 boosted its postseason chances by rallying from 10 points down thanks in large part to Hodges, a rookie undrafted free agent who happens to be a champion duck caller in his down time. He was aided by the emergence of wide receiver James Washington, who caught four passes for 111 yards and a juggling 30-yard score late in the first half. The Browns (5-7) saw their three-game winning streak come to a crashing halt when they failed to handle a Pittsburgh offense riddled with injuries and inexperience at the skill positions. Baker Mayfield completed 18 of 32 passes for 196 yards with a touchdown and an interception; he played the entire second half with his right hand in a protective glove after smacking it against the face mask of Pittsburgh linebacker Bud Dupree. Nick Chubb ran for 58 yards and Kareem Hunt added 65 total yards and a touchdown reception. But Cleveland failed to pull even with the Steelers in the standings and sweep the season series from its rival for the first time in 31 years. The teams' first meeting on Nov. 14 ended with an ugly altercation between Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph that ended with Garrett hitting Rudolph in the head with Rudolph's helmet. The ensuing fallout - which included Garrett being suspended indefinitely; Rudolph fending off Garrett's allegation that he used a racial slur shortly before things got out of hand; suspensions for Browns defensive end Larry Ogunjobi and Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey; and more than $700,000 in fines. That reignited a rivalry that's been dominated by the Steelers since Cleveland returned to the NFL a generation ago. Just in case it needed a little more stoking, Browns rookie head coach Freddie Kitchens was spotted wearing a ''Pittsburgh started it'' T-shirt on Friday night. Several Steelers responded with some inauspicious wardrobe choices while waking into work on Sunday. Pittsburgh's response on the field was even more emphatic. The Steelers spotted Cleveland the game's first 10 points. The spark Hodges provided in relief of Rudolph in the second half last week against Cincinnati appeared to have evaporated thanks in large part to conservative play calling. One 39-yard lob from Hodges to Washington in the second quarter flipped the field and the momentum. The Steelers ripped off the game's next 20 points, including a bobbling 30-yard touchdown catch by Washington to tie it late in the second quarter. On Cleveland's ensuing possession, Mayfield's right hand hit Dupree's facemask. He grabbed it in pain and jogged to the sideline, replaced by Garrett Gilbert. Though he returned to start the second half, he wasn't the same. Neither were the Browns. INJURIESBrowns: CB Greedy Williams left in the second half with a shoulder injury. CB Robert Jackson exited in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. UP NEXTBrowns: host in-state rival Cincinnati next Sunday. Cleveland swept the Bengals last season for the first time since 2002. Steelers: travel to Arizona next Sunday. ---More NFL coverage: https://apnews. com/NFL and https://twitter. com/-NFL)
Nov 27, 2019PITTSBURGH Myles Garrett won’t be in the stadium. Barring injury, Mason Rudolph won’t be on the field. While the absence of the central figures in the helmet-swinging brawl that marred Cleveland’s 21-7 whipping of Pittsburgh on Nov. 14 removes a topic for fhe rematch on Sunday, both sides believe it will do little to change the tenor of a rivalry that suddenly feels very much alive. “We love being in hot-button games. We love being in hotly contested AFC North games,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “To be quite honest with you, we’re not a group that runs from these type of games. We’re the type of group that runs to these type of games. We view it as an honor to be the consistent team in these battles. ”Something that’s new for the Browns (5-6), who have ripped off three straight victories to save a season that seemed on the brink of careening out of control. Garrett and Rudolph’s ugly altercation in the final seconds - which included Rudolph attempting to tug off Garrett’s helmet and the Cleveland defensive end responding by ripping off the Pittsburgh quarterback’s helmet and then slugging Rudolph with it; a sequence that earned Garrett an indefinite suspension and led to Rudolph fending off allegations he used a racial slur - overshadowed a dominant performance by the Browns that hinted at a shift in the balance of power in a series that’s been one-sided for decades. Cleveland didn’t just beat the Steelers, the Browns beat them up long before Garrett and Rudolph went at it. Just 16 days later the teams meet again with the stakes - and almost certainly the emotions - even higher. Pittsburgh (6-5) currently holds the last wild-card spot in the wide-open AFC. The Browns can leapfrog the Steelers by winning at Heinz Field for the first time since 2003. The players insist they’ll try to avoid a repeat of the anarchy in Cleveland that drew the kind of unwanted attention the NFL wants desperately to avoid. Just don’t expect them to start playing nice. “I know that it is going to be a lot of trash talking out there and a lot of guys are going to try and get into your head and do things to try and get you out of character,” Browns defensive back Denzel Ward said. “You just have to think about the betterment of the team and just go out there and win the game, but do not do any stupid penalties or anything toward the other team that could hurt this team. ”DUCK SEASONPittsburgh rookie quarterback Devlin Hodges will make his second career start after the Steelers benched Rudolph for ineffective play last week against Cincinnati. Hodges was effective but hardly overwhelming in a 24-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 13 while filling in for an injured Rudolph. Still, he’s won over teammates with his confidence and won over his coaches by avoiding the kind of killer mistakes that have dogged Rudolph recently. “I'm not saying we're looking for him to save the world,” guard Ramon Foster said. “But what he's shown us so far is that he can be an important guy on this team if he continues to grow. " ROWDY CROWDThe electrified atmosphere Sunday won’t faze Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has faced nasty crowds before. While in college, Mayfield was subjected to the wrath of Texas Tech fans in 2016 when he returned with Oklahoma. Mayfield was with the Red Raiders before leaving the school and walking on for the hated Sooners. He came back to the sight of “Traitor” T-shirts and a storm of screams. “I would say probably the most violent place I have played in was my return back to Lubbock,” he said. “I don’t think Pittsburgh could match that. I really don’t. It was about 40,000-50,000 people screaming, (expletive) you, Baker! We will see. ”OBJ OVERDUEBrowns star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. got back into one of his old stomping grounds last week: the end zone. Beckham ended an eight-game scoring drought by catching a 35-yard TD pass from Mayfield in the first quarter of Cleveland’s win over Miami. It was Beckham’s second TD grab and first since Week 2. The three-time Pro Bowler scored 44 touchdowns in his five seasons with the Giants, and had expected to do more with Cleveland. But it hasn’t gone according to plan, which is why he had a muted reaction to making a big play. “I wasn’t super excited about it knowing and feeling the disappointment that I should have been in here a long time ago,” he said. “It was pretty mixed emotions. ”BRAWL FALLOUTThe Steelers will be without center Maurkice Pouncey, serving the second of his two-game suspension he received for kicking and punching Garrett in retaliation for Garrett’s fight with Rudolph. Cleveland defensive end Larry Okunjobi will return after sitting out a game for knocking Rudolph to the ground during the melee. Pittsburgh reserve B. J. Finney played well in Pouncey’s absence while the Browns racked up four sacks without Garrett or Okunjobi last week against Miami. --- Sports Writer Tom Withers contributed to this report. ---More NFL coverage: https://apnews. com/NFL and https://twitter. com/-NFL
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick Center
NFL
FINAL (12/1/2019)
LegendNextDoor
