NFL · Thursday Night Football · Week 4 · AFC North rivalry
Browns by 3. Delpit picks Rodgers’ last heave. Watson makes it three in a row.
Cleveland 27, Pittsburgh 24 at Huntington Bank Field — the 150th meeting on the series. Andre Szmyt’s 56-yard field goal with 0:10 left; Grant Delpit intercepts Aaron Rodgers’ deep heave on the next snap. Browns 3-1. Steelers 2-2. Desk colour on rivalry / Hail Mary / back-and-forth / penalties / Watson streak labelled below.
Cleveland Browns 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 24 — Thursday Night Football, Week 4, Thu 1 Oct 2026, Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland. Browns 3-1. Steelers 2-2. Source: CBS Sports gametracker / play-by-play (NFL_20261001_PIT@CLE).
How it scored — back and forth to the wire
Steelers opened: Roman Wilson 12-yard TD catch from Rodgers (Q1) — 7–0. Browns answered with three straight second-quarter scores: J. McLaughlin 28-yard rush TD; Quinshon Judkins 2-yard rush TD; Deshaun Watson 2-yard TD pass to Harold Fannin Jr. — 21–7. Chris Boswell 31-yard FG before half — 21–10. Fourth quarter: Rodgers 21-yard TD to Darnell Washington (2-point try fails) — 21–16; Szmyt 44-yard FG — 24–16; Rodgers 3-yard TD to Pat Freiermuth, Rodgers 2-point rush succeeds — 24–24; Szmyt 56-yard FG good with 0:10 left — 27–24. Source: CBS Sports scoring / drive chart.
Desk colour (Anthony): great back-and-forth game. Labelled desk colour — the box confirms the lead changed / tied late; the colour call is the shape of the night.
The finish — Szmyt 56, then Delpit
After the Steelers tied it at 24 with 1:42 left, Watson drove Cleveland into range. Szmyt hit from 56 yards with 0:10 remaining. Kickoff touchback to the Steelers 35. Next play: Rodgers pass deep right intended for Roman Wilson — intercepted by Grant Delpit at the Cleveland 18. Watson kneel. Game. Source: CBS Sports play-by-play (0:10 INT drive; Delpit 4-2, 1 INT on the night; Ward also had 1 INT earlier).
Desk colour (Anthony): rivalry game; Browns win by 3; Rodgers Hail Mary in final seconds picked off by Delpit. The box calls it a deep pass with 10 seconds left after the go-ahead kick — desk frames that heave as a Hail Mary. Labelled desk colour.
Watson — three in a row
Deshaun Watson: 24/33, 268 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 94.0 rating; 7 rushes, 22 yards. Cleveland entered 2-1 after wins over Tampa Bay and Carolina; this makes three straight and sole AFC North lead at 3-1 through four weeks. Source: CBS Sports box; Week 2–3 win context via ESPN / Sporting News / Yahoo preview framing into TNF.
Desk colour (Anthony): Watson leads Browns to 3 in a row. Labelled desk colour on the streak narrative — the W-L is confirmed.
Rodgers — three TDs, two picks, late heroics fall short
Aaron Rodgers: 22/40, 299 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 83.2 rating. DK Metcalf 5/115. Jaylen Warren 17 carries, 93 yards. The second INT was Delpit’s clincher; the first was Denzel Ward in the second quarter. Source: CBS Sports box / play-by-play.
Penalties were a problem
Accepted penalties: Cleveland 14 for 88 yards; Pittsburgh 9 for 50. Five of Pittsburgh’s first downs came via penalty. Early Steelers scoring drive was aided by multiple Browns flags (including roughing the passer on Maliek Collins). Source: CBS Sports team stats / live updates; Sporting News preview had Cleveland at 29 penalties / 209 yards entering the game.
Desk colour (Anthony): penalties were a problem. Labelled desk colour — the totals are confirmed.
Also on the card
Judkins 17/53/1 rush; McLaughlin 1/28/1; Fannin Jr. 3/27/1; K. Concepcion 5/64; Denzel Boston notable long (60-yard catch into the Judkins TD drive). Browns 372 total yards / 112 rush; Steelers 361 / 92 rush. Turnovers 2–2. Source: CBS Sports box.
What this item is not
Not Packers — Week 4 TNF was Steelers at Browns (Rodgers is Pittsburgh). No invented snap counts, rankings, or injury timelines beyond what the gametracker noted in-game (Delpit returned after a Q4 ding; Mason Graham left with a knee earlier). Desk colour on rivalry title, Hail Mary framing, back-and-forth, penalties, and Watson’s three-in-a-row is labelled as desk colour — not box-score fact. Paid sit/starts stay on the weekly.
Sources: CBS Sports gametracker / play-by-play (final 27–24; scoring sequence; Szmyt 56 FG at 0:10; Rodgers deep INT to Delpit at CLE 18; Watson 24/33 268 1 TD 1 INT 94.0, 7/22 rush; Rodgers 22/40 299 3 TD 2 INT 83.2; penalties CLE 14-88 / PIT 9-50; Delpit 4-2 1 INT; Ward 1 INT; records CLE 3-1 PIT 2-2; Huntington Bank Field); CBS Sports live updates / AP preview package on 150th meeting and TNF context; Sporting News / Yahoo / SI preview framing on Watson entering for a third straight win and Browns penalty totals entering TNF. Desk colour (rivalry; win by 3; Hail Mary framing of final Delpit INT; back-and-forth; penalties; Watson 3 in a row) labelled as such.