Browns best Steelers on TNF to take lead in AFC North

• Brooke Pryor

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  Brooke Pryor

  ESPN Staff Writer

  Brooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.
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• Daniel Oyefusi

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  Daniel Oyefusi

  ESPN

  Daniel Oyefusi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. Prior to ESPN, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Miami Herald, as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

Oct 2, 2026, 12:05 AM ET

CLEVELAND -- After losing hold of an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson delivered a late-game performance again Thursday night. Andre Szmyt made a 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds and safety Grant Delpit intercepted a last-second heave from quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 27-24 win.

The victory marks the first time the Browns have sat atop the division since Nov. 9, 2014. It's also Cleveland's first 3-1 start since the 2021 season.

After the offense struggled in the first half of the team's first three games, the unit broke out with three consecutive touchdown drives in the second quarter to give the Browns a 21-10 lead at halftime.

Cleveland's offense stalled in the second half, as Watson turned the ball over twice, but the starting QB, who entered Week 4 with two straight game-winning drives, led his third of the young season.

Watson completed 24 of 33 passes for 268 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 22 yards on seven carries and lost a fumble.

After running for a combined 131 yards in the season's first two games, the Browns ran for 112 yards Thursday night, the second time the team has had back-to-back 100-yard rushing efforts.

Cleveland's defense sacked Rodgers five times and intercepted him twice.

Cleveland Browns (3-1)

What to make of the QB performance: Watson started off strong before cooling off in the second half and turning it on late again. Watson's 181 passing yards were the most he has thrown for in the first half of a game with the Steelers, but his two turnovers after halftime helped Pittsburgh erase the deficit. Watson, though, was clutch for the third straight game, building on his early-season momentum.

Stat to know: The Browns scored 21 points in the first half, their most in any half of a game since Week 8 of the 2024 season, when Cleveland scored 23 points against the Baltimore Ravens in the second half.

Trend to watch: Cleveland was flagged for 17 total penalties, the second straight game with at least 14 infractions. Entering Week 4, the Browns had been called for the second-most penalties in the NFL (34). -- Daniel Oyefusi

Next game: Oct. 11 at New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)

Meetings between the Steelers and Browns in Cleveland are always weird, but Thursday night just as it has been for the past five years, it ended the same way: with a Pittsburgh loss.

This time around, the Steelers rallied to erase a 14-point deficit -- the byproduct of a catastrophic second quarter -- with a vintage Rodgers drive in the final minutes of the fourth quarter that featured two completions of 20-plus yards to wide receiver DK Metcalf and a quarterback sneak for a successful two-point conversion. But in the final 1:42, the Browns moved down the field by picking on a Steelers secondary down its top two cornerbacks.

And while the defense did enough to force the Browns to attempt a 56-yard field goal, Szmyt snuck the ball through to extend the Steelers' futility by the lake.

What to make of the QB performance: While the Steelers' pass protection wasn't as strong against the Browns as it was a week earlier, Rodgers' lack of mobility coupled with a desire to extend the play made matters much worse. Through four weeks, Rodgers and the offense haven't found an identity or a rhythm. Rodgers was sacked five times and took 10 total quarterback hits -- hardly ideal for a 42-year-old quarterback.

Rodgers and the offense looked to have resumed the momentum from the Cincinnati win with a lengthy and deliberate opening scoring drive, but that came to an abrupt halt in the next series when Rodgers threw an interception on the fourth play. Cleveland scored a touchdown on the resulting drive and never looked back as Rodgers struggled to find open pass catchers and the offense looked more like the stagnant, slow-developing unit from the Week 2 loss in New England.

In the first half, Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy traded profanity-laced barbs as Rodgers expressed his annoyance at the delay in receiving the playcall. Frustration spilled over to the sideline as Rodgers emphatically voiced his issues to McCarthy as the quarterback left the field.

Trend to watch: For the second week in a row, Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson scored his team's first touchdown of the game. Not only that, but the score in Cleveland marked the first time Wilson has scored touchdowns in consecutive games in his pro career. Rodgers and the offense have praised Wilson throughout the offseason for his work ethic and have projected Wilson was primed for a big season. Though he hasn't had a high volume of targets (three vs. Cincinnati, five vs. Cleveland), Wilson is making the most of his opportunities.

Stat to know: The Steelers are 0-10 in divisional Thursday night games on the road. Not only that, but the Steelers haven't won in Cleveland since 2021. -- Brooke Pryor