PITTSBURGH – The Steelers seized control of the AFC North with a 27-6 win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Nov. 1, at Acrisure Stadium.
First-year coach Mike McCarthy’s offense moved the ball with ease on the ground. Backs Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle combined for 200 rushing yards to make things easy on quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the passing game.
The defense, meanwhile, pounded Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson with eight sacks and more hits that limited his effectiveness. The unit forced two fumbles that helped generate first-half momentum with the Steelers playing their first home game in three weeks.
Here’s USA TODAY’s report card on the victory.
in-game scrap
Quarterback - C
Aaron Rodgers presided over three touchdown drives in this one. It was a welcomed departure from the past two games against New Orleans and Tampa Bay, in which the Steelers found the end zone just twice in regulation despite moving the ball well.
Still, there were moments that had to have fans scratching their heads. On one first-half drive down to the Cleveland 2-yard line, Rodgers threw back-to-back fades to receiver DK Metcalf, who’s never been particularly adept in contested catch situations. Both fell incomplete, and the Steelers had to settle for a field goal. Later, from the Cleveland 8, Rodgers threw one ball away and another incomplete to Darnell Washington before taking a back-breaking sack. The result was another field goal.
The decisions were neither good nor quick on either drive. He’s got to be better in these situations if this offense is going to hit its top gear. He finished the day with competitions on 13 of 25 passes for 172 yards and a tipped interception. He benefitted immensely from the running game having a good day.
Running backs - A+
Warren and Dowdle were simply dominant. The former ripped off a 51-yard run in the first quarter and finished the frame with 81 before cruising to a total of 143 by the end of the day. Dowdle wasn’t quite as dynamic but totaled 56 yards to push the total toward 200 for the day. The offensive line is playing well in front of them, but you don’t put up numbers like they did Sunday, or like Warren has all season, without the explosiveness that is becoming this team’s biggest strength.
Receivers - C-
It did not help Rodgers that these guys weren’t open much, inside or outside the red zone. Germie Bernard caught five passes for 30 yards. He continues to make most of his plays close to the line of scrimmage and rely on yards after catch to have big days. Metcalf turned six targets into one catch for four yards. Notably, he dropped a wide open deep pass from Rodgers that was subsequently intercepted by Denzel Ward of the Browns. The backs were running well enough that you wouldn’t expect the stats to pop for these guys, but this was still a relatively disappointing return home after the momentum both had established at Tampa Bay and in Paris against New Orleans.
Tight ends - A-
Cleveland simply lost Darnell Washington a couple of times. He sparked a first-half field goal drive with a 28-yard catch. Then he took a third-quarter pass 58 yards to set up a 1-yard touchdown by Warren. Counterpart Pat Freiermuth caught a 28-yard pass right before halftime that set up his own 1-yard touchdown that gave his team a 20-6 lead going into the locker room. The performances were badly needed considering the lack of production from the receivers.
Offensive line - A+
The front simply mauled Cleveland in the running game. Warren and Dowdle were good, but they had some big holes to run through that the blockers were responsible. The pass blocking was better, too, compared to the first matchup. The Browns got to Rodgers for five sacks in Week 4, but the Steelers cut the total to one on Sunday. Guard Mason McCormickgot a whack in on Browns defensive end Jared Verse following his comments that the Steelers are “dirty.” The defense got a stop the prevent the resulting personal foul penalty from hurting Pittsburgh.
Defensive line - A
The Browns became the latest opponent to struggle profoundly to run the ball against this Steelers front. They totaled just 34 rushing yards, one week after New Orleans finished with just 18 yards rushing. It’s a promising sign that the Steelers are doing all of that without 2025 first-round pick Derrick Harmon, one of the team’s best run defenders who is on injured reserve. In the passing game, Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton had a half sack each on a day that the rush was getting home against Watson frequently.
Linebackers - A
Patrick Queen stripped Watson for a fumble that teammate Keeanu Benton recovered in the first quarter. He also added 1.5 sacks. He has been quite active in recent weeksas speculation has swarmed around him ahead of the NFL trade deadline. The rush on Watson was intense from other guys at the position group as well. T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith were all credited with sacks as the Steelers got to Watson a total of eight times.
Secondary - A
Rookie defensive backs Robert Spears-Jennings and Daylen Everette combined to force and recover a fumble by Browns tight end Harold Fannin in the first quarter. It’s encouraging to see those young guys continuing to take steps as playmakers following the trade that sent Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas in October. Watson was able to convert some third downs downfield and eclipse the 300-yard mark against this group. Once again, however, coordinator Patrick Graham’s unit kept a nice lid on the explosive plays and forced Cleveland to drive the field if it was going to score. It didn't in the face of the high volume of pressure.
Special teams - C
Chris Boswell missed again in this game. His first-quarter kick went wide left from 57 yards. It’s his fifth miss so far in 2026 and his conversion rate is sitting at near a career low. It’s quietly becoming an issue worth monitoring.
Coaching - A-
Some of the blame for the strange red zone decision making has to land on McCarthy. He also deserves a lot more credit for the strength this offensive line is becoming after his early-season decision to pivot to guard Brock Hoffman and rookie tackle Max Iheanachor on the right side. Graham’s defense is only hard to trust because of the breakdowns we saw from it late in Mike Tomlin’s tenure as coach. Statistically, it hasn’t had many truly bad days this season and has really hit a stride the past three weeks, culminating with Watson running for his proverbial life on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaylen Warren's dominance delivers crucial victory vs. Browns: Steelers report card
