CNN
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The weather at Huntington Bank Field was the main topic of conversation as the Cleveland Browns hosted division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football.

What started as a wintry mix quickly turned into blizzard-like conditions in the second half as the Browns found a way past the Steelers 24-19 on a late touchdown from running back Nick Chubb.

With a kickoff temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the first half was a defensive tug-of-war between both teams.

Steelers kicker Chris Boswell opened the scoring with a 48-yard field goal in the second quarter. But on the ensuing possession, the Browns offense orchestrated a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by a two-yard rushing touchdown by Chubb. Cleveland added a field goal before halftime to take a 10-3 lead into the locker room.

Brown’s star defensive end, Myles Garrett, was a constant thorn in Pittsburgh’s side throughout the first half, with the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year entering halftime with three sacks and a forced fumble.

Just as both teams were settling in after halftime, the stadium turned into a winter wonderland as snow covered not only the field, but also the fans, players and coaches.

Despite the conditions, Cleveland extended its lead in the fourth quarter after Browns quarterback Jameis Winston dove into the end zone for a two-yard score and later successfully completed a two-point conversion to make it 18-6.

However, Cleveland squandered their 12-point lead when the Steelers scored two unanswered touchdowns to take a 19–18 lead with just over six minutes remaining.

But late in the fourth quarter, a punt by Pittsburgh punter Corliss Waitman gave the Browns some life, culminating in Chubb finding the end zone for his second touchdown of the game to give Cleveland a 24-19 lead.

Chubb’s scores were the 50th and 51st rushing touchdowns of his career as he continues his comeback from a serious knee injury suffered early last season.

It meant the Steelers had less than a minute with one more timeout to go the length of the field to get the win. In the final few seconds, Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson attempted a Hail Mary, but it was successfully defended by Browns safety Grant Delpit.

As Cleveland celebrated the win, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and Browns cornerback Greg Newsome appeared to get into a fight, but it was quickly broken up.

Pickens was asked about the scuffle, but quickly said it was “nothing.” He later took a dig at Cleveland, saying he thinks the Browns are “not a good team at all” and that the snow conditions “kind of saved them.”

With the win, the Browns improve to 3-8 on the season, while the Steelers fall to 8-3.

Ahead of Thursday’s match, Winston had two phrases to describe matches played in the cold and snow: ‘exciting football’ and ‘November football’.

He was also his usual prosaic self, speaking to Amazon Prime’s Kaylee Hartung before kickoff: “The horse prepares for battle, but victory comes from the Lord. So I trust in the Lord.”

Despite the enthusiasm, it was Winston’s first time playing a game where the temperature was below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and in the snow.

After the match, the 30-year-old told the Prime broadcast that it was “wonderful” to get his first taste of playing in the snow.

“When I woke up this morning and I FaceTimed my wife and my boys to go to school, my baby was eating the snow,” Winston said. “So I was like a human: it would be great to eat the snow. And we got this win, so I’m definitely going to eat some snow today.

Winston, a former first overall pick out of Florida State, described for the first time some of the challenges he faced playing under these conditions.

“Vision was everything. I had to take the visor off, but the visibility was good. Man, I’m just happy I could see a win today,” Winston joked.

Winston and the Thursday Night Football crew then had some fun in the snow making snow angels and throwing snowballs.

Pittsburgh next heads to Cincinnati to face the Bengals on December 1, while Cleveland will travel to Denver on December 2 to play Bo Nix and the Broncos on Monday Night Football.