PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat up the Cleveland Browns on Sunday while taking sole possession of first place in the AFC North division. The Steelers avenged their Week 4 loss to Cleveland by recording a 27-6 win. 

Pittsburgh (6-2) enters its bye week with four straight wins. It hasn’t lost since its 27-24 setback in Cleveland back in Week 4. The Browns fell to 5-3 and are now 2-3 in games outside of Cleveland. Sunday was Cleveland’s 23rd consecutive regular-season loss in Pittsburgh. 

Steelers run away from Browns 

This one was never really close as the Steelers took a 20-6 halftime lead on the strength of running backs Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, who took full advantage of a Browns defense that was 22nd in the league in average yards-per-carry allowed through the season’s first seven weeks. The Steelers ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries. Conversely, the Browns ran for just 34 yards on 14 carries. 

Warren, who turned 28 on Sunday, had 102 yards on 10 carries in the first half and finished the game with 143 yards on 17 carries. 

Pittsburgh statistically dominated the first quarter, piling up 134 yards to the Browns’ -1. Most of that damage was done on the ground as the Steelers rumbled for 117 yards on 11 carries in the game’s first 15 minutes. Fittingly, the game’s first score was on a run by Dowdle after Pittsburgh’s second forced turnover of the quarter. The Steelers forced turnovers on each of the Browns’ first two drives. 

Decisive second quarter 

Both teams kicked two field goals in the second quarter before the Steelers ended the half with a one-yard touchdown run by tight end Pat Freiermuth, who also caught a 28-yard pass on the six-play, 69-yard drive.

Warren kicked off the second half with a short touchdown run after Darnell Washington’s 58-yard catch-and-carry. Washington led the Steelers with 94 yards on three catches. 

Steel Curtain steps up 

The Steelers’ defense had a banner day that included a turnover on downs inside their own 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The stop prevented the Browns from capitalizing on Denzel Ward’s impressive interception late in the third quarter. 

Pittsburgh’s defense sacked Deshaun Watson a whopping eight times. Two of those sacks were courtesy of T.J. Watt, whose 20.5 sacks against the Browns are the most by any player against Cleveland in NFL history. Patrick Queen had a big game as well with nine tackles and 1.5 sacks. 

The Steelers’ defense recorded its sixth game of the season with multiple forced turnovers. Pittsburgh’s +5 turnover ratio this season is one of the reasons why it leads the AFC North through eight weeks. 

Browns lone star

Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. atoned for his first-quarter fumble by catching 10 of 12 targets for a career-high 154 yards. It was Fannin’s second career 100-yard game and his first since Week 14 of last season.