Pittsburgh blows out Mayfield, Cleveland

STEELERS 38, BROWNS 7

PITTSBURGH » Not yet Cleveland. At least, not in Pittsburgh.

James Conner ran for 101 yards and a touchdown and the Steelers battered the Browns in a 38- 7 blowout victory on Sunday to improve to 5- 0 for the first time since 1978. Ben Roethlisberger added 162 yards passing and a score.

Pittsburgh emphatically ended Cleveland’s four- game winning streak and extended the Browns’ skid at Heinz Field to 17 and counting.

The Browns ( 4- 2) were unable to get anything going against a defense that sacked aching Baker Mayfield four times, picked him off twice and chased him late in the third quarter with the game out of reach. The NFL’s top rushing offense managed 75 yards on the ground — 113 below its season average — as the Steelers dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage in easily their best performance in 2020.

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick stepped in front of a Mayfield pass and raced 33 yards to the end zone fors an early 10- 0 lead. The Browns, off to the franchise’s best start since 1994, never really recovered in a stadium where they haven’t won since Mayfield was in elementary school.

Mayfield spent a portion of the week nursing a rib injury but said he was going to be good to go. But he stood little chance against Pittsburgh’s relentless pressure. His second interception set up Roethlisberger’s ridiculously easy 28- yard touchdown throw to James Washington late in the second quarter.

Mayfield finished 10 of 18 for 119 yards and a touchdown to go with the two interceptions.