As the Browns made snow angels on the field and threw snowballs at one another as the fireworks light up the night sky at Huntington Bank Field, they celebrated a hard-fought win on Thursday Night Football.
The Browns beat the Steelers 29-14 in snowy conditions in their first of two meetings this season.
"That was an unbelievable atmosphere for a football game," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "Our fans were unbelievable. Then the snow globe, it's a special night for our fans and I think they deserve it. This team, we talk about being resilient and sometimes you have to show it. And I thought they showed it tonight. Fought like crazy against a good football team. […] Just complimentary football when we needed it most, and just proud of those guys."
Here are three takeaways from Thursday's win.
Nick Chubb leads offensive scoring
RB Nick Chubb touchdowns served as bookends for the Browns offensive scoring against the Steelers.
He kicked things off in the second quarter after the Browns marched down the field and into the red zone. He took the handoff from QB Jameis Winston and found a hole in the middle to punch in the touchdown with four minutes left in the first half.
As snow accumulated on the field and the Browns were down by one point with 1:01 left in the game, Chubb took another handoff from Winston and once again ran up the middle into the end zone to give the Browns a 24-19 lead.
Chubb finished the game with 20 carries for 59 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His longest run of the game was seven yards.
"I don't believe in coincidences," Winston said. "And before this game, I told Nick, I said, 'I got you today.' I know how important this was for him. And we ain't going to talk about last year. I'm so grateful and happy that I was able to see a smile on his face after that sweet victory against this team."
Chubb has continued to work his way back from the season-ending knee injury he sustained in Week 2 against the Steelers in 2023. After he took the field for the first time in Week 7 against the Bengals, he's continued to find his groove and have an impact on the offense. Heading into Week 12, Chubb had recorded 53 carries for 163 rushing yards and one touchdown. Thursday night, he showcased once again his impact on the offense.
"I've run out of superlatives for Nick, honestly, and he's my favorite player on the team," Stefanski said in a joking tone. "You can tell everybody else I said that. But Nick does the right thing all the time and to see what he's gone through to come back and put himself where he is, just to be back playing in the first place, and then to be back out there and performing like he's performing, scoring for this football team when we need him the most. He's a special, special player, but he's a great person."
Cleveland Browns celebrate postgame after a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 21, 2024 at Huntington Bank Field
Browns defense with keys defensive stops
The Browns defense excelled from the beginning of the game against the Steelers, coming up with big stops on the Steelers first two offensive drives of the game. On the Steelers opening drive, DE Myles Garrett sacked QB Russell Wilson for a loss of eight yards to force them into a field goal situation. K Chris Bowell missed a 58-yard attempt, giving the Browns offense good field position.
Then, on the Steelers second offensive drive, S Grant Delpit brought down QB Justin Fields on a fourth-and-short situation, and the Steelers turned the ball over on downs.
In the second quarter, Garrett also stripped the ball and sacked Wilson to force the fumble, and LB Winston Reid recovered the fumble to end the Steelers' offensive drive and give the ball back to the Browns offense. Their dominance continued as Garrett sacked Wilson for a loss of eight yards in the final 11 seconds of the first half. The Browns limited the Steelers to just a field goal in the first half.
"I think guys were doing their job," Stefanski said. "I thought those fourth down stops were huge in this football game. And those are turnovers. I know they don't go down as turnovers, but for all intents and purposes, those are turnovers and that was huge for our team."
The Browns dominance continued, as DT Maurice Hurst II forced a turnover on downs after he dropped RB Jaylen Warren for a loss of one yard on fourth down attempt in the third quarter.
As the conditions on the field worsened due to the snow, the Browns gave up their lead and a total of 13 points to the Steelers in the fourth quarter. They gave up back-to-back touchdowns, which allowed the Steelers to establish a one-point lead with 6:20 left in the game.
However, the Browns defense stood their ground on one final defensive stand in the final 50 seconds of the game. As Wilson tried for one deep pass into the end zone with six seconds as LB Jordan Hicks applied pressure, and the Browns secondary covered their assignments. CB Denzel Ward and S Grant Delpit batted at the pass for the ball to fall to the ground and end the game.
"This is what you live for," DT Shelby Harris said. "You want the game to be determined by us and we went out there and got the result that we wanted. As the defense, we wanted this game to be on our back. We wanted to go out there and end it, and that is what we did."
Play-by-play action shots from the Cleveland Browns' Week 12 NFL game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers
Jameis Winston steadies Browns offense
In his fourth start as the Browns quarterback, Winston led to the Browns to their third win of the season, and his second at the helm of the offense.
Winston finished the game completing 18 of 27 passing attempts for 219 yards, one interception and one sack taken. He rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter, and then completed the two-point conversion on a pass to TE David Njoku.
Winston said on his 2-yard touchdown run, he saw the end zone and felt that he had great protection from the offensive line and his blockers. He started to move forward and found his way into the end zone.
"I thought it was a really good play by Jameis," Stefanski said. "Sometimes you're on the headset and you're telling him, 'Hey, throw it here, run there.' We trust him, he's going to make those plays and he's a good athlete. There are a couple times where he's moving in the pocket, he found some guys as he climbed in the pocket. So, he's doing a nice job."
Even after Winston threw an interception late in the fourth quarter, once the Browns got the ball back, Winston steadied the offense to lead them on the game-winning drive.
"He's got this thing he says, 'unwavering faith," RB Jerome Ford said. "Not just in God, but unwavering faith in situations like today. He knew the situation where we have a fumble and a turnover, he's coming to the sideline and he says, 'I got your back.' Just having that energy on the sideline, every day in practice, it's been really good for us."