NFL Recap & Results | October 1, 2026
Week 4 opened with an AFC North game that went down to the final kick. Aaron Rodgers rallied Pittsburgh back from a 21-7 deficit to force a 24-24 tie in the fourth quarter, and Deshaun Watson answered by moving Cleveland just far enough for Andre Szmyt to win it from 56 yards with 10 seconds left, 27-24. Here's how it went down, plus a look at the card and the season-to-date record.
Szmyt's 56-Yarder Beats the Clock and the Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Cleveland Browns 27
Cleveland controlled the first half almost entirely, scoring touchdowns on three straight drives to lead 21-10 at the break, then survived a scoreless third quarter that made the lead feel safer than it was. Third-string running back Jaleel McLaughlin, filling in behind an injury-thinned backfield, broke a 28-yard touchdown run for the Browns' first rushing score of the season, and Quinshon Judkins added a second. Rodgers had other ideas in the fourth: three touchdown passes, two converted two-point tries, and a 24-24 tie with 1:42 left.
Deshaun Watson answered immediately, completing four passes to push Cleveland into range before a sack forced a longer kick than planned. Szmyt made it anyway, his 21st straight field goal, and Grant Delpit sealed it by intercepting Rodgers' final heave. Watson finished 24-of-33 for 268 yards with a touchdown, an interception, and a 94.0 rating, his third straight game pushing Cleveland across the finish line.
Rodgers was 22-of-40 for 299 yards and three touchdowns with two picks, a near-flawless final quarter that still wasn't enough. Pittsburgh also lost three defensive starters to injury in the first half alone: Derrick Harmon (ankle, carted off), Jamel Dean, and Nick Herbig, and a Chris Boswell field goal miss loomed larger once the final margin came down to three points.
PIT 24 · CLE 27
Browns Survive the Comeback.
Thursday's opener delivered exactly the kind of division game it was billed as: close margins, a halftime lead that nearly evaporated, and a finish decided on the final possession. Cleveland moved to 3-1 and sole possession of first place in the AFC North, its third straight win and its fifth in a row over Pittsburgh in Cleveland. The Steelers, despite Rodgers' heroics, fall to 2-2 with a thinner defense than they started the night with.
Star of the Night: Deshaun Watson, QB, Cleveland
24 completions | 33 attempts | 268 yards | 1 TD | 1 INT | 94.0 rating
Watson was in control for most of the night and came through again in the final two minutes, moving the offense just far enough to give Szmyt a shot. Rodgers' furious fourth quarter, three touchdowns and two converted two-point tries to force a tie, made a real case of its own, but delivering the actual winning drive with the season on the line edges it.
Dud of the Night: Chris Boswell, K, Pittsburgh
1-of-2 on field goals
Pittsburgh's run game managing just 92 yards and zero touchdowns on 19 carries was in the conversation, and so was a defense that lost three starters to injury before halftime. But a missed field goal from a kicker who entered the night as one of the league's most automatic, in a game decided by three points, is the clearer dud.
How We Did: Checking the Card
Thursday's card went 2-for-2, clearing both the side and the total.
The card leaned Cleveland +2.5 (Strong) and the over at 38.5 (Toss-up), built on a number that saw these teams as close to even even after docking Cleveland two points for its missing linemen. Cleveland won outright, clearing the spread with room to spare, and the teams combined for 51 points, well past the total. Both leans cleared. By tier today: Strong 1-0, Toss-up 1-0.
Season Predictions Record
Tracking every graded card against the spread and total from the preview articles this season, updated through October 1, opening Week 4:
Spread / Side: 25-24
Total (Over/Under): 28-21
The side calls sit at 51%, while the totals are at 57%. We'll keep this tally updated through the rest of the season.
Week 4's full slate arrives Sunday. We'll have the preview, the cards, and every lean before kickoff.