It’s been some ugly football but the Pittsburgh Steelers found a way to survive the first half and are tied 10-10 with the Cleveland Browns at halftime.
The Steelers came into the game with Devlin Hodges at quarterback and no James Conner or JuJu Smith-Schuster. The offense went ultra-conservative until the final drive of the half and it netted only a single field goal. But on the last offensive drive of the half for Pittsburgh, Hodges threw it up for grabs and wide receiver James Washington hauled in the score despite being heavily interfered with.
Defensively, the Steelers have struggled to slow down the Browns run game. This is a young, athletic defense but lacks the strength in the middle to contend with the two-headed rushing attack of the Browns. Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb platoon in and out and are just battering the Steelers defensive front.
One important note for the second half. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield injured his hand at the end of the first half. He hit his hand on the helmet of Bud Dupree and was taken immediately to the locker room.
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