Steelers recap and look-ahead: eight sacks against Cleveland, a bye, then Cincinnati on Sunday night

The Steelers go into their bye at 6-2, alone in first place in the AFC North and on a four-game winning streak. The last game before the break was the most complete they have played: a 27-6 home win over Cleveland in which they ran for 200 yards and sacked Deshaun Watson eight times. They are idle this weekend, Week 9, and play next at Cincinnati on Sunday night, Nov. 15. Here is the last game from ESPN's box score, what the rest of the division does this weekend, and the three games ahead.

Last game

Steelers 27, Browns 6 · Sunday, Nov. 1, at Acrisure Stadium

Cleveland arrived 5-2 and tied for the division lead, and Browns defensive end Jared Verse had spent the week promising that Cleveland would take over Pittsburgh. The Steelers answered on the ground. Jaylen Warren, on his 28th birthday, ran 17 times for 143 yards, tying his career high, with a 51-yard run and a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and Rico Dowdle added 56 yards and the opening touchdown on a 9-yard run. Pittsburgh averaged 6.1 yards a carry and scored three rushing touchdowns, two more than it had all season coming in, the AP reported via ESPN.

The third came on the next-to-last play of the first half. With five seconds left and no timeouts, tight end Pat Freiermuth took a direct snap and went in from the 1 behind the left side of the line for a 20-6 lead. Aaron Rodgers threw only 25 passes and completed 13 for 172 yards with an interception; the biggest was a short throw to tight end Darnell Washington that went for 58 yards and set up Warren's score. Chris Boswell missed from 57 on the first drive, then made from 20 and 37.

The defense did the rest. T.J. Watt had two sacks, Patrick Queen and Cameron Heyward 1.5 each, and Nick Herbig and undrafted rookie Kevin Jobity Jr. one apiece. Cleveland ran 15 times for 34 yards, went 0 for 3 in the red zone and lost two fumbles. Watson threw for 324 yards, 154 of them to tight end Harold Fannin Jr., but the Browns never reached the end zone. Verse finished with one assisted tackle, and Jaquan Brisker said afterward that Verse "should have kept his mouth shut," ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi reported.

It was the Steelers' 23rd straight regular-season home win over Cleveland, which ties the NFL record for consecutive home wins over one opponent, set by Green Bay against Detroit from 1992 to 2014, according to the AP. It also evened the season series after Cleveland won 27-24 in Week 4.

The week before: Steelers 16, Saints 10 · Sunday, Oct. 25, in Paris

In the NFL's first regular-season game in France, at Stade de France, Rodgers threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Washington, the 540th of his career, which moved him past Peyton Manning into third place on the all-time list. Warren ran for 101 yards, Boswell kicked three field goals, and Payton Wilson's red-zone interception of Tyler Shough in the third quarter set up Boswell's 39-yarder for a 16-10 lead. New Orleans ran 17 times for 18 yards.

Against the DraftKings lines ESPN lists for each game, Pittsburgh covered both (-3 in Paris, -3.5 against Cleveland), and both went under their totals (42.5 and 38.5). The recaps and closing lines are on the game pages: New Orleans, Cleveland.

The division this weekend

The Steelers will still be in first place when they take the field in Cincinnati, whatever happens Sunday. They beat the Bengals 30-27 in Week 3, so they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker even if Cincinnati wins this week and pulls level at 6-2.

• Ravens (4-5): lost 33-10 to Jacksonville on Thursday night with undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano at quarterback. Baltimore has lost four straight and is without Lamar Jackson. More on the Ravens' slide.
• Bengals (5-2): play Atlanta (3-5) in Madrid at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, on NFL Network. They come in on a three-game winning streak after a 43-36 overtime win over Tennessee in which Joe Burrow threw five touchdown passes and ran for the winner.
• Browns (5-3): play at New Orleans (2-5) at 1 p.m. Sunday with Shedeur Sanders starting while Watson is in the concussion protocol.

The next three games

Times are Eastern and TV is as ESPN lists it today. Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (foot) are on injured reserve and eligible to return for the Bengals game; the injury picture. Prices are on the board, and the full schedule is on the team page.

Steelers at Bengals · Sunday, Nov. 15, 8:20 p.m., NBC

Sunday Night Football at Paycor Stadium. The first meeting was a shootout at Acrisure Stadium: Burrow threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns, Rodgers for 292 and three, and Boswell's 33-yard field goal with 2:15 left won it. Cincinnati will be without rookie defensive end Cashius Howell, out indefinitely after wrist surgery. On Friday afternoon ESPN's listing showed DraftKings with the Bengals -3.5 and the total at 47.5. Game page.

Steelers at Eagles · Sunday, Nov. 22, 4:25 p.m., CBS

Philadelphia is 2-6 and has lost six straight; it hosts the Giants this Sunday. Game page.

Broncos at Steelers · Friday, Nov. 27, 3 p.m., Prime Video

The day after Thanksgiving, at Acrisure Stadium. Denver is 6-2, tied with Pittsburgh and Jacksonville for the second-best record in the AFC, and has won four in a row. Game page.

Where the Steelers stand

Standings from ESPN as of Friday afternoon, after Thursday's game. In ESPN's current order Pittsburgh holds the AFC's No. 4 seed, the last of the four division leaders, behind Buffalo (6-1), Denver and Jacksonville. Live scores are on the scores page.