Week 2 and Week 3 served as the broadcast’s maiden voyages and it was rocky for fans to say the least.
Most viewers faced a myriad of buffering and freezing issues. Those that didn’t were greeted with a homemade sandwich-style jumble of statistics about the game throughout the affair.
For most of the game, the screen showing the contest was effectively shrunk by 20 percent to allow for a large blue border stuffed with a barrage of next-gen stats. It effectively made the broadcast feel like a highlight reel on Sportscenter and not the official broadcast.
The Steelers and Browns have had several bruising and heated matchups in the past and many expected a fight for four quarters. Heading into the game, Pittsburgh was hoping to extend the leash on Mitchell Trubisky to buy rookie Kenny Pickett more time to develop.
Meanwhile, the Browns were hoping to eke out a win in an effort to keep the ship afloat to still be in contention when Deshaun Watson eventually arrives. It ultimately resulted in four quarters of competitive football.
For Cleveland, Jacoby Brissett threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, completing 21 of 31 passes. Running back Nick Chubb rushed 23 times for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Out wide, Amari Cooper and David Njoku stole the show for the Browns. Cooper caught seven passes for 101 yards and one touchdown, while Njoku caught nine passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.
For the Steelers, Trubisky failed to throw a touchdown but did not throw an interception, completing 20 of 32 passes for 207 yards. George Pickens delivered the highlight of the contest when he caught a ball one-handed while diving backwards.
The move was very much akin to Odell Beckham Jr.’s catch while he was with the New York Giants. Some even thought Pickens’ effort was more impressive.
The scoreboard read 13-14 at the half in favor of Pittsburgh, with all of their points coming in the second quarter. They were effectively shut out afterwards, scoring only three points across the final two quarters. Their opponents, meanwhile, scored in every quarter.
The final score would have been 17-23, but a fluky hook-and-ladder final play turned into a fumble recovered by the Browns. Thanks to that recovery, Cleveland emerged 29-17 victors.
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