The weather at Huntington Bank Field was the main talking point as the Cleveland Browns hosted division rivals Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
What started out as a wintery mix quickly turned to blizzard-like conditions in the second half as the Browns found a way past the Steelers 24-19 following a late touchdown from running back Nick Chubb.
With the kickoff temperature at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the first half was a defensive tug-of-war between both teams.
Steelers kicker Chris Boswell opened the scoring with a 48-yard field goal in the second quarter. But on the ensuing possession, the Browns offense orchestrated a 12-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by a two-yard rushing touchdown by Chubb. Cleveland added a field goal before halftime to go into the locker room with a 10-3 lead.
Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett was a constant thorn in Pittsburgh’s side throughout the first half, with the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year going into the break with three sacks and a forced fumble.
Just as both teams were settling in after halftime, the stadium turned into a winter wonderland as snow blanketed not only the field but fans, players and coaches alike.
Despite the conditions, Cleveland extended its lead in the fourth quarter after Browns quarterback Jameis Winston dove into the endzone for a two-yard score and later successfully completed a two-point conversion to make it 18-6.
However, Cleveland blew their 12-point advantage as the Steelers scored two unanswered touchdowns to take a 19-18 lead with just over six minutes left.
But, late in the fourth quarter, a shanked punt by Pittsburgh punter Corliss Waitman gave the Browns some life, culminating in Chubb finding the endzone for his second touchdown of the game to hand Cleveland a 24-19 lead.
Chubb’s scores were the 50th and 51st rushing touchdowns of his career as he continues his comeback from a serious knee injury he suffered early last season.
It meant the Steelers had less than a minute with one timeout remaining to drive the length of the field to pull out the win. In the final few seconds, Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson tried a Hail Mary, but it was successfully defended by Browns safety Grant Delpit.
As Cleveland celebrated the win, it appeared Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and Browns cornerback Greg Newsome got into scuffle, but it was quickly broken up.
Pickens was asked about the scuffle but quickly said it was “nothing.” He then later took a jab at Cleveland, saying he doesn’t think the Browns “are a good team at all” and that the snowy conditions “kinda saved them.”
With the win, the Browns improve to 3-8 on the season while the Steelers fall to 8-3.
‘November football’
In the lead up to Thursday’s game, Winston had two phrases to describe games played in the cold and snow: “exciting football” and “November football.”
He was also his usual prosaic self speaking to Amazon Prime’s Kaylee Hartung before kickoff: “The horse is preparing for battle, but victory comes from the Lord. So I’m depending on the Lord.”
Despite the enthusiasm, it was Winston’s first time playing in a game where the temperature was below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and also in the snow.
After the game, the 30-year-old told the Prime broadcast that it was “beautiful” to get his first taste of playing in the snow.
“When I woke up this morning and I FaceTimed my wife and my boys were going to school, my baby was eating the snow,” Winston said. “So, I was like man, it would be wonderful to eat the snow. And we got this win, so I am definitely going to eat some snow today.”
Winston, a former first overall pick out of Florida State, described some of the challenges he faced playing in these conditions for the first time.
“Vision was everything. I had to take the visor off, but the vision was good. Man, I’m just happy I could see a victory today,” Winston quipped.
Winston and the Thursday Night Football crew then had some fun in the snow by making some snow angels and throwing snow balls.
Pittsburgh next heads to Cincinnati to face the Bengals on December 1 while Cleveland will travel to Denver to play Bo Nix and the Broncos on Monday Night Football on December 2.