Steelers peter out, can't stop Browns in defeat

CLEVELAND – For 30 minutes, a Pittsburgh Steelers offense that had a space reserved on the back of a milk carton was missing no more.

Cries for Kenny Pickett were silenced as Mitch Trubisky directed two touchdown drives to give the Steelers a lead on the road against an AFC North opponent.

Unfortunately for the Steelers, one more half was left to play.

The offense bogged down, the defense couldn’t get off the field, and the Steelers lost for the second time in five days, dropping a 29-17 decision to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Jacoby Brissett passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns, Nick Chubb rushed for 114 yards, and the Browns pieced together two long scoring drives in the second half to erase a 14-13 Steelers halftime lead.

Trubisky, meantime, completed 9 of his first 10 passes for 109 yards but finished 20 of 32 for 207 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

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With an extended break before their next game, coach Mike Tomlin said he won’t ponder replacing Trubisky with Pickett, the team’s first-round draft pick from Pitt.

“I’m not in that mindset,” Tomlin said. “I’m interested in reviewing this tape and evaluating the totality of it and figuring out how we collectively get better. To answer that question definitively, no.”

After the Steelers piled up 197 yards in a promising first half, they went three-and-out on three consecutive possessions in the third and fourth quarters and finished with 308 yards.

“We’re getting there,” Trubisky said. “It’s just not where it needs to be in order to get a victory. I thought in the first half things went in the right direction. Second half, just not good enough.”

That also was true for the defense.

Playing without T.J. Watt for the second game in a row, the Steelers gave up 376 yards, including 171 rushing. The Browns had a 70-yard field goal drive and 80-yard touchdown drive on their first two possessions of the second half to take a 23-14 lead.

Cleveland owned nearly a two-to-one time of possession advantage in the second half when they had 92 yards rushing.

“It would be one thing if we were learning and still winning,” defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. “It (stinks) to put up a performance where they ran the ball and we didn’t get the job done.”

After totaling 44 yards on their first four drives of the second half, the Steelers put Chris Boswell in position to kick a 34-yard field goal with 1:48 left and provide a glimmer of hope. For Browns fans, it brought back memories of the game Sunday when Cleveland blew a 13-point lead in the final 1:55 to the New York Jets.

The Browns avoided a repeat meltdown when the Steelers couldn’t recover the onside kick. The Steelers got the ball back with nine seconds left at their 4. A series of laterals ensued after a completion, but the ball was fumbled into the end zone and the Browns recovered for a touchdown with no time on the clock.

Cade York’s 34-yard field goal with 2:31 left in third quarter provided the Browns a 16-14 lead. The Browns converted a fourth-and-1 on the 14-play, 70-yard drive and had a first down at the Steelers 16. That’s when three consecutive pass plays were called. All three fell incomplete, bringing York onto the field to salvage three points for the Browns.

After the Steelers went three-and-out, with Diontae Johnson unable to handle a deep pass on third down, the Browns took advantage. Chubb scored on a fourth-and-1 run from the 1, increasing the Browns’ lead to 23-14 with 9:29 left in the game.

This time, the Browns stuck with what was working. Aside from a 32-yard completion to Amari Cooper, the Browns ran the ball 10 times on the drive. Chubb had a 16-yard gain that pushed him over the 100-yard mark.

“If you can’t slow down Chubb, you can’t beat this group,” Tomlin said. “We know that and didn’t get it done.”

An offense that had produced two touchdowns through two games got a pair in the first half, giving the Steelers a 14-13 lead.

The offensive line opened holes for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, who combined for 76 yards rushing in the first half. Harris and Trubisky had touchdown runs.

“We knew it was going to be a physical game, and we knew we had to run the ball, too,” center Mason Cole said. “Knowing their style of play, how they like to possess the football, we were trying to play that game with them. In the first half, we were successful at it. I think we played well. Not perfect, but well. Second half, it wasn’t there for us.”

As a result, the Steelers will take a 1-2 record into their game Oct. 2 against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium. It is the second year in a row the Steelers have lost multiple games after winning the season opener.

“We have to win some games, especially these big division games,” Cole said. “We’ve got to win them, right? We’re not hanging our heads by any means, but we have to win these big road games. It’s tough when we’re in them and don’t close them out.”