The Pittsburgh Steelers' rushing attack did not look phased without Le'Veon Bell, and they can thank James Conner for that, although, that was not enough on the road to open the season. The Steelers ended in a 21-21 tie in overtime against the Cleveland Browns to open the season on Sunday, in what was a sloppy game. Pittsburgh turned the ball over six times in this one, but the Browns could not capitalize on those mistakes for most of the game.
The Browns found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter to tie the game and force overtime, where neither team was able to put points on the board in the final 15 minutes. Carlos Hyde ran in for a score, while Josh Gordon caught his first touchdown pass since returning in the late rally. This strange game does snap a 17-game losing streak for the Browns, who were coming off just the second 0-16 season in NFL history.
It was the NFL's first tie in Week 1 since 1971, and the first tie overall since the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals tied at 27-27 on October 30th, 2016. The Browns did have a chance to get the win late, but Zane Gonzalez's 43-yard field goal was blocked by T.J. Watt with nine seconds left in the game. That keeps Cleveland without a win since December 24th, 2016.
The Browns were also looking to win their first season opener since 2004, and looked to be in good position to do so after forcing Ben Roethlisberger to fumble for the final Steeler turnover of the night. They also had a chance in regulation, as they were driving late in the fourth quarter, but Tyrod Taylor's pass was intercepted by Cameron Sutton.
Despite the non-win, which Roethlisberger said "feels like a loss," the Steelers had to be pleased with Conner's performance, as he ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start. That is more yards than he gained all of last season. Roethlisberger threw 23-of-41 for 335 yards and a touchdown pass to Antonio Brown in the fourth. Pittsburgh will host the Kansas City Chiefs for their home opener next week, while the Browns visit the New Orleans Saints.
The Browns found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter to tie the game and force overtime, where neither team was able to put points on the board in the final 15 minutes. Carlos Hyde ran in for a score, while Josh Gordon caught his first touchdown pass since returning in the late rally. This strange game does snap a 17-game losing streak for the Browns, who were coming off just the second 0-16 season in NFL history.
It was the NFL's first tie in Week 1 since 1971, and the first tie overall since the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals tied at 27-27 on October 30th, 2016. The Browns did have a chance to get the win late, but Zane Gonzalez's 43-yard field goal was blocked by T.J. Watt with nine seconds left in the game. That keeps Cleveland without a win since December 24th, 2016.
The Browns were also looking to win their first season opener since 2004, and looked to be in good position to do so after forcing Ben Roethlisberger to fumble for the final Steeler turnover of the night. They also had a chance in regulation, as they were driving late in the fourth quarter, but Tyrod Taylor's pass was intercepted by Cameron Sutton.
Despite the non-win, which Roethlisberger said "feels like a loss," the Steelers had to be pleased with Conner's performance, as he ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start. That is more yards than he gained all of last season. Roethlisberger threw 23-of-41 for 335 yards and a touchdown pass to Antonio Brown in the fourth. Pittsburgh will host the Kansas City Chiefs for their home opener next week, while the Browns visit the New Orleans Saints.
