Jameis Winston throws two more picks, Dustin Hopkins misses two more kicks as the Browns lose 27-14 to the Steelers

No trash-talking picks

One of the game’s biggest storylines was thrown into disarray before the game even began when receiver George Pickens was ruled out of the game because of a hamstring injury he suffered in practice on Friday.

After all the nonsense Pickens had been talking about since the Browns’ 24-19 loss to the Steelers on Nov. 21, he wasn’t available to back it up.

Leading up to the game, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Pickens was expected to play. But when the inactives came out at 11:30 a.m., Pickens was among them.

Not only is he the Steelers’ leading receiver, he has also been the leading trash talker in the rivalry and has written a few checks for his teammates to cash since the last meeting.

It started with Wilson’s failed Hail Mary at the end of the first meeting, when Pickens grabbed Greg Newsome II by the facemask and dragged him out of the back of the end zone, hurling him toward the retaining wall and removing his helmet in the process. Pickens also made contact with a fan’s hand before security officers restrained and calmed him.

After the game, Pickens said the Browns were “not a good team at all” and that the snow conditions helped.

On Friday, he added more fuel to the fire by saying of Newsome: “I don’t know who that is.”

Newsome got the last laugh on this comment by posting a screenshot of Pickens replying to one of his Instagram Stories in 2019, with Newsome punctuating his post with a clown emoji.

Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. called Pickens’ claim “a lie” and a sign of disrespect toward Newsome, who had called Pickens a “fake tough guy” after the game.

Emerson acknowledged that the Browns would use Pickens’ words as motivation to secure their first win over the Steelers since 1988. The Browns also haven’t won a regular season game in Pittsburgh since 2003.

The Steelers go up 27-7

After kHopkins missed two consecutive kicks on the final drive of the first half and the first drive of the second half, the Steelers seized the moment. Wilson threw back-to-back touchdown passes to receiver Van Jefferson in the third quarter to make the score 20-7 with 8:37 left, and tight end Pat Freiermuth made it 27-7 with 3:51 left.

The 10-yarder to Jefferson came after Wilson completed 21-yard passes to Freiermuth on third-and-9 and a 14-yarder to Jaylen Warren on the 14th. For the touchdown, Wilson faked a handoff to Warren, rolled to his right and hit a wide-open Jefferson just inside the goal line.

The Browns started at their 30-yard drive but turned the ball over on downs when Jerome Ford went down for a 5-yard loss on fourth-and-1. The Steelers took over at the Browns’ 36-yard line and Wilson fired a 20-yard thrower over the middle to give the Steelers a 20-point lead.

Hopkins misses twice in a row

Hopkins, who had struggled all season, missed two straight big field goals, giving the Browns a chance to get within three points of the Steelers at the end of the first half and on their first drive of the third quarter.

He sailed a 38-yard field goal attempt wide left with 23 seconds left in the half that would have brought the Browns to within 13-10. Winston had driven the Browns from the 30 to the Steelers’ 20 and hit Jordan Akins with a 14-yard pass at the Steelers’ 47-yard line to convert a third-and-12 pass. Winston also threw a 12-yard pass to Michael Woods II at the 23. On 3rd-and-7 from the 20th, safety DeShon Elliott intercepted a short pass to David Njoku on the right side that could have led to a touchdown . At that point, Hopkins dropped to 16 of 24 on the season. It was his first miss on an attempt in the 30s.

But he wasn’t finished yet.

The Browns, trailing 13-7 at halftime, stormed out of the locker room with a 56-yard kickoff return from Jerome Ford to the Steelers’ 39. A 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct against Joey Porter Jr. after he pushed Mike Woods II moved the ball to the Browns 21. Woods pushed off for a 10-yard penalty to negate a catch, and then Winston fumbled on third-and-14 from the snap at the 25 before rolling right and overthrowing Jerome Ford in the back right corner of the end zone.

Hopkins lined up, overcompensated and sent the 43-yard attempt wide of the right goal.

At that point he had missed six of his last nine attempts in the previous five games and had slipped to 16 from 25 this season. He made 33 of 36 field goals last season, including 8 of 8 from 50-plus.

Steelers benefit from Winston’s INT

Winston was picked off by nose tackle Keeanu Benton with 13:18 left in the half after cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. put his hands in his face and made an ill-advised throw to short center for Nick Chubb. The Steelers cashed in with a 1-yard TD run by Najee Harris with 11:00 left in the half. It was Winston’s 8th interception in six starts this season. He had three last week in Denver, including two pick-sixes. A key to the drive was a 16-yard pass interference call against Greg Newsome II to the Browns 12 on a pass intended for Calvin Austin II. Winston, who had a difficult second quarter, finished the first half 8 of 19 for 91 yards, a touchdown to Jerry Jeudy and a pick for a 52.7 rating.

Wilson didn’t fare much better in the first half, going 8 of 16 for 46 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, a rating of 56.2.

Winston to Jeudy

Winston and Jeudy picked up where they left off last week in Denver: Winston found his WR1 for a 35-touchdown catch that gave the Browns a 7-3 lead with 5:50 left in the first quarter. Winston used his skill to slide up and to the left and found Jeudy on a seam route between three defenders. Winston also hit Elijah Moore with a 20-yard pass on the drive while singled with Jerry Porter.

Next

The Browns host the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Sunday at 1 p.m