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The Steelers struck first in the second quarter. After driving to the red zone, they were faced with a third down situation. QB Ben Roethlisberger had no where to throw, scrambled out, and threw the ball out of the end zone as DE Myles Garrett closed in on him. Garrett followed through and tackled Roethlisberger, but a roughing the passer penalty was called, showing just how absurd the protection of the quarterbacks can be at times. On the next play, RB James Conner walked in untouched for a 4-yard touchdown run, giving Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead.
The Browns got some momentum on their next drive, thanks to a 33-yard catch by WR Jarvis Landry. The Browns would’ve had a decision to make on 4th-and-5 from the 32 yard line, but officials called a...rather soft unnecessary roughness penalty on WR Josh Gordon, and the 15 yard penalty forced Cleveland to punt.
Roethlisberger through a long interception on the next drive. After Cleveland drove to near midfield, a missed block by rookie RB Nick Chubb led to a sack, killing the drive and forcing another punt. With the Steelers driving under a minute to go, Cleveland got another interception from rookie CB Denzel Ward, who ran it back to past midfield. But a 7 yard loss on a handoff, followed by an awful sack, led to the Browns going into the half with no points. They will get the ball to begin the third quarter, needing to regroup.
Game: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns
Date/Time: Sunday, September 9, 2018 at 1:00 PM ET
Television: CBS - Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, and Jay Crawford
Local Radio: ESPN 850 WKNR, 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 FM WNCX