Unbeaten Steelers rout Browns behind dominant defense

The Cleveland Browns thought this game would be different. That they were equipped to end the Pittsburgh Steelers’ domination at Heinz Field. That they no longer were going to be pushed around in this AFC North rivalry.

Instead, their trip back up the Pennsylvania Turnpike ended up being another lonely two-hour bus ride.

The roles remained the same in this series Sunday. The Steelers were the windshield, and the Browns represented the bug. Minkah Fitzpatrick’s 33-yard interception return for a touchdown less than five minutes into the game set the tone as the Steelers raced to a 24-point first-half lead and eventual 38-7 victory.

“That was varsity ball today,” said coach Mike Tomlin, who improved his record against the Browns to 22-4-1. “They stepped up and stepped up big all across the board and met a challenge versus a team that was very good and very hot.”

Just not as hot as the Steelers, who won their fifth in a row, their best start since opening 7-0 in 1978. The Steelers will face the 5-0 Tennessee Titans, the only other undefeated team in the AFC, next week in Nashville to kick off a three-game road stretch.

“It comes down to respect,” said running back James Conner, who rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown. “We just want our respect. Keep playing hard, keep executing, ignore the noise and go 1-0 each week. That is the goal.”

The Browns (4-2), off to their best start since 1994, had their four-game winning streak snapped and lost their 17th straight at Heinz Field, a skid dating to 2003. This one dropped them into third place in the AFC North, a game behind the 5-1 Baltimore Ravens.

“Calling it sobering is probably a good word,” Browns first-year coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We lost this game, and we have to react to this one and figure out how we can do better.”

Ben Roethlisberger, who improved to 23-2-1 against the Browns and never has lost to them at Heinz Field, directed two second-quarter touchdown drives that provided a 24-point cushion. Roethlisberger completed 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards and a 28-yard touchdown to James Washington.

The Steelers took a 17-point lead into halftime and then put the game out of reach with a touchdown that followed a fourth-and-1 stop at the Cleveland 28 when Browns running back Kareem Hunt was dropped for a 1-yard loss.

Roethlisberger attempted just five passes in the second half before exiting in the fourth quarter with the Steelers leading by 31. The Steelers ran 25 times in the second half while controlling the clock for more than 20 minutes. Chase Claypool’s 3-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep was the eighth consecutive run on the series following the Hunt stop. Benny Snell added a 1-yard touchdown run.

“This game was going to be defined by our bigs,” Tomlin said. “Our bigs’ ability to stop the run. Our bigs’ ability to protect Ben and win the line of scrimmage for us in the run game. We talked openly about it all week.

“A synopsis of this game in a nutshell is our bigs. Our big people on both sides of the ball really answered the challenge and played ‘A’ football.”

Playing in his first game against the Steelers since his infamous helmet swing at Mason Rudolph in November, Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett had one sack and four tackles but wasn’t much of a factor.

The Steelers defense dominated despite losing inside linebacker Devin Bush to a knee injury late in the first half that reportedly is season-ending.

Fitzpatrick’s interception was one of two the Steelers grabbed against Baker Mayfield. Bud Dupree had two of the Steelers’ four sacks, and defensive linemen Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt were stout, combining for 13 tackles.

“Every game we play, we try to be as tough as we can and the most physical team on the field,” Dupree said.

Mayfield left late in the third quarter as a concession to his bruised ribs that limited him in practice during the week. He completed 10 of 18 attempts for 119 yards and a touchdown.

“It’s a frustrating loss for us,” Mayfield said. “We just didn’t play well, and we let a great team capitalize on all of our mistakes.”

A week after the Eagles converted 10 consecutive third downs against the Steelers, the Browns were 1 of 12 in such situations and 0 for 3 on fourth down.

“I thought they answered that challenge well and emphatically today,” Tomlin said.

Chris Boswell kicked a 35-yard field goal on the opening drive, and Fitzpatrick increased the lead to 10-0 when he intercepted Mayfield’s first pass and brought it back 33 yards for a touchdown.

“Whenever you jump out to a lead with a defense, especially like we have, it just gives you a little bit of breathing room,” Roethlisberger said.

It turned into a lot of breathing room when Conner and Washington scored touchdowns in the second quarter to get the rout started.

“Good thing is, we are 5-0 — I think, right?” Heyward said. “This is something we need to continue to improve on. We are not going to rest on 5-0. We’ve got to continue to get better and keep working.”