Pittsburgh Steelers used defensive touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters to defeat the Cleveland Browns 26-22 on Monday night at Acrisure Stadium, leaving the Browns winless in Pittsburgh in the regular season since 2003.
But the score wasn't the most painful loss for the Browns (1-1), as running back Nick Chubb suffered a significant left knee injury in the second quarter and was carted off the field. The Steelers moved to 1-1 with the win.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, also left the game with a chest injury. The Panthers' veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson also suffered what is feared to be a significant injury. Saints running back Jamaal Williams had a hamstring injury and did not return to the Saints' win.
"I just put my foot in the ground," Johnson said Thursday. "Fluke incident, it just gave out on me. I can't do nothing about that."
Johnson said that he hadn't experienced any issues with the hamstring during the preseason and that he came out of training camp healthy.
Johnson is Pittsburgh's leading receiver over the past four seasons, averaging 85 receptions a season since being taken in the third round of the 2019 draft. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
Fitzpatrick ended up re-entering the game, as he was the player that prevented Jerome Ford from scoring a 70-yard touchdown to give the Browns the lead in the third quarter. The Steelers safety tripped up Ford and stopped him just shy of the goal line.
However, Fitzpatrick left again halfway through the third quarter with an injury to his chest. He finished the game with six tackles (five solo) and two pass breakups.
George Pickens gained 56.8 yards after the catch on his 71-yard touchdown in the second quarter, per Next Gen Stats. Pickens was expected to gain only 21.4 yards after the catch. The score was Pickens' longest of his career, more than doubling his second longest of 31 yards, which also came against the Browns in Week 18 last season. During training camp, Pickens said he wanted to emphasize his speed and prove that he was capable of more than highlight-reel catches, and he more than did that with his touchdown.
Ford is doing his best to replace the injured Nick Chubb.
Ford took a hand off and had no running room to the right, so he cut against the grain and ran 69 yards to the Steelers’ 1-yard line. The Browns scored two plays later on a Pierre Strong Jr. iso run.
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