The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 27-6 on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, and the game turned on who finished drives. Pittsburgh turned 3 of its 5 red zone trips into touchdowns. Cleveland got inside the 20 on 3 trips and scored a touchdown on none of them.

The Browns moved the ball through the air and still lost by 21. They outgained Pittsburgh in net passing yards, but they could not run, could not protect and could not hold onto the ball.

How It Happened

Pittsburgh struck first with 7:57 left in the first quarter, when Rico Dowdle ran it in from 9 yards out. Chris Boswell added the extra point for a 7-0 lead that held through the quarter.

The second quarter was a kicking exchange until the final seconds. Boswell hit from 20 yards early in the quarter, and Andre Szmyt answered from 32. Boswell then made it 13-3 from 37 yards, and Szmyt hit a 49-yarder with 45 seconds left to pull Cleveland within 7.

That was as close as it got. Pittsburgh used the remaining time to drive for a touchdown, with Pat Freiermuth scoring on a 1-yard run with 1 second left. Instead of a one-score game at the half, Cleveland went to the locker room down 20-6.

Jaylen Warren put it away with 9:39 left in the third quarter, punching in another 1-yard run. Neither team scored the rest of the way. Cleveland also went 0-for-2 on fourth down on the day.

Key Performers

Rico Dowdle: 1 rushing TD (9 YDS)
Pat Freiermuth: 1 rushing TD (1 YDS)
Jaylen Warren: 1 rushing TD (1 YDS)
Chris Boswell: 2 field goals (20, 37 YDS), 3 extra points
Andre Szmyt: 2 field goals (32, 49 YDS)

Pittsburgh rushing: 33 ATT, 200 YDS, 6.1 per carry, 14 first downs
Cleveland rushing: 15 ATT, 34 YDS, 2.3 per carry, 1 first down
Cleveland passing: 29-41, 285 net YDS, 0 interceptions, 8 sacks for 41 YDS lost
Pittsburgh passing: 13-25, 161 net YDS, 1 interception, 1 sack for 11 YDS lost

The ground game was the whole story for Pittsburgh. The Steelers earned 14 of their 21 first downs on the ground and averaged about 6 yards a carry, which let them win while completing barely half their passes.

Cleveland was the mirror image. The Browns picked up just 1 rushing first down, so every drive leaned on the pass, and Pittsburgh's pass rush made that expensive with 8 sacks. Add 2 lost fumbles and 9 penalties for 85 yards, and Cleveland's yardage never had a chance to become points.

What It Means

Pittsburgh moves to 6-2 and stays unbeaten at home at 4-0. The Steelers are 2-2 away from Acrisure Stadium, so the home schedule is doing a lot of the work in their record. On this evidence, a team that can run for 200 yards and finish in the red zone is a tough out in its own building.

Cleveland falls to 5-3, and the split explains the season. The Browns are 3-0 at home and now 2-3 on the road. This loss fits the pattern: the passing game traveled, but the run game, protection and ball security did not.

For Cleveland, the fix starts in the red zone. Coming away without a touchdown on all 3 trips against a team that finished drives was the gap between a competitive afternoon and a 21-point loss.