The rookie comes through

It was difficult to read the expression on the face of the Browns' rookie quarterback as Dustin Hopkins'  34-yard field sailed, as usual, directly between the uprights with seconds remaining in regulation to give the Browns a 13-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday before a joyous home crowd.

Initially, it appeared as though he wasn't quite certain he believed his eyes. There was little joy in them. Surreal perhaps? Trying to be humble, maybe? Dorian Thompson-Robinson's teammates swarmed around him and showered him with congratulations. He took it all in stride. He had become the third Browns quarterback credited with a W this season.

DTR had negotiated a three-hour journey loaded with emotional highs and lows against a very tough team that has bedeviled this franchise for the better part of the last half century, and yet here he was with a victory in his first attempt. Not one sign of emotion.

He was not perfect. He didn't have to be. He made only one mistake -- an interception on a tipped ball late in the third quarter that was snuffed out with a Pittsburgh three-and-out -- on an afternoon that saw him operate with the kind of poise rarely seen in rookies. And he had a special defense that helped out when called on. 

That extremely active defense neutered just about everything the Steelers' offense attempted in the first 30 minutes, as the Browns built a 10-0 lead on a Jerome Ford touchdown from a yard out in the opening quarter and 25-yard field goal by Hopkins at the end of a 17-play, 77-yard second-quarter drive.

It was total domination by the defense in the first half, limiting the Steelers to just four first downs, 64 total yards, 15 yards through the air and 22 plays on four possessions. The Steelers looked like many Browns teams of the last 25 seasons. All it took to change matters on this day, though, was one play.

The lone exception, which seemed to wake up the Steelers and gain control of the game after the lackluster first half, was a 74-yard run by running back Jaylen Warren on the second play of the second half. It was 10 yards more than the Steelers had compiled in four possessions in the first 30 minutes.

Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II had a clean shot at Warren at around the Pittsburgh 27, but the speedy second-year back stepped out of the one-hand diving attempt, found a crease and raced untouched mostly down the right sideline.

That seemed to awaken the Pittsburgh defense, which had trouble getting to DTR and his quick pass release in the first half. They basically slowed down the Cleveland ground game in the second half and forced the rookie to throw. He wound up 24 of 43 for only 165 yards.

Even though the Pittsburgh pass rush occasionally forced him out of the pocket, he remained cool. That he was sacked just once -- and yes, it was by T. J. Watt -- is a testament to his escapability. 

He boasted this past week while ramping up for the game that he knew "what it takes now to be an NFL quarterback," after getting whacked by Baltimore in his debut earlier this season. Sure, I thought. And then I saw evidence in the final moments of the game that he might be on to something.

The two teams -- the Browns were hanging on at this point to a three-point lead -- battled back and forth mostly around midfield until the Steelers finally tied the game with a 28-yard Chris Boswell field goal midway through the fourth quarter following a seven-minute, 13-play drive that stalled at the Cleveland 10.

And that's when DTR made good on his boast. He had 87 seconds left in regulation with the football at the Cleveland 35 and just two timeouts with which to work. And he had Hopkins, the author of a 58-yard field goal against Indianapolis earlier this season, in his back pocket.

A 15-yard connection with Elijah Moore, who caught six balls for 60 yards on the day, moved the sticks to midfield. A little flat pass to Kareem Hunt picked up five more yards. Amari Cooper caught his fourth pass of the game for eight yards followed by an 11-yarder to David Njoku, who was targeted 15 times.

And just like that, the ball was at the Pittsburgh 24 with 20 seconds left. And no timeouts. Surely close enough for a Hopkins field attempt. Not close enough, head coach Kevin Stefanski thought. One more time.

A Steelers' neutral-zone infraction, another Hunt short run of a couple of yards followed by a quick spike to stop the clock repositioned the football directly between the uprights. Made it a chip shot for Hopkins, who has been golden this season.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin took a timeout to ice Hopkins, a veteran kicker with ice in his veins. And with five seconds left, the veteran drilled the blade into the Steelers' chances of winning. It was his second straight last-second field, booting a 40-yarder as time ran out last week to knock off Baltimore.

Four passes, 39 yards, all clutch by DTR. You can't ask more from him than that in a game such as this that has post-season implications. He stepped up just like a veteran and helped his team win their third game in a row and fifth in the last six games. In doing so, he became only the sixth rookie quarterback to beat Tomlin in 31 attempts. 

Next up, the defense gets tested heavily with stops in Denver with Russell Wilson and Los Angeles with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. 

* * *

Radio silence: With the holiday coming up and family in from out of town, time to dial back for a bit until later this week. Enjoy the turkey and trimmings.