Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Pittsburgh 21, Cleveland 21
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 9, 2018
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Temperature: 58°
Head Official: Shawn Smith
Attendance: 67431

The Cleveland Browns erased a two-touchdown deficit Sunday and neither they nor the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers scored in overtime, leaving the bitter rivals in a 21-21 tie in a soggy season opener.

Chris Boswell missed a 42-yard field goal attempt with 1:44 left in overtime for Pittsburgh, the defending AFC North champion, and the Browns' Zane Gonzalez missed a 43-yard attempt with nine seconds left.

The Browns, 0-16 last season, have not won since Dec. 24, 2016 against the then-San Diego Chargers.

Josh Gordon's 17-yard touchdown catch from Cleveland's Tyrod Taylor with 1:58 left in regulation created the 21-21 tie after Pittsburgh had built a 21-7 lead.

James Conner rushed for 135 yards and his first two career touchdowns for the Steelers. Conner, a second-year running back, filled in for Le'Veon Bell, the disgruntled veteran who has neither reported nor signed the Steelers' franchise tag tender.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passed for 335 yards and a touchdown, with three interceptions.

Taylor threw for 197 yards and one touchdown pass while also rushing for 77 yards and a score. Running back Carlos Hyde rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

The Steelers took a 7-0 lead at 11:16 of the second quarter when Conner glided into the end zone 4 yards untouched over right tackle for his first career touchdown, and the only score of the first half.

Taylor and the Cleveland running game produced an 86-yard drive that ended with Taylor moving to his left and running 20 yards for a tying touchdown, flipping over cornerback Artie Burns at the pylon at 10:05 of the third.

The Steelers responded as Roethlisberger and Juju Smith-Schuster hooked up for a 67-yard pass to open the next possession. After two penalties backed them up to second-and-goal from the 22, Roethlisberger threw into double coverage at the right side of the goal line but found Antonio Brown for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead at 8:24 of the third.

Pittsburgh took a 21-7 lead when Conner moved left, cut back and broke through for a 22-yard scoring run while 5:23 left in the third.

Hyde leaned in from 1 yard to make it 21-14 with 7:32 remaining in the fourth after a Steelers fumble.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Pittsburgh   Cleveland
James Conner Player Tyrod Taylor
31 Attempts 8
135 Yards 77
4.4 Avg Yards 9.6
2 Touchdowns 1
22 Long 24
Receiving
Pittsburgh   Cleveland
JuJu Smith-Schuster Player Jarvis Landry
5 Receptions 7
119 Yards 106
23.8 Avg Yards 15.1
0 Touchdowns 0
67 Long 39
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Pittsburgh 472 159 313 3 0 1 7.0 1
Cleveland 327 177 150 3 0 3 4.0 3
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game on the road against New Orleans. The Browns have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Kansas City. The Steelers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.