Steelers Dominate Browns to Take Back First Place in the AFC North

The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) took control of the AFC North with a 27-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns (5-3) at Acrisure Stadium on November 1, 2026, as Jaylen Warren rushed for 143 yards and Pittsburgh’s defense sacked Deshaun Watson eight times to extend its regular-season home winning streak against Cleveland to 23 games.

Quarter-by-Quarter

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
CLE	0	6	0	0	6
PIT	7	13	7	0	27

Pittsburgh waited a month to avenge its loss in Cleveland and made sure the rematch was never particularly close. The Steelers recovered fumbles on the Browns’ first two possessions, with Rico Dowdle turning the second into a nine-yard touchdown. Jaylen Warren celebrated his 28th birthday by rushing for 143 yards, including a 51-yard burst, as Pittsburgh piled up 200 rushing yards. Cleveland briefly cut the lead to 13-6, but Aaron Rodgers moved Pittsburgh 69 yards in the final 40 seconds of the half, finishing with Pat Freiermuth’s one-yard touchdown sneak. Darnell Washington later broke loose for a 58-yard reception to set up Warren’s touchdown. Rodgers finished with 172 passing yards and an interception, but the Steelers barely needed him. Pittsburgh’s defense recorded eight sacks, including two from T.J. Watt, and extended its regular-season home winning streak over Cleveland to 23 games.

Cleveland arrived with a chance to strengthen its AFC North lead, but the offensive line spent Sunday making Pittsburgh’s pass rush look unstoppable. Deshaun Watson completed 27 of 39 passes for 324 yards, yet took eight sacks and failed to produce a touchdown. Rookie Harold Fannin Jr. was outstanding with 10 receptions for 154 yards, while Dylan Sampson added 62 receiving yards. Unfortunately, those performances went to waste. Quinshon Judkins managed just 25 rushing yards, and Cleveland finished with an embarrassing 34 as a team. Even Denzel Ward’s interception couldn’t spark a comeback. The Browns also failed to score after reaching the two-yard line in the fourth quarter. Jared Verse spent the week talking about making Pittsburgh his team’s home, but the Steelers had the final word. Cleveland hasn’t won a regular-season game in Pittsburgh since 2003, and Sunday’s 21-point defeat dropped the Browns to 5-3.

Postgame Statistical Breakdown

Team Stats

Stat	Cleveland Browns	Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Score	6	27
Total Offensive Yards	319	361
Passing Yards	285	161
Rushing Yards	34	200
Total Plays	64	59
Yards Per Play	5.0	6.1
First Downs	17	21
Third Downs	4-13	4-11
Third-Down %	30.8%	36.4%
Fourth Downs	0-2	0-0
Passing TDs	0	0
Rushing TDs	0	3
Total Offensive TDs	0	3
Turnovers	2	1
Interceptions Thrown	0	1
Fumbles Lost	2	0
Sacks Allowed	8	1
Penalties	9	5
Penalty Yards	85	47
Time of Possession	30:15	29:45

Passing

Cleveland Browns

1. Deshaun Watson — 27/39, 69.2%, 324 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT, 8.3 YPA, 8 SACK, 94.4 RTG

Pittsburgh Steelers

1. Aaron Rodgers — 13/25, 52.0%, 172 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT, 6.9 YPA, 1 SACK, 57.4 RTG

Rushing

Cleveland Browns

1. Quinshon Judkins — 11 CAR, 25 YDS, 2.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 7
2. Dylan Sampson — 1 CAR, 7 YDS, 7.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 7

Pittsburgh Steelers

1. Jaylen Warren — 17 CAR, 143 YDS, 8.4 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 51, 1 FUM
2. Rico Dowdle — 15 CAR, 56 YDS, 3.7 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 15, 1 FUM

Receiving

Cleveland Browns

1. Harold Fannin Jr. — 10 REC, 12 TGT, 154 YDS, 15.4 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 37
2. Dylan Sampson — 6 REC, 8 TGT, 62 YDS, 10.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 14
3. Denzel Boston — 6 REC, 11 TGT, 37 YDS, 6.2 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 12
4. KC Concepcion — 3 REC, 4 TGT, 37 YDS, 12.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 24
5. Quinshon Judkins — 2 REC, 2 TGT, 24 YDS, 12.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 12

Pittsburgh Steelers

1. Darnell Washington — 3 REC, 5 TGT, 94 YDS, 31.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 58
2. Pat Freiermuth — 2 REC, 2 TGT, 35 YDS, 17.5 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 28
3. Germie Bernard — 5 REC, 5 TGT, 30 YDS, 6.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 15
4. Brandon Johnson — 1 REC, 1 TGT, 9 YDS, 9.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 9
5. DK Metcalf — 1 REC, 6 TGT, 4 YDS, 4.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 4

Scoring Plays

Qtr	Clock	Team	Play	Score
Q1	7:57	Pittsburgh Steelers	Rico Dowdle 9-yard run (Chris Boswell kick)	CLE 0, PIT 7
Q2	14:05	Pittsburgh Steelers	Chris Boswell 20-yard field goal	CLE 0, PIT 10
Q2	8:43	Cleveland Browns	Andre Szmyt 32-yard field goal	CLE 3, PIT 10
Q2	3:27	Pittsburgh Steelers	Chris Boswell 37-yard field goal	CLE 3, PIT 13
Q2	0:45	Cleveland Browns	Andre Szmyt 49-yard field goal	CLE 6, PIT 13
Q2	0:01	Pittsburgh Steelers	Pat Freiermuth 1-yard run (Chris Boswell kick)	CLE 6, PIT 20
Q3	9:39	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jaylen Warren 1-yard run (Chris Boswell kick)	CLE 6, PIT 27

Defense

Cleveland Browns

1. Denzel Ward — 2 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 INT, 2 PD
2. Adin Huntington — 2 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 1 QBH
3. Mason Graham — 3 TOT, 3 SOLO, 3 TFL
4. Carson Schwesinger — 10 TOT, 4 SOLO
5. Quincy Williams — 5 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 PD
6. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren — 9 TOT, 2 SOLO
7. Ronnie Hickman — 7 TOT, 3 SOLO
8. Tyson Campbell — 5 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 PD
9. Grant Delpit — 4 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL
10. Maliek Collins — 4 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL

Pittsburgh Steelers

1. Patrick Queen — 12 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1.5 SACK, 2 QBH, 1 PD
2. T.J. Watt — 2 TOT, 2 SOLO, 2 TFL, 2 SACK, 3 QBH, 1 PD
3. Cameron Heyward — 6 TOT, 3 SOLO, 2 TFL, 1.5 SACK, 1 QBH, 1 PD
4. Keeanu Benton — 3 TOT, 0.5 SACK, 1 QBH, 1 PD, 1 FR
5. Alex Highsmith — 5 TOT, 1 SOLO, 0.5 SACK, 3 QBH
6. Nick Herbig — 2 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 1 QBH
7. Payton Wilson — 8 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 TFL
8. Robert Spears-Jennings — 8 TOT, 4 SOLO
9. Kevin Jobity Jr. — 1 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 SACK, 1 QBH
10. Jaquan Brisker — 7 TOT, 4 SOLO

Kick Returns

Cleveland Browns

1. Dylan Sampson — 2 KR, 49 YDS, 24.5 AVG, LONG 25, 0 TD

Pittsburgh Steelers

1. Kaden Wetjen — 3 KR, 80 YDS, 26.7 AVG, LONG 31, 0 TD

Punt Returns

Cleveland Browns

1. KC Concepcion — 1 PR, 21 YDS, 21.0 AVG, LONG 21, 0 TD

Pittsburgh Steelers

1. Kaden Wetjen — 1 PR, 0 YDS, 0.0 AVG, 0 TD