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The Cleveland Browns thought this game would be different. That they were equipped to end the Pittsburgh Steelers domination at Heinz Field. That they were no longer going to be pushed around in this AFC North rivalry.
Instead, their trip back up the Pennsylvania Turnpike ended up being another lonely two-hour bus ride.
The roles remained the same in this series Sunday. The Steelers were the windshield, and the Browns represented the bug. Minkah Fitzpatrick’s 33-yard interception return for a touchdown less than five minutes into the game set the tone as the Steelers raced to a 38-7 victory before 5,260 fans.
The win was the fifth in a row for the unbeaten Steelers, their best start since they went 7-0 in 1978. The Browns (4-2), off to their best start since 1994, not only had their four-game winning streak snapped, they haven’t won at Heinz Field since 2003.
Coach Mike Tomlin improved to 22-5 against the Browns, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger kept his home record perfect in the series and 23-2-1 overall against Cleveland.
Roethlisberger completed 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards and a 28-yard touchdown pass to James Washington in the second quarter.
James Conner rushed for 101 yards on 20 carries and scored a 1-yard touchdown.
The defense, meanwhile, turned in its most dominant performance of the season despite losing inside linebacker Devin Bush to a knee injury late in the second quarter. Fitzpatrick’s interception was one of two against Baker Mayfield. Bud Dupree had two of the Steelers’ four sacks. The Browns’ vaunted running game gained 75 yards on 22 carries, and the Steelers held the Browns to 1 of 12 on third down and 0 for 3 on fourth down.
Playing with bruised ribs that limited him in practice during the week, Mayfield completed 10 of 18 attempts for 119 yards and one touchdown. He departed in favor of backup Case Keenum late in the third quarter with the Steelers holding a 31-7 lead.
Myles Garrett, facing the Steelers for the first time since his helmet swing at Mason Rudolph last November, had one sack and four tackles.
Fitzpatrick’s pick-6 gave the Steelers a 10-0 lead, and touchdowns by Conner and Washington in the second quarter hiked the advantage to 24 points.
A week after scoring four touchdowns, rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool scored on a 3-yard jet sweep in the third quarter. Benny Snell added a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
In building their four-game winning streak, the Browns had averaged 22.3 points in the first half and never trailed past the midpoint on the second quarter. They fell behind for good on Chris Boswell’s 35-yard field goal on the first Steelers series. Fitzpatrick’s interception return on Mayfield’s first attempt put the Browns behind by double digits for the remainder of the day.
It took a while for the offense to get going.
Roethlisberger began the game by completing just two of his first eight passes. He began revving up on the seven-play, 88-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter when he completed all five of his attempts, including a 36-yard lob down the left sideline to Claypool. That provided a first-and-goal at the 3, and Conner bulled into the end zone on the next play to give the Steelers a 17-0 lead.
Mayfield’s second interception was a heave that cornerback Cam Sutton caught at midfield. This led to Roethlisberger’s 28-yard touchdown pass to James Washington in which the third-year receiver got behind the Browns secondary and a 24-0 lead.
Mayfield got the Browns into the end zone with 1:01 left in the half on a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins.
Trailing by 17 in the third quarter, the Browns went for it on fourth-and-1 at their 29. When Kareem Hunt was stuffed for a yard loss, it ended any shot of the Browns getting back into the game.
The Steelers reeled off eight consecutive running plays, including a successful sneak by Roethlisberger on a fourth-and-1. Claypool’s 3-yard touchdown on a jet sweep with 52 seconds left in the third quarter hiked the Steelers’ lead to 31-7.
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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Unbeaten Steelers rout Browns behind dominant defense - TribLIVE
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