Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s roller-coaster week ends on high note with clutch winning drive to defeat Steelers
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
He screamed play-calls in the huddle so loudly at the start that Joel Bitonio was afraid the Steelers could hear them.
He beat himself up when his only interception looked to tilt the nail-biting game in the Steelers favor. Deshaun Watson had to talk him off the ledge. “Smile!” Watson kept ordering him.
He was energized when he took the field with 1:18 to play to the chants of “D-T-R, D-T-R.”
And when Dustin Hopkins’ 34-yard field goal secured one of the hardest-fought Browns wins over the hated Steelers, with so much on the line, Dorian Thompson-Robinson was overcome by emotion.
Nick Harris patted him repeatedly on his shoulders as DTR crouched on the sideline and watched the field goal go through the uprights.
When he walked off the field, when his emotional work week had been completed with a clutch, 13-10 victory over Pittsburgh, Thompson-Robinson wiped away tears.
“Shoot, it’s been a whirlwind,” DTR said in a drained, hoarse voice.
It can’t be over-stated how critical it was for the rookie from UCLA to overcome his unfortunate, losing debut in Game 4 against Baltimore. Watson’s season-ending injury reduced him to a cheerleader and quasi quarterback coach. And the coaches just couldn’t stomach veteran backup P.J. Walker’s six turnovers in his three games.
So the franchise turned to DTR against Mike Tomlin's 24-5 career record against rookie quarterbacks. The Browns' coaches authored a risk-averse game plan dependent on quick throws, bullish running, stout defense and a clean operation to move to 7-3 – the Browns’ best record through 10 games in 25 years of their expansion era.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson earned coaches' hugs after orchestrating a game-winning drive to beat the Steelers in his second NFL start. (Cleveland Browns)
“He is a warrior,” said tight end David Njoku. “It’s not easy being in his shoes, especially being a rookie. He is such an incredible athlete. He got the job done today. He did a great job.”
After knocking off division bullies Baltimore and Pittsburgh in successive games, the Browns stayed hot on the heels of the Ravens (8-3), who have a tougher schedule ahead.
“You can’t not like where we are right now,” said defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson.
Everyone knew this was going to be an ugly game between two teams with challenged offenses and prideful, physical defenses. The only things missing on this day were dark skies and cold rain. Those would have been more typical conditions for a defensive clash in this 73-year rivalry, but the sun shone brilliantly all game and the temperature of 48 degrees was pleasant for mid-November on the lakefront.
The Browns pulled out the stops in pre-game activities. They introduced running back Nick Chubb, showing him on the giant video screens standing on crutches six days removed from his second knee surgery severely injured in the first Pittsburgh meeting in Week 2. Later in the game, Chubb exhorted the crowd from a stadium suite. Also, Jim Donovan, the uber-popular Voice of the Browns, came down from the booth in his first game back after intensive therapy to treat his leukemia, and was the celebrity guitar-smasher to rev up the fans.
And it took Myles Garrett only one play to announce that he would have his most impactful Pittsburgh game of his career. Garrett bolted through a gap and smashed Kenny Pickett to the ground in the end zone for what appeared to be a safety on Pittsburgh's first offensive play from the 9. Officials spotted the ball barely over the goal line. It set a tone that Garrett would not be outplayed by Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt on this day. Garrett had another sack of Pickett in the fourth quarter.
Watt, meanwhile, was limited to one sack and three hits on DTR as the Browns used a combination of James Hudson and Dawand Jones at right tackle. Hudson handled run downs and Jones, limited by a sore knee, came in for his pass protection on obvious passing downs. It worked. On the other side, left tackle revelation Geron Christian kept Alex Highsmith from wrecking the game, as he did in Game 2 in Pittsburgh.
DTR’s lone interception on a deflection in the third quarter was neutralized by a three-and-out-defensive stand. The Steelers were able to tie the game at 10-10 on their next possession when they rediscovered their best player, running back Jaylen Warren, and moved 62 yards mostly on his running for a field goal. Warren had put the Steelers back in the game with a 74-yard touchdown run on the second play after halftime. He finished with 129 yards on 9 carries, leaving Steelers fans irate about not using him more.
Although there were plenty of drops which hurt Thompson-Robinson’s final line (24 of 43 for 165 yards, 54.9 passer rating), the Browns kept DTR out of negative situations by committing only one penalty, a hands-to-the face by Hudson. By contrast, the Steelers made one costly penalty on each of the Browns’ three scoring drives.
But DTR wasn’t aided by an overwhelming running game. The Browns had some success running the ball in the first half (65 yards on 18 attempts), including a 1-yard TD by Jerome Ford that barely pierced the goal line, needing replay review to reverse the call on the field, but they were stopped cold in the second half for only 31 yards on 11 attempts.
So when DTR took the field after a punt and fair catch at the Browns’ 35 with 1:18 to play, he needed to make some throws to get the team in range for the winning field goal. He threw some of his best passes of the day – to Elijah Moore for 15 yards, to Kareem Hunt for 5, to Amari Cooper for 8 and to Njoku for 11. Until that hot hand at the end, DTR had gone 7 of 20 for 28 yards in the second half.
“When the pressure’s on, he’s on, too,” said Ford. “I just feel he has more in store just based on that drive alone. That showed he’s got something special in him. I feel if we catch those passes [at least seven drops in the game], it’s a different ballgame.”
Thompson-Robinson said he received the call for the start on Tuesday from GM Andrew Berry.
“I was on my way to Marble Room [restaurant] downtown,” he said. “I ended up eating dinner there with some teammates and my girl. And then after that, I was getting to work all week waiting for Sunday to get here, and now we’re here. So now I’ll go celebrate a little bit with the boys.”
Man, he earned it.
