Thursday night games have not been kind to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Mike Tomlin era.
Coming into their contest against the Cleveland Browns, Tomlin carried a losing record in Thursday night games. Unfortunately, on this cold and snowy night at Huntington Bank Field, that losing streak continued, as they fell by a score of 24-19, bringing their season record to 8-3.
In the game, the Steelers had two forces working against them: inclement weather and All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett, who terrorized them in the first half with three sacks. After three underwhelming quarters where they failed to execute on both sides of the ball, the team put together an incredible fourth quarter that started with a 7-play, 69-yard drive, culminating in a 3-yard touchdown by running back Jaylen Warren to cut the lead to five. Following a sack-turnover by linebacker Nick Herbig, the Steelers offense responded again with a 23-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to receiver Calvin Austin III. After a failed 2-point conversion, the Steelers briefly held a 1-point lead late in the contest.
After the Steelers offense failed to take advantage of cornerback Donte Jackson's timely interception, followed by an uncharacteristically ugly punt coerced by the snowfall, the Browns responded with a 9-play, 41-yard drive that concluded with a touchdown by running back Nick Chubb, giving them the lead late in the game. This would ultimately be the game-winning score as the Steelers couldn't respond before the end of regulation.
For all that it was worth, Wilson was efficient in this game, finishing with 21 completions on 28 attempts for 270 yards and a touchdown. Leading the way for the receivers was Austin III, who finished with three receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. Following him was tight end Pat Freiermuth, who registered 59 receiving yards on four receptions. Receiver George Pickens had one of his lowest outputs of the season, finishing with just 48 yards on four receptions.
On defense, the Steelers only registered one sack courtesy of Herbig, who also recorded a forced fumble and five tackles. Cornerback Donte Jackson registered a big interception late in the fourth quarter, along with a pass deflection and three tackles. The only other standout on defense was safety DeShon Elliott, who recorded a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a pass deflection, and six tackles.
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