The Pittsburgh Steelers lost Thursday night's game because the problems that nearly buried them early resurfaced in the end. After falling behind by 11 points, Pittsburgh stormed back to tie the Cleveland Browns at 24-all with 1:42 remaining. They seemingly set up another dramatic Aaron Rodgers finish. Instead, Deshaun Watson calmly moved Cleveland 35 yards in seven plays. Andre Szmyt drilled a career-long 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds left. Grant Delpit intercepted Rodgers' desperate final throw to seal a 27-24 Browns victory. Pittsburgh fell to 2-2. This loss exposed three areas that could prevent this team from becoming a serious AFC contender.
Nice comeback, bad ending
This Week 4 clash lived up to its billing as a brutal, emotionally draining divisional slugfest. The Steelers opened with a 17-play, 73-yard touchdown drive capped by Roman Wilson's 12-yard reception. Cleveland responded with three touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 21-7 advantage. Pittsburgh trailed 21-10 at halftime before its offense finally found another gear in the fourth quarter. Rodgers connected with Darnell Washington on a 21-yard touchdown. Pat Freiermuth on a three-yard score. Rodgers then ran for the tying two-point conversion after a Darnell Washington pass-interference penalty gave Pittsburgh the ball at the 1-yard line. Rodgers finished 22-of-40 for 299 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. DK Metcalf produced 115 receiving yards. Jaylen Warren accounted for 126 total yards. Still, Cleveland answered with a decisive final possession before Delpit ended Pittsburgh's last-gasp effort.
Offensive line
Pittsburgh's offensive line deserves the largest share of the blame. Rodgers produced respectable numbers. However, the 42-year-old quarterback spent far too much of the evening under siege. Cleveland sacked him five times and registered 10 quarterback hits.
The Steelers also entered the game having shown some improvement on the ground against Cincinnati. They rushed for 138 yards in Week 3. Against Cleveland, that progress disappeared. Pittsburgh finished with just 92 rushing yards on 19 attempts. This left Rodgers to shoulder the offense against a defense that could increasingly unleash its pass rush.
The timing is particularly concerning following the decision to trade Broderick Jones to Dallas before the season. Whatever the reasoning behind that move, Thursday offered an uncomfortable reminder that offensive-line depth remains a major issue.
Coach Mike McCarthy
Mike McCarthy also deserves criticism for how Pittsburgh managed the final stages of the game. There were already signs of communication problems earlier in the contest. Rodgers was visibly frustrated on the sideline during a heated exchange involving the Steelers' offensive operation. Rodgers and McCarthy later addressed the apparent miscommunication, with McCarthy acknowledging the incident.
Still, the larger problem was consistency. Once Pittsburgh tied the game, the defense had to produce one stop. Instead, Cleveland immediately moved into Pittsburgh territory. Watson completed four passes for 45 yards on the decisive possession. Those included key throws to Jerry Jeudy, Harold Fannin Jr, and KC Concepcion. That was before the Browns stalled at the Steelers' 38-yard line. Szmyt then delivered the decisive kick.
McCarthy cannot control every defensive snap. However, the Steelers needed to understand that tying the game with 1:42 remaining was not enough. The objective was to win the game. Pittsburgh just never created the defensive stop required to give Rodgers another possession.
Article Continues BelowSecondary
The most uncomfortable subplot was Pittsburgh's first game without Joey Porter Jr. Porter was traded to Dallas earlier in the day after missing Pittsburgh's first three contests amid a contract dispute. The Steelers received a 2027 sixth-round pick and 2028 second-rounder. However, the immediate consequence was obvious. They had one fewer established outside corner when facing a Cleveland offense increasingly capable of attacking vertically.
Cleveland repeatedly found ways to create favorable matchups, particularly during the final drive. The situation became even more difficult when Jamel Dean left the game with an injury. Pittsburgh's secondary could not afford to lose established boundary help in a game where Cleveland had already demonstrated a willingness to attack outside.
That is the bigger issue for Omar Khan. Trading Porter may have resolved an ugly contract situation. It did not resolve the football problem, though.
Pittsburgh needs answers
This loss should not erase the Steelers' solid start. Pittsburgh is still 2-2. Rodgers showed enough during the comeback to demonstrate that this offense can still be dangerous. Thursday, however, exposed a troubling formula.
The offensive line has to protect better. McCarthy has to establish cleaner communication and sharper late-game execution. Their front office has to address the secondary before the loss of Porter becomes a season-long weakness.
Pittsburgh fought back from 21-7. That part was encouraging. Of course, contenders cannot repeatedly put themselves in situations where one mistake or one missed protection decides everything.