4:59 p.m.-CLEVELAND BROWNS, PITTSBURGH STEELERS START 2018 SEASON WITH 21-21 TIE
CLEVELAND -- There is a first time for everything, and for the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, that first came in the way of a 21-21 tie in the 2018 regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland Sunday.
A missed field goal by each team in the final two minutes led to the first tie between the Browns and Steelers in the 68-year, 131-game rivalry.
Although the Browns did not win, they were able to snap their consecutive losses streak at 17.
PHOTOS | Cleveland Browns face Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018 regular-season opener
4:10 p.m.-JOSH GORDON HAULS IN GAME-TYING TD
CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has always been known for his athleticism, and he put that on full display late in the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2018 regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium.
On first-and-10 from the Pittsburgh 17-yard line, quarterback Tyrod Taylor lofted a pass down the right sideline for Gordon, who outjumped a defender in coverage and hauled in the catch. On his way to the ground, Gordon got both of his feet down in bounds and maintained possession throughout the play for the touchdown.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez converted the ensuing extra point, which drew the Browns even with the Steelers, 21-21, with 1:58 to play in regulation.
3:56 p.m.-BROWNS DRAW TO WITHIN ONE SCORE OF STEELERS
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns were able to convert a Pittsburgh Steelers turnover into a touchdown and draw to within one score, 21-14, midway through the fourth quarter of the 2018 regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium.
With the Steelers looking to burn time off of the clock, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger handed off to running back James Conner, but defensive end Myles Garrett jarred the ball loose and strong safety Jabrill Peppers recovered the fumble at the Pittsburgh 17-yard line.
Peppers returned the fumble to the Pittsburgh one-yard line, and on the next play, running back Carlos Hyde pushed the ball across the goal line and into the end zone for his first touchdown as a member of the Browns.
3:07 p.m.-JAMES CONNER RUSHES FOR SECOND TOUCHDOWN OF GAME
CLEVELAND -- After forcing a Cleveland Browns punt from deep in their own end of the field and a 20-yard return on the kick, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed just two plays and 45 seconds to find the end zone for the second time in as many drives of the 2018 regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium.
With their top running back, Le’Veon Bell, still absent while waiting for a new contract, the Steelers leaned heavily on second-year ball carrier James Conner, and the former University of Pittsburgh standout responded early and often against the Browns.
After breaking off a 17-yard gain on first-and-10 from the Cleveland 39-yard line, Conner found a gap in the Browns’ defense, maintained his balance after getting tripped up just beyond the line of scrimmage and sprinted the final 15 yards untouched for the touchdown.
2:55 p.m.-STEELERS HAVE QUICK-ANSWER SCORE
CLEVELAND -- The third time proved to be the charm for the Pittsburgh Steelers on their first possession of the second half against the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium.
After penalties for holding and illegal hands to the face wiped out a touchdown run from James Conner and a scoring pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, respectively, the Steelers got things right by going to wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Roethlisberger threw a pass that got over the coverage of rookie cornerback Denzel Ward and Brown not only secured the catch, but maintained possession through his fall to the ground, and that touchdown gave the Steelers a 14-7 lead over the Browns with 8:24 remaining in the third quarter of play.
On second-and-goal from the Cleveland 22-yard line after the penalties, Roethlisberger took the shotgun snap and wasted no time locking onto Brown, who ran the go route up the right sideline and got behind the coverage in the secondary.
Brown secured the catch and got two feet down in bounds while maintaining possession for his first scoring reception of the season.
The Steelers needed just three plays to travel 74 yards thanks in large part to a 67-yard catch-and-run pass from Roethlisberger to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster that took the ball from the Pittsburgh 26-yard line to the Cleveland seven.
2:45 p.m.-BROWNS QB TYROD TAYLOR RUSHES FOR 22-YARD TOUCHDOWN
CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor had his troubles moving the ball through the air against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first half, but on the first drive of the third quarter, he utilized his athleticism and speed to get the offense into the end zone.
Taylor rushed for a 20-yard touchdown and the ensuing extra point drew the Browns even with the Steelers at 7-7 with 10:05 to play in the third quarter of the 2018 regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
On second-and-10 from Pittsburgh’s 20-yard line, Taylor looked through his progressions on the right side of the field before sprinting away from pressure up the middle and hustling around left end. With plenty of space between himself and the defender, Taylor got to the sideline, sprinted down the field and blasted through a tackle attempt at the goal line for the touchdown.
2:21 p.m.-BROWNS DB DENZEL WARD COLLECTS SECOND INTERCEPTION
CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns rookie cornerback Denzel Ward is having quite the NFL regular-season debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Already with one interception of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Ward stopped a Pittsburgh drive in Cleveland territory and collected his second takeaway of the game with less than a minute remaining in the first half of play.
On second-and-10 from the Browns’ 37-yard line, Roethlisberger took a shotgun snap and fired a short pass down the right seam for tight end Jesse James. However, the throw slipped through James’ hands and into Ward’s arms for his second interception of the game.
Ward caught the interception at Cleveland’s 28-yard line and returned it to the Pittsburgh 46 before he was tackled.
1:51 p.m.-STEELERS TAKE 7-0 LEAD OVER BROWNS
CLEVELAND -- The Pittsburgh Steelers took full advantage of a penalty against the Cleveland Browns and turned the infraction into a 7-0 lead with 11:16 remaining in the first half of the 2018 regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium.
One snap after Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger drew a roughing-the-passer penalty against Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett, he handed off to running back James Conner, who sprinted untouched into the end zone for the touchdown, which kicker Chris Boswell followed with a successful PAT try.
On third-and-seven from the Cleveland eight-yard line, Roethlisberger rolled to his left and lofted a pass out of the back of the end zone. Right after Roethlisberger released the throw, Garrett slammed into him and brought down the signal-caller to the ground.
That penalty extended the 10-play, 88-yard drive enough for the Steelers to find the end zone.
1:44 p.m.-MYLES GARRETT GETS FIRST SACK OF BEN ROETHLISBERGER
CLEVELAND -- From the day Myles Garrett was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, one of his stated goals was sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
And on Pittsburgh’s first possession of the second quarter of the 2018 NFL regular-season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Garrett made good on his goal when he brought down Roethlisberger behind the line of scrimmage for a four-yard loss.
On first-and-10 from the Cleveland 43-yard line, Roethlisberger took a shotgun snap and dropped back to midfield. Rushing from the quarterback’s blindside, Garrett ran all the way around to the right side of the pocket and wrapped up Roethlisberger for a four-yard loss.
1:30 p.m.-WARD GETS FIRST CAREER INTERCEPTION
CLEVELAND -- Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward sure knew how to make an introduction to the Cleveland Browns’ rivalry against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As the Steelers were driving deep into Browns territory, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tried to force a throw into triple coverage on first-and-10 from Cleveland’s 18-yard line, but Ward was there to step into the passing lane and collect his first career interception.
Ward intercepted the pass at the Cleveland 10-yard line and was stopped for no gain on a return attempt.
On the previous play, the Steelers faced a third-and-five after second-year defensive end Myles Garrett was penalized five yards for a neutral-zone infraction, and Roethlisberger took full advantage of the miscue, as he completed a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster down the right sideline.
11:45 a.m.-BROWNS SET TO OPEN 2018 REGULAR SEASON AGAINST STEELERS
CLEVELAND -- There will be no easing into the 2018 regular season for the Cleveland Browns, not with the reigning AFC North Division Champion Pittsburgh Steelers coming to FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
After losing 17 straight games, the Browns are anxious and excited to get the 2018 regular season started on a positive note.
“This is an exciting time,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said Wednesday. “An opportunity to play here at home in front of our fans, in front of the Dawg Pound against a division rival, a really good Pittsburgh football team. We understand who we are playing. We understand what is at stake.
“It is opening day. It is a chance for us to go out and showcase our football team. We are looking forward to it. It is competition at the highest level. I think that we all know that. They are the best of the best, one of the best in the AFC. We respect them, but at the same time, our guys are excited about playing. We are looking forward to it.”
By posting just the second 0-16 season in NFL history, the Browns are a league-worst 1-31 since the opening game of 2016.
The Browns have not won on a Sunday afternoon since December 13, 2015. The 33 straight Sunday losses are an NFL record, and the Browns’ 4-49 mark in the last 53 outings is the worst in the league in that span.
“It is a huge game for us,” Jackson said. “It is our division rival. It is an AFC [North] game, so it really counts as two at the end of the day. I think we all recognize that, and we want to get to winning as fast as we can, but it is a 16-game season and we get that, too. Trust me, we are going into this game giving it everything we have, just like we do every week, but obviously, this is the Pittsburgh Steelers and the AFC North game, so we respect that.”
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