BEREA, Ohio — In the season opener, the Cleveland Browns surprised the Pittsburgh Steelers by using a no-huddle offense in the second half, but the same trick might not work in the rematch on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Pittsburgh jumped to a 27-3 lead in Heinz Field on Sept. 7 and seemed in control, but the Browns came out of the locker room with an up-tempo offense and scored 24 straight points.

Cleveland lost the game, 30-27, on a field goal by Shaun Suisham on the final play, but the second-half surge gave the Browns momentum heading into the next game, which they won by beating the New Orleans Saints 26-24 on a field goal with three seconds left. It also proved the Browns can run the ball.

Running is an integral part of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s scheme. The Browns trailed the Tennessee Titans 28-3 in the second quarter last week but did not abandon the run as some teams might. The Browns used 36 running plays in all and called 25 of them after falling behind by 25 points.

The Browns’ offensive linemen love it when Shanahan calls running plays. They are still refining the zone blocking scheme, which has been described as a picket fence moving laterally.

“Up front with us and the tight ends and everyone involved, even the receivers on the edge, everyone’s fighting to get an extra block, fighting downfield,” right guard John Greco said. “I know we had a few plays over 10 yards, but for the majority of the day it was a 5-yard average. We’re trying to pop 40-yarders, 50-yarders. Guys are fighting to get that.

“I don’t want it to be my guy that stops it short of a potential huge play when you see three guys busting their butt downfield to help spring for a touchdown and then your guy makes an arm tackle at the line. You want to do everything you can because you know everyone else around you is trying to make a big play.”

This is a must game for the Browns so early in the season. They trail AFC North leader Cincinnati by only one game, but at 2-2 both losses were within the division. Falling to 0-3 in the AFC North would put the Browns in a precarious position, especially because they still have to play the Bengals and Ravens on the road.

“They’re all must wins,” quarterback Brian Hoyer said. “I mean, obviously that’s the point of playing. You want to win the game. In the same sense, it is a long season, but at this point, we want to be 3-2. We don’t want to be 2-3. I think that’s the way you have to look at it each week.

“Whatever your record is, you want to get to that next win and obviously we know what this means to our team and this entire city, so we’re not going to take this lightly. We’re going to have a great week of practice, coach Pettine already touched on it and like I said, we’re on to Pittsburgh.”

Hoyer does not have to say the Browns won’t take Pittsburgh lightly. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is 18-1 against them.

Browns starting running back Ben Tate was injured in the first half of the game against the Steelers on Sept. 7. He was forced to sit out the second half of that game and missed the next two with a knee injury. He returned against the Titans and set a personal record with 123 yards rushing. Tate is listed first on the depth chart for Sunday.

“I’m not fully 100 percent, but I’m getting there,” Tate said. “I don’t want to talk about me. I’d rather talk about my teammates because it’s a team game and it took all 10 guys for me to get those yards.”

NOTES: DL Phil Taylor underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Wednesday and will be out indefinitely. … DE Billy Will (quad) did not practice Wednesday, but is expected to start. … CB Joe Haden (hip) did not practice and LT Joe Thomas was rested Wednesday.