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NFL 2025 Season Week 17
CLE hold off PIT 13-6

CLE hold off PIT 13-6

CLE held off PIT 13-6. CLE scored on 1/1 red zone trips (100%) vs PIT's 1/2 (50%). The defining moment: S.Sanders intercepted (Q2, 35:03).

By Sportami Editorial

Key Takeaways

  • ⚡
    Turning point: S.Sanders intercepted (Q2, 35:03) turning point
  • ✅
    Key advantage: CLE scored on 1/1 red zone trips (100%) vs PIT's 1/2 (50%) why winner won
  • ❌
    Key failure: PIT failed on 11/14 third downs (21% conversion rate) why loser lost

CLE held off PIT 13-6. CLE scored on 1/1 red zone trips (100%) vs PIT's 1/2 (50%).

The defining moment: S.Sanders intercepted (Q2, 35:03).

why winner won turning point momentum timeline

⚡ The Turning Point

S.Sanders intercepted (Q2, 35:03). CLE's win probability dropped from 79.6% to 62.9% — a 16.7 percentage point swing.

Gave PIT the ball and ended CLE's threat while leading by one score.

turning point

🏈 Drive of the Game

CLE 6-play, 86-yard drive (3:21) ending in touchdown (Q1, 08:32). CLE's win probability moved from 63.4% to 77.3% — a 14.0 percentage point shift over 6 plays.

CLE extended their lead with a scoring drive. Key play (WPA +0.082): (5:18) (Shotgun) 12-S.Sanders pass deep right to 44-H.Fannin for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

CLE-44-H.Fanni Key play (WPA +0.058): (8:32) (Shotgun) 12-S.Sanders pass deep left to 19-C.Tillman pushed ob at PIT 44 for 42 yards (21-C.

drive of game

📈 Game Flow

A competitive game with 3 significant momentum shifts provided sustained tension. The longest sustained momentum belonged to CLE, who gained 27.4 percentage points of win probability during that stretch.

The largest single swing was 16.7 percentage points, caused by a interception.

momentum timeline

✅ Why CLE Won

CLE won 13-6 on the strength of 3 key factors: • CLE scored on 1/1 red zone trips (100%) vs PIT's 1/2 (50%) • CLE converted 4/11 third downs (36%) vs PIT's 3/14 (21%) • CLE passing EPA: -5.5 vs PIT: -12.4.

why winner won

❌ What Went Wrong for PIT

PIT lost 6-13. What went wrong: • PIT failed on 11/14 third downs (21% conversion rate) • PIT generated -12.9 EPA (-0.204 per play) • PIT passing attack generated -12.4 EPA.

why loser lost

🏁 The Bottom Line

The drive that defined the game: CLE 6-play, 86-yard drive (3:21) ending in touchdown (Q1, 08:32). The moment that decided it: S.Sanders intercepted (Q2, 35:03).

Final score: CLE 13-6.

why winner won turning point drive of game

Evidence Sources

CLE Play #1413 Drive #3 red zone efficiency third down efficiency passing advantage third down failures offensive inefficiency passing struggles

Every claim is traced to play-by-play evidence from official NFL data. Powered by Sportami Reason Engine v1.0.