When Baker Mayfield started celebrating following his first-down scramble midway through the fourth quarter, it looked like the Browns were on their way to a come-from-behind victory, and another crucial win over the Steelers. It would've been quite the statement of Rust Belt supremacy. After two long decades, the Browns could've said they finished their burial of the Steelers on Halloween. Just as Myles Garrett predicted, Ben Roethlisberger wasn't getting up from his tombstone.
But then there was a fumble. Two plays later, Mayfield hit Jarvis Landry with a pass that would've advanced the drive towards midfield, except linebacker Joe Schobert punched the ball loose. T.J. Watt pounced on the football, and just like that, the Steelers regained momentum. As Big Ben said: Garrett can keep his tombstone. The Steelers will take the win. They've now rattled off three straight, putting them right behind the Bengals in the AFC North. Cincinnati lost to the Jets and "create a player" QB Mike White Sunday.
The Steelers are back, and have reasserted their dominance over the Browns in the process. The world is back on its axis, at least for one week.
Cleveland came into the game with a cocky attitude. Garrett decorated his yard with tombstones with every quarterback he's sacked and came to the stadium dressed as the grim reaper. His teammates followed suit: Landry was Chase from Paw Patrol, Odell Beckham Jr. was Michael Jackson. The two star receivers may have coordinated their costume game, but finished with only six receptions for 71 yards. Beckham had one catch for six.
They could not back up their pregame declarations. Mike Tomlin's ridiculous decision to attempt a fake field goal with Chris Boswell left the Steelers without a kicker, forcing them to go for two instead of attempting a game-tying extra-point after Najee Harris' third quarter touchdown run. The conversion try failed, and the Steelers remained down by one. Cleveland was presented with a golden opportunity to expand their lead and tack on more points.
Instead, the Browns went three-and-out. The Steelers followed with a 13-play touchdown drive, which concluded when Roethlisberger found Pat Freiermuth in the corner of the end zone to take the lead. Once again, the two-point attempt missed.
But Landry's fumbled occurred on the next possession, essentially ending the game.
Losing two game to the Browns last season, including an absolute drubbing at Heinz Field in the Wild Card Round, might've been the low point of Roethlsiberger's NFL career. Cleveland was on the ascent, while Pittsburgh's chances rested on a washed-up QB who seemingly couldn't throw the ball more than seven yards down the field.
Some bad losses and ugly fourth down attempts earlier this season failed to change that narrative. The Steelers looked completely lost. Now, they look like a team with a path forward. Roethlisberger manages the game, while Harris wears down defenses with his game-breaking speed. And on the defensive side of the ball, Watt dominates. He contributes to every big win.
Speaking of wins, Sunday's contest was Roethlisberger's 24th win in Cleveland, and possibly his last. He certainly seemed to soak up the moment.
It was just like old times.
