PITTSBURGH — As Freddie Kitchens’ t-shirt said, “Pittsburgh started it.”
But it may now be the Cleveland Browns who finish it.
Squaring off in a highly anticipated rematch two weeks after their 21-7 victory over their rivals on Thursday night football, the Browns jumped out to an early 3-0 lead over the Steelers at Heinz Field on Sunday afternoon. But it wasn’t until the 7:46 mark of the second quarter that Cleveland first reached the end zone with Baker Mayfield’s 15-yard pass to running back Kareem Hunt giving the Browns a 10-lead over their division rivals.
Hunt’s touchdown marked his second in as many weeks and first receiving score as a member of his hometown team.
Jumping out to a two-score lead could prove advantageous for the Browns, who are facing a Steelers team starting its third-string quarterback in Devlin Hodges. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin’s decision to start Hodges came after a string of inconsistent games from backup Mason Rudolph, who had been starting in place of an injured Ben Roethlisberger.
With a win over Pittsburgh on Sunday, Cleveland would earn its first victory at Heinz Field since 2003 and complete a regular-season sweep of the Steelers for the first time since 1988. What’s more is that at 6-6, the Browns would remain in the thick of the AFC Wild Card race, which would have seemed unfathomable following their 2-6 start to the 2018 season.
For all the latest from Heinz Field on Sunday, follow our live blog.
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