The Pittsburgh Steelers leaned on defensive touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters to defeat the Cleveland Browns 26-22 on Monday night. The win extended the Steelers’ home domination of the Browns in the regular season dating back to 2003.
However, Cleveland’s most painful loss was star running back Nick Chubb, who suffered a major left knee injury in the second quarter and had to be carted off. Pittsburgh improved to 1-1 with the victory.
The Steelers set the tone just 9 seconds in when Alex Highsmith returned an interception 30 yards for a score after Minkah Fitzpatrick tipped Deshaun Watson’s opening pass. Down three in the fourth, Highsmith came up big again, forcing a Watson fumble that T.J. Watt scooped up and returned 17 yards for the decisive touchdown.
In the end, Pittsburgh’s opportunistic defense carried the day. The unit scored 14 critical points while also inflicting a potentially serious injury on Cleveland’s offensive centerpiece.