The Browns have spent the season proving they can win close games. Every win has come down to the final minutes, and even their losses had been competitive. On Sunday, they never got the chance to make it close. The Pittsburgh Steelers controlled the game from start to finish, beating the Browns 27-6 at Acrisure Stadium.
final pic.twitter.com/ygDNtIvhgP
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 1, 2026
Fans had plenty of reactions.
“Absolute embarrassment. Monken has to address these penalties. How is this acceptable????” one fan said.
“Moving in the right direction, but not being competitive today hurts. We need Watson off the books, keep building the OL, and get defenders that want to tackle,” another fan commented.
“I didn’t have any expectations for the Browns to win this game but I mean you couldn’t even lose with a little dignity,” another fan said.
“Why even bother showing up you are going to play with zero enthusiasm. Just awful,” one fan said.
The loss drops Cleveland to 5-3 and hands 1st place in the AFC North to Pittsburgh, which improves to 6-2. The teams split their season series after the Browns won the first meeting on a last-second field goal in Week 4.
It also extends a painful streak. The Browns have now lost 23 straight regular-season games in Pittsburgh, tying the NFL record for consecutive road losses to one opponent set by the Detroit Lions in Green Bay.
The game was decided on the ground. Pittsburgh ran for 200 yards, led by Jaylen Warren’s 143 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Rico Dowdle and Pat Freiermuth also scored on the ground. It was the 2nd straight week that Cleveland’s run defense struggled, after Tony Pollard ran for 129 yards in Tennessee.
The Browns could not do the same. They finished with 34 rushing yards, and Quinshon Judkins managed 25 yards on 11 carries.
The protection broke down as well. Deshaun Watson was sacked 8 times, with T.J. Watt recording 2 and Cam Heyward and Patrick Queen adding 1.5 each. That was the same Heyward that Jared Verse said this week he was not worried about.
Watson still threw for 323 yards, his 2nd straight 300-yard game, completing 27 of 39 passes without an interception. But Cleveland went 0-for-3 in the red zone, failed on both 4th-down attempts and lost 2 fumbles. Andre Szmyt’s field goals from 32 and 49 yards were the only points.
Harold Fannin Jr. was the lone standout, catching 10 passes for a career-high 154 yards. Dylan Sampson added 6 catches for 61 yards, while Denzel Boston caught 6 of 11 targets for 37 yards. Jerry Jeudy was held without a catch on 1 target.
The defense had a few bright spots. Denzel Ward intercepted Aaron Rodgers, Adin Huntington recorded a sack and Carson Schwesinger led the team with 10 tackles. Still, the unit allowed 361 yards, and Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on 3 of its 5 trips inside the 20.
Penalties hurt, too. The Browns were flagged 9 times for 85 yards.
This was Cleveland’s most lopsided loss since the 34-10 defeat in Jacksonville in Week 1. Todd Monken’s team answered that game with 3 straight wins, and it will need a similar response next week when it visits the New Orleans Saints. The trade deadline arrives 2 days later, and Andrew Berry now has to decide what this team needs to get back on top of the division.
NEXT: Steelers Lead Browns 20-6 At Halftime
