The Cleveland Browns secured a thrilling 27-24 divisional victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football, moving to 3-1 on the season and climbing to the top of the AFC North. In a hard-fought, down-to-the-wire contest, Cleveland navigated defensive injuries and late-game drama to put away their rivals.
Here is a breakdown of the key performers who stepped up to secure the win, alongside those who struggled to make an impact.
Studs
K Andre Szmyt
Szmyt delivered in the most pressure-packed moment of the night, drilling a career-long 56-yard field goal with just ten seconds remaining to break a late tie and seal the win.
ANDRE SZMYT FROM 56 YARDS FOR THE WIN! pic.twitter.com/64qGSekF7q
— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2026
DT Adin Huntington
Embodying the "next man up" mentality,
the 2025 undrafted free agent was thrust into a featured role along the interior defensive line with Mason Graham sidelined and Mike Hall Jr. banged up.
— Follow @ZeroChillSports (@FollowZeroChill) October 2, 2026
Huntington capitalized on the opportunity, consistently swarming to Aaron Rodgers, recording a sack and three quarterback hits on the night. He had a second sack negated by a penalty.
WR Denzel Boston
Boston continues to distinguish himself as the premier vertical threat in Cleveland's offense, standing as the only receiver in the NFL with multiple 50+ yard receptions this year.
Denzel Boston goes 61 yards to take the Browns into the red zone!@PITvsCLE on Prime Video
— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/y8HlVWiCJ9
He remains on a blistering 17-game pace for 55 catches, 1,207 yards, and 8 touchdowns on 93 targets.
WR KC Concepcion
Deshaun Watson consistently found his electric rookie playmaker, and Concepcion capitalized on every opportunity. His signature moment came late in the second quarter when he turned a tunnel screen into a 25-yard gain to put Cleveland in position for their third touchdown.
KC Concepcion with the YAC 🏃♂️@PITvsCLE on Prime Video
— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2026
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Beyond his work with the ball in his hands, Concepcion executed a critical block on Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen to pave the way for the Browns' first touchdown on the night. Watch the #1 jersey on this play.
Jaleel movin' and groovin' for the score!#PITvsCLE on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/b2xqYWjjGJ
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 2, 2026
LB Carson Schwesinger
Schwesinger was a ubiquitous force for the defense, constantly finding himself around the football whenever a stop was needed. He generated a 25% pressure rate on his blitz reps, surrendered just 5 passing yards in coverage, and anchored the middle of the field with 9 total tackles to shut down intermediate runs.
Duds
EDGE Jared Verse
Verse remained largely invisible in the pass rush, continuing a trend of quiet outings to start the year.
While his edge containment and gap discipline helped set up secondary tackles for his teammates, he struggled to generate direct pressure off the edge, failed to make a standout play of his own, and compounded his night with two costly false start penalties.
CB Myles Harden
Harden was the focal point of Pittsburgh's passing attack but the clear weak link in the secondary.
Rodgers goes DEEP to DK@PITvsCLE on Prime Video
— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2026
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Aaron Rodgers deliberately targeted the defensive back in coverage throughout the game, leading to multiple chunk plays that kept the Steelers within striking distance and helped them mount a late second-half comeback.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Week 4 Studs and Duds from the Browns primetime win over Steelers
