the ball back with 4:22 to play and advanced to the Steelers 26 before Landry couldn’t handle a fourth-down pass over the middle.

A 50-yard completion to Diontae Johnson helped the Steelers run out the clock, with Roethlisberger throwing a pass out of the end zone on fourth down to exhaust the final six seconds.

“When I woke up this morning, it was a cloudy, gray day,” Roethlisberger said. “The sun came out, and I don’t remember the last time the sun was shining during a game here. It sure did feel good to get the win.”