PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (92.3 The Fan) – There was a team on the field Sunday night in Pittsburgh that looked like they practice once in the last week, and it wasn’t the Browns.
In perhaps the greatest performance – and win – in nearly half a century, the Browns went full Hulk on the Steelers, taking 22 years of abuse they received from Pittsburgh out and returning it in full force over 60 minutes.
Cleveland native Kareem Hunt scored twice on the ground, Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns and the Steelers turned it over five times, including four interceptions by Ben Roethlisberger, to roll to a 48-37 victory at Heinz Field.
It was the most points the Browns put on the Steelers since Bud Carson took Pittsburgh to the woodshed in his coaching debut, 51-0, on September 10, 1989.
It was the first road playoff win for the Browns since they beat the Cowboys 38-14 at Dallas on Dec. 28, 1969.
They play at Kansas City in the AFC Divisional round Sunday at 3:05.
The game started off with a bang for the Browns and things spiraled out of control quickly for the Steelers.
Steelers center Maurkice Pouncy shot the first offensive snap of the game from the Pittsburgh 22 over Roethlisberger’s head and a swarm of Browns raced for the loose football until it was recovered by safety Karl Joseph in the end zone for the Cleveland touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.
Roethlisberger completed a pass to M.J. Stewart, except Stewart plays corner for the Browns to end their second series and give the Browns the ball at the Pittsburgh 46.
The plays and 58 seconds later it was 14-0 when Mayfield found Jarvis Landry, who weaved his way through the Steelers secondary, at the 28 and the receiver did the rest on the 40-yard touchdown thanks in part to a great block by Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Safety Ronnie Harrison dropped Steelers running back James Conner for no gain on a third and one to force a punt and end Pittsburgh’s third offensive series.
Kareem Hunt plowed through a Steelers defender at the 3 to finish off an 11-yard touchdown run for a 21-0 lead. The 21 points were the most scored by the team in a playoff game in franchise history. They scored 14 in a 56-10 win over the Lions at Cleveland Stadium on Dec. 26, 1954.
Safety Sheldrick Redwine returned another gift from Roethlisberger 30 yards to the 15 to end Pittsburgh’s fourth series. Three plays Later Hunt scored again, from 8 yards out to make it 28-0, the most points scored in an opening quarter of a playoff game since the Raiders against the Oilers in 1969 according to ESPN Stats and Information.
Browns defensive tackle Vincent Taylor forced the fourth turnover of the first half by deflecting Roethlisberger pass up in the air for defensive end Porter Gustin to grab at the Cleveland 46.
The Browns’ bid for a shutout ended with 1:44 left in the half on Conner’s 1-yard TD run to make it a 28-7 game after he converted on fourth-and-1 from the 2.
Chris Boswell banged home a 49-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to pull Pittsburgh within 25, 35-10.
After stopping the Browns on their opening possession of the second half, Pittsburg marched 84 yards in eight plays and just took 3:45 off the clock to pull within 35-16 thanks to Roethlisberger’s 15-yard touchdown to tight end Eric Ebron. The 2-point try from Roethlisberger to Conner fell incomplete with 7:22 left in the third quarter.
Mayfield threw a pair of incompletions wrapped around a 2-yard run from Chubb as Cleveland went three-and-out in the blink of an eye to give the Steelers the ball right back.
Roethlisberger found JuJu Smith Schuster on fourth-and-goal for a 5-yard TD to pull within 35-23 with just under 3 minutes left in the third quarter.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had a brain cramp when he elected to punt on a fourth-and-1 from their own 46 early in the fourth quarter. Instead, Pittsburgh took a delay of game, then punted into the end zone, a gift to a gassed Browns defense.
Cleveland capitalized with a six-play, 80-yard drive capped by Nick Chubb’s 40-yard catch and run touchdown from Mayfield to expend the lead to 42-23.
The Steelers answered in just four plays and 1:24 with Roethlisberger finding Chase Claypool for a 29-yard score but the 2-point try was broken up by Stewart on the far sideline to keep it 42-29 with 11:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Cody Parkey kicked a 24-yard field goal to cap a 13-play drive that burned 6:40 burned off the clock and extended to a 45-29 lead with 4:28 left to play.
Parkey hit from 37 with 2:51 left to put the game out of reach, 48-29.
Linebacker Sione Takitaki sealed it by stepping in front of a Roethlisberger throw and returning it 23 yards to the Steelers 25 with 3:16 on the clock.
Roethlisberger hit Claypool for his second TD of the night to eclipse 500 yards passing and Connor caught a pass and plowed in for 2 to provide the final score.