PITTSBURGH (AP) — The safe play would have been to kick the field goal.
Maybe the smart play, too.
Only Aaron Rodgers didn't see it that way. Perhaps most importantly to the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, neither did the guys in the huddle with him.
So rather than try a chip shot with 5 seconds left in the first half on Sunday against Cleveland, Rodgers suggested to Steelers coach Mike McCarthy that he should keep the offense on the field with Pittsburgh perched at the Browns 1.
The decision carried some risk. The Steelers were out of timeouts, meaning they were either going to score a touchdown or the Browns would head to the locker room with a needed boost.
The “Nittany” package — Pittsburgh's version of the “Tush Push” named for former Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth's alma mater — jogged onto the field. Freiermuth lined up under center. At the snap, Freiermuth pushed forward while massive teammate Darnell Washington shoved him from behind while the linemen in front of Freiermuth bullied a sea of white-clad Browns defenders into the end zone.
Freiermuth crossed the goal line for the first rushing touchdown of his six-year career to give the Steelers a 14-point lead that Cleveland never threatened in what became a 27-6 victory that left Pittsburgh alone atop the AFC North at 6-2 as the season nears its midpoint.
Yes, scoring was cool. The trust McCarthy demonstrated in his players by calling it meant even more.
“It was definitely the coaches showing belief in us, right?” right guard Brock Hoffman said.
That kind of belief can go a long way for a first-year coaching staff trying to build its own culture after nearly two decades of doing things a particular way under Mike Tomlin.
“We won the way we wanted to win, that's how we play football,” Freiermuth said. “Clearly we were motivated.”
Not just by the words of Cleveland defensive end Jared Verse — who said it was time for the Browns to go to Pittsburgh and make it their own — but by the way they performed in the first meeting between the two rivals on Oct. 1, a 27-24 loss that felt like one that got away.
The Steelers atoned exactly a month later by pushing the Browns around for three straight hours. Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle combined for nearly 200 yards rushing. The defense dropped Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson eight times and held an opponent out of the end zone for the first time since ... doing the same thing to the Browns at Acrisure Stadium a year ago.
“To be able to have that tenacity throughout the second half and continue to push, have those splash plays, bow up when it matters, is very important,” edge rusher T.J. Watt said. “It’s huge to show that we have it in us.”
On offense. On defense. And — McCarthy hopes — on the sideline too.
Letting defensive coordinator Patrick Graham get in his bag. The Steelers are starting to figure things out under Graham, whose aggressive play-calling is getting the most out of the NFL's most expensive defense. Pittsburgh leads the NFL in sacks (23) and while Watt's 7 1/2 are tied for the league lead, the rest are spread among 10 players, proof that Graham's scheme is letting everyone eat.
The play selection in the red zone. The Steelers could have put the game away in the first half if not for some pass-happy decision-making in goal-to-go situations. Pittsburgh called five passes in six plays on consecutive series near the goal line even though the offensive line was dominating in the running game.
“I wish I could have that sequence back,” McCarthy said.
Rookie defensive tackle Kevin Jobity's feel-good story took another big step forward on Sunday when he got the first sack of his career. Heady territory for an undrafted rookie free agent pressed into action after 2025 first-round pick Derrick Harmon went on injured reserve last month with a foot injury.
DK Metcalf's roller coaster season took another dip thanks to a forgettable performance against Browns star cornerback Denzel Ward. Metcalf caught just one of the six passes Rodgers threw his way, with one of the misses turning into an interception after a wide-open Metcalf couldn't corral a ball that ended up deflecting into Ward's hands for a pick.
Wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson remain on injured reserve with no timetable for a return. That uncertainty could keep the Steelers busy ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
8 — number of times the Steelers have started the season 6-2 since 2002. Pittsburgh has reached the playoffs six of the previous seven instances that it won six of its first eight games.
Rest up during the bye and prepare for a second half of the season that doesn't look as daunting now as it did when the schedule came out in the spring, with the injury-filled Eagles, the disappointing Texans, and the potentially Lamar Jackson-less Ravens among the teams having down seasons.
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