The Steelers sack Watson eight times after Jared Verse vowed to 'make Pittsburgh ours'

Jared Verse spent the week saying Cleveland would "make Pittsburgh ours," according to the AP recap on ESPN. On Sunday the Steelers beat the Browns 27-6, ran for 200 yards and sacked Deshaun Watson eight times.

The Pittsburgh offensive line Verse had questioned pushed Cleveland around from the first drive. The Steelers had 160 rushing yards by halftime, the most by any team in a first half this season, per the AP. Jaylen Warren finished with 143 yards and a touchdown on his 28th birthday, and Rico Dowdle scored on a 9-yard run up the middle in the first quarter.

Verse, the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year, was a nonfactor, the AP wrote. At one point guard Mason McCormick drove him into the turf during a Pittsburgh field goal try. McCormick drew an unnecessary roughness flag on the play.

The other side of the ball was worse for Cleveland. Watson has rescued the Browns late five times this season, and he came in with a team chasing its best start in 32 years. The Steelers had him under pressure from the opening possession. Patrick Queen had 1.5 of the eight sacks. Watson left briefly in the first quarter after a late hit from Jaquan Brisker, and Shedeur Sanders' two-snap cameo ended with a Harold Fannin Jr. fumble. The Browns fumbled again on the next possession.

Watson's 324 passing yards look fine in a box score. A lot of them came after Darnell Washington's 58-yard catch set up Warren's 1-yard touchdown and a 27-6 lead in the third quarter. Cleveland ran for 34 yards and scored on two Andre Szmyt field goals.

The result is the Steelers' 23rd straight regular-season home win over Cleveland, which ties Green Bay's run against Detroit from 1992 to 2014 for the NFL record against one opponent. A month ago the Browns beat Pittsburgh in Cleveland. Now Pittsburgh is 6-2 and alone atop the division, and Cleveland is 5-3 heading to New Orleans.