CLEVELAND — Myles Garrett didn’t get the sack record, but his Cleveland Browns recorded a 13-6 upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, who missed a golden opportunity to win the AFC North. Cleveland clinched the win after its defense came up with a red-zone stand in the game’s final seconds.
The Browns scored on their first two drives, which included Shedeur Sanders’ 28-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Harold Fannin Jr., who was injured on the play and did not return to the game. That ultimately proved to be the game-winning score.
Pittsburgh’s offense clearly missed DK Metcalf, who is serving a two-game suspension stemming from last week’s altercation with a Lions fan. Without Metcalf, the Steelers’ passing game was completely out of sync. Aaron Rodgers was especially off while enduring one of his worst games of the season. Rodgers’ struggles negated Pittsburgh’s success on the ground, which produced 131 yards on 24 carries.
While the offense struggled, the Steelers’ defense did its part by recording two interceptions of Sanders, who cooled off after his hot start. But the Steelers’ offense failed to capitalize on either pick while coming up short on several other scoring opportunities.Â
He didn’t get a sack, but Garrett had several hurries on Rodgers, who threw for just 168 yards on 21 of 39 passing. Garrett will try to get his coveted sack record next week in Cincinnati against the Bengals.
The loss sets up a winner-take-all matchup with the Ravens in Week 18. The winner of next Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh will secure the division and the playoff spot that comes with it. Baltimore kept its playoff hopes alive after recording a 41-24 win over the Packers on Saturday night.