Aaron Rodgers got Pittsburgh to the Cleveland 7-yard line with 17 seconds left and no timeouts. Three straight incompletions later, the Steelers walked off Huntington Bank Field without a touchdown, without a division title, and without an answer for a Browns defense that held them scoreless in the end zone for the first time since December 10, 2009. Cleveland won 13–6 on December 28, 2025, snapping a four-game losing streak and forcing a winner-take-all AFC North showdown between Pittsburgh and Baltimore the following week.
Below is the complete box score, individual player stats, and team statistics from the Week 17 matchup.
Sanders improved to 2–4 as an NFL starter. His two interceptions — one by rookie linebacker Jack Sawyer and one by Kyle Dugger — were the game’s only turnovers.
Rushing Statistics
Pittsburgh Steelers — Rushing
Player
CAR
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
Jaylen Warren
12
64
5.3
0
15
Connor Heyward
2
26
13.0
0
29
Kenneth Gainwell
7
26
3.7
0
15
Jonnu Smith
2
9
4.5
0
7
Aaron Rodgers
1
6
6.0
0
6
Team
24
131
5.5
0
29
Cleveland Browns — Rushing
Player
CAR
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
Dylan Sampson
11
27
2.5
0
6
Raheim Sanders
8
21
2.6
0
6
Shedeur Sanders
4
20
5.0
0
11
Trayveon Williams
2
10
5.0
0
9
Team
25
78
3.1
0
11
Receiving Statistics
Pittsburgh Steelers — Receiving
Player
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
TGT
Pat Freiermuth
3
63
21.0
0
29
5
Scotty Miller
3
25
8.3
0
15
7
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
3
21
7.0
0
7
9
Jonnu Smith
5
18
3.6
0
8
5
Darnell Washington
2
15
7.5
0
11
2
Adam Thielen
2
14
7.0
0
11
5
Kenneth Gainwell
3
12
4.0
0
10
4
Team
21
168
8.0
0
29
37
Washington suffered a broken arm in the second quarter and did not return. Pittsburgh also played without suspended WR DK Metcalf (2-game ban) and injured WR Calvin Austin III (hamstring).
Cleveland Browns — Receiving
Player
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
TGT
Jerry Jeudy
5
54
10.8
0
15
7
Cedric Tillman
1
42
42.0
0
42
1
Harold Fannin Jr.
2
30
15.0
1
28
2
Brenden Bates
1
19
19.0
0
19
1
Isaiah Bond
1
16
16.0
0
16
1
Sal Cannella
2
11
5.5
0
6
4
Raheim Sanders
1
10
10.0
0
10
2
Malachi Corley
1
4
4.0
0
4
1
Blake Whiteheart
0
0
—
0
—
1
Dylan Sampson
3
0
0.0
0
1
3
Team
17
186
10.9
1
42
23
Fannin Jr. scored his third touchdown in four games on a 28-yard catch-and-roll in the first quarter, adjusting his route as the ball arrived. He aggravated a groin injury on the play and did not return.
Defensive Statistics
Pittsburgh Steelers — Defense
Player
TOT
SOLO
SACKS
TFL
PD
QB HTS
Kyle Dugger
8
5
0
0
1
0
Patrick Queen
6
2
0
1
0
0
Chuck Clark
5
4
0
0
0
0
Cameron Heyward
5
3
0
1
0
0
Jalen Ramsey
5
3
0
0
0
0
Payton Wilson
5
3
0
0
0
0
Malik Harrison
4
2
0
1
0
0
Joey Porter Jr.
4
1
0
0
0
0
Alex Highsmith
3
3
2
2
0
4
Asante Samuel Jr.
3
1
0
0
0
0
Keeanu Benton
3
1
0
0
0
0
Jack Sawyer
2
1
0
0
1
0
Yahya Black
2
0
0
0
0
0
Jeremiah Moon
1
0
0
0
0
0
Sebastian Castro
1
0
0
0
0
0
Derrick Harmon
1
0
0
0
0
0
Nick Herbig
0
0
0
0
1
0
Logan Lee
0
0
0
0
1
0
Team
58
29
2
5
4
4
Cleveland Browns — Defense
Player
TOT
SOLO
SACKS
TFL
PD
QB HTS
Devin Bush
9
5
0
1
0
0
Carson Schwesinger
9
3
0
0
0
0
Grant Delpit
8
7
1
1
0
1
Mason Graham
6
4
0
1
0
0
Jerome Baker
5
1
0
1
0
0
Tyson Campbell
4
3
0
1
2
0
Alex Wright
4
2
1
2
0
2
Cameron Thomas
4
1
0
0
0
0
Tre Avery
3
2
0
0
0
0
Adin Huntington
3
2
0
0
0
0
Mohamoud Diabate
3
1
0
0
0
0
Rayshawn Jenkins
2
2
0
0
0
0
Ronnie Hickman
2
2
0
0
0
0
Myles Garrett
1
1
0
0
0
1
Teven Jenkins
1
1
0
0
0
0
Jerry Jeudy
1
1
0
0
0
0
Blake Whiteheart
1
1
0
0
0
0
Mike Hall Jr.
1
1
0
0
0
0
Donovan McMillon
1
1
0
0
0
0
Denzel Ward
1
0
0
0
1
0
Shelby Harris
0
0
0
0
1
1
Team
69
41
2
7
4
5
Myles Garrett — entering with 22 sacks on the season, one short of the NFL single-season record shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt — was held without a sack for the second time against Pittsburgh in 2025. He logged six pressures on 39 pass rushes and was chip-blocked or doubled 16 times. Garrett broke the all-time record the following week against Cincinnati, finishing the 2025 season with 23 sacks.
Interceptions
Pittsburgh Steelers
Player
INT
YDS
TD
Jack Sawyer
1
27
0
Kyle Dugger
1
0
0
Team
2
27
0
Sawyer picked off Sanders at the Pittsburgh 42 and returned it 27 yards into Cleveland territory, setting up a Steelers scoring drive in the second quarter.
Cleveland Browns
No interceptions recorded.
Fumbles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Player
FUM
LOST
REC
Aaron Rodgers
1
0
0
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
1
0
1
Jaylen Warren
1
0
0
Jonnu Smith
0
0
1
Dylan Cook
0
0
1
Team
3
0
3
Cleveland Browns
No fumbles recorded.
Kicking
Pittsburgh Steelers — Kicking
Player
FG
PCT
LONG
XP
PTS
Chris Boswell
2/3
66.7%
44
0/0
6
Boswell’s missed attempt was a 54-yarder in the fourth quarter, set up after Alex Wright sacked Rodgers for a 5-yard loss on third-and-14 at the Cleveland 36.
Cleveland Browns — Kicking
Player
FG
PCT
LONG
XP
PTS
Andre Szmyt
2/2
100.0%
50
1/1
7
Punting
Pittsburgh Steelers — Punting
Player
NO
YDS
AVG
TB
IN 20
LG
Corliss Waitman
5
203
40.6
0
5
52
Cleveland Browns — Punting
Player
NO
YDS
AVG
TB
IN 20
LG
Corey Bojorquez
4
228
57.0
0
0
64
Kick Returns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Player
NO
YDS
AVG
LG
TD
Kenneth Gainwell
1
23
23.0
23
0
Jaylen Warren
1
23
23.0
23
0
Team
2
46
23.0
23
0
Cleveland Browns
Player
NO
YDS
AVG
LG
TD
Trayveon Williams
1
25
25.0
25
0
Punt Returns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Player
NO
YDS
AVG
LG
TD
Scotty Miller
2
34
17.0
25
0
Cleveland Browns
No punt returns recorded.
Injury Report — In-Game
Team
Player
Position
Injury
Status
Cleveland
Harold Fannin Jr.
TE
Groin (aggravated)
Did not return
Cleveland
Wyatt Teller
G
Calf (aggravated)
Did not return (Q1)
Cleveland
Teven Jenkins
G
Concussion
Did not return (Q4)
Pittsburgh
Darnell Washington
TE
Broken arm
Did not return (Q2)
Key absences entering the game: Pittsburgh was without WR DK Metcalf (2-game suspension following an altercation with a Detroit Lions fan), WR Calvin Austin III (hamstring), OG Isaac Seumalo (triceps), and LB T.J. Watt (sidelined since a December 11 procedure for a punctured lung).
Officials
Role
Name
Referee
John Hussey
Umpire
Duane Heydt
Down Judge
Max Causey
Line Judge
Jeff Seeman
Field Judge
Anthony Flemming
Side Judge
Allen Baynes
Back Judge
Greg Meyer
Cleveland’s 13–6 win was the Browns’ fifth home victory over Pittsburgh since 2019 and, on a 4–12 season, the one that mattered most to the players who suited up. For the Steelers, Week 18 arrived with everything still on the line — a home game against Baltimore with the AFC North title riding on it. The Browns, six days later at Cincinnati, gave Myles Garrett one more shot at history.
NFL Week 17 · December 28, 2025 · Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, Ohio
Bobby A. Smith is a Senior Sports Analyst with over nine years of professional experience, specializing in forensic analysis of game strategy and player performance.
His work provides a definitive lens on a broad spectrum of professional sports, delivering expert commentary on the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Soccer, Boxing, Cricket, F1, and NASCAR. Unlike surface-level reporting, Bobby’s analysis is known for identifying the critical, game-deciding patterns that raw statistics often obscure. Every article is grounded in rigorous, fact-based research and an unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity.
