The field goal capped a final drive that started with 1:18 remaining in the game and the Browns with the ball at their own thirty-five-yard line.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 185 yards and an interception but completed four passes on the game-winning drive and Jerome Ford rushed for the Browns only touchdown.
Cleveland improved to 7-3 with the win and will travel to Denver for next week's game against the Broncos.
Brownie Bits
1) The defense controlled a bad Steeler offense for most of the game and stepped up on the next-to-final Steeler possession, which looked like a typical Steelers-Browns game with Pittsburgh pulling the game out.
Pittsburgh started on their own forty-eight and after a first play that gained twelve yards on a Kenny Pickett pass to George Pickens, the Browns forced two incomplete passes and Ogbo Okoronkwo tackled Najee Harris for a loss of five yards to make Pittsburgh punt.
2) Pittsburgh avoided an early disaster when Myles Garrett tackled Kenny Pickett in what looked like on replay to be a safety.
The ruling was that Pickett got the football out of the end zone but replays showed that had Kevin Stefanski challenged the play, it may have been overruled.
3) Dorian Thompson-Robinson didn't throw for many yards, although more than Kenny Pickett. but his coolness on the final drive allowed the Browns to move down the field quickly but not with desperation.
I'll reserve judgment until I see DTR in a road game or two but he looked far more poised with a week of practice time than he did starting against Baltimore on short notice and did so against an excellent defense.
4) Dorian Thompson-Robinson wasn't helped by an erratic performance from David Njoku, who dropped several passes from the rookie.
Njoku was thrown to fifteen times with the tight end catching seven of those for fifty-six yards and it looks like Njoku is going to be a major security blanket for Thompson-Robinson for the remainder of the season.
5) The Cleveland defense was the standout and other than the seventy-four-yard jaunt by Jaylen Warren, kept the Steelers out of the end zone.
The Steelers did have success running the ball in the second half and that makes me wonder how the defense will be as the season plays out as they wear down.
6) What a game from Ogbo Okoronwko, who finished with a sack and four tackles for loss including the key play mentioned above on Najee Harris.
Okoronwko was expected to be seeing more time opposite Myles Garrett and while his snaps didn't decrease, he did receive a change in role when the Browns were able to acquire Za'Darius Smith.
7) Myles Garrett finished with two sacks to Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt's one on the day in a sub-game within the game that fans of both players and teams always seem to pay attention to when the two teams play.
I've always thought that peak Garrett is a smidge better than peak Watt but Watt reaches those peaks more often throughout the season.
8) The Browns may have lost safety Rodney McLeod for the season as he left the field with a biceps injury.
Those injuries rarely are minor and with the Browns struggling already with injuries at the position to Juan Thornhill, Cleveland could be looking to sign a veteran free agent.
Former Ohio State standout Ronnie Hickman played in McLeod's absence but the Browns may not want to risk playing the rookie as the starter if they can find a viable option.
9) The problem that I see happening for the Browns with Dorian Thompson-Robinson is the current (not always) problem of getting the ball downfield to make the defenses respect more than just short passes.
The Browns didn't complete a pass longer than eighteen yards in the game.
10) The running game didn't produce big numbers against a tough Pittsburgh run defense but it was successful in short yardage in important situations with Kareem Hunt.
It will be important for that to continue against teams that will score more points than the woeful Pittsburgh offense.
11) After the game, the Browns announced the signing of veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the practice squad and while I suspect Flacco is being counted on as a mentor for Dorian Thompson-Robinson, I wouldn't be surprised to see Flacco start before this season ends.
At 38, Flacco is a statue in the pocket and you have to provide him protection but he hasn't lost his arm strength so I could see the Browns needing a strong arm but I've always been a proponent of backup QBs having similar styles to the starter and Flacco to the Browns quarterbacks are diametrically opposed in styles.
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