There’s no other way to describe it. Thursday Night Football was a party for the Cleveland Browns and their fans inside a home stadium that almost looked and sounded unrecognizable.
The Browns punched the Pittsburgh Steelers in the mouth early and recovered from their bitter division rival’s best shot in the fourth quarter to salt away a 27-24 win, climbing to 3-1 atop the AFC North. And while that celebration definitely continued into Friday morning, fears of a major knee injury to ascending defensive tackle Mason Graham threatened to take some air out of the balloon.
Based on how Graham grimaced and hobbled off the sideline under his own power during Thursday’s first quarter, the latest from NFL insider Ian Rapoport could not be more positive.
Rapoport said on Good Morning Football that Graham will undergo an MRI to determine how much time he could miss, but the early indication is that Cleveland’s most disruptive defensive lineman through four weeks has dodged a season-ending ligament tear.
"He was able to walk on the sideline, was not carted off, walked to and from the blue tent,” Rapoport said. “That is a good sign. He's going to get an MRI today. Early belief is that he has dodged a bullet and maybe it is not a significant knee injury, and if that is the case, it would be excellent, excellent news for the Cleveland Browns. Cautious optimism probably is the right way to describe it, but the MRI is going to tell all to determine how much time he is going to miss."
Mason Graham injury update will only keep the positive vibes flowing in Cleveland
According to Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot, Graham left the stadium on crutches with a brace on his left knee. He’s definitely dealing with something, but if he’s not out long-term, the game reps that went to Mike Hall Jr. and Adin Huntington against the Steelers could work in the Browns’ favor.
Hall was the next man up after Graham exited on Cleveland’s first defensive series — until he went down with a leg injury as well. Hall initially couldn’t put weight on his ankle and was carted off the sideline into the locker room.
Hall not only returned to the field in the second half — he recorded a critical sack on Aaron Rodgers late in the third quarter to knock Pittsburgh out of field goal range. Head coach Todd Monken awarded Hall with one of the game balls during his postgame locker room speech.
Huntington was Cleveland’s only remaining defensive tackle along with starter Maliek Collins, but he too stepped up big time. Huntington had a sack himself, nearly had another that was negated by a defensive penalty, and finished with four pressures from the interior, per Pro Football Focus.
Cleveland’s depth along the defensive line was a serious question mark throughout training camp, with Collins working his way back from his 2025 quad injury and veteran Kalia Davis placed on injured reserve.
The group didn’t blink — or take a step back — when its top starter exited in the first quarter, and that’s a great look for the depth chart as a whole.
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