PITTSBURGH – Russell Wilson threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers held off the error-prone Cleveland Browns 27-14 on Sunday.

The Steelers (10-3) beat Cleveland at home in the regular season for the 21st straight time, although leading receiver George Pickens watched from the sideline while missing the first game of his career with a groin injury.

While Wilson took a while to get out of the mix with the productive if volatile Pickens, he found his footing in the second half, connecting on touchdown passes to Pat Freiermuth and Van Jefferson as the Steelers were two games ahead of rival Baltimore The AFC North is in the lead with four weeks to go.

The Browns (3-10) saw their chance to beat Pittsburgh for the first time since 1988 disappear behind two missed field goals by Dustin Hopkins and an ill-advised throw by Jameis Winston in the second quarter that Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton returned deep into Pushing into Cleveland territory to jump-start a Pittsburgh offense that seemed out of sync early without Pickens.

Winston avoided the pick-6s that have dogged him throughout his career – including last week in Denver – but did little after hitting Jerry Jeudy for a 35-yard touchdown in the first quarter that gave the Browns an early lead . Winston finished 24 of 41 for 211 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Nick Chubb ran for 48 yards in his return to Pittsburgh after suffering a devastating knee injury on the same field 15 months ago that forced him to miss more than a year. Still, the Steelers kept Myles Garrett relatively in check after the defensive star recorded three sacks in Cleveland’s blizzard upset on Nov. 21, and Pittsburgh’s defense provided the spark that brought the offense to life.

The momentum began when Winston’s screen pass intended for Chubb ended up in the hands of the 6-foot, 300-pound Benton, who ran 11 yards for his first career interception. Najee Harris scored from a yard out five plays later, giving the Steelers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Cleveland had chances to keep the Steelers within sight, but Hopkins missed two makeable kicks into the closed end at windy Acrisure Stadium to rob the Browns of any momentum, and Pittsburgh pounced.

The Steelers converted Hopkins’ first miss into a 53-yard field goal by Chris Boswell that made it 13-7. They converted his second miss – and six in his last nine attempts – into a 68-yard drive that ended with a perfectly executed run/pass option by Wilson, who faked a handoff to Jaylen Warren and a wide-open Jefferson for one 10-yard score that made the score 20-7.

Pittsburgh’s Elandon Roberts stuffed Chubb for a 4-yard loss on fourth down to end Cleveland’s next drive, and Wilson connected with Freiermuth at the seam. The tight end chugged into the newly painted yellow end zone, sending the Browns on their way to their 18th season with at least 10 losses since the franchise returned in 1999.

Injuries

Browns: CB Mike Ford Jr. was placed in the concussion protocol in the first quarter.

Steelers: DT Larry Ogunjobi (groin) left the ball in the first half and did not return. … DB Donte Jackson (back) left in the third quarter

Next

Browns: Host Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday.

Steelers: Travel to cross-state rival Philadelphia next Sunday.

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