CLEVELAND — Although the Cleveland Browns snapped the Pittsburgh Steelers’ five-game winning streak with a 24-19 win Thursday night, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens downplayed the Browns’ abilities and blamed the loss on heavy snow that fell throughout the game.

“The conditions played a huge, huge role in today’s game,” Pickens said. “I don’t think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all. I think the conditions saved them today.”

Pickens had an opportunity to catch a late touchdown, but the receiver said he and Wilson couldn’t connect in the end zone because of the snow.

“The snow, the conditions were so bad,” he said. “I don’t even think the QB could see sometimes. And when you get conditions like that, on the opponents’ home field, it plays to their advantage.

Pickens, who finished with four catches on seven targets for 48 yards, also blamed officials for the loss.

He took issue with officials not calling pass interference on the cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. during a deep pass attempt from third down from Justin Fields in the fourth quarter and gestured to them after the play. Although Pickens fell as the pair ran down the sideline, the contact appeared to be minimal, and the officials did not throw a flag.

“That’s what I’m saying,” Pickens said when asked about the play. “The conditions and referees in the away match.”

As the final seconds ticked off the clock Thursday night, Pickens began a visible altercation with the Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II during the Steelers’ Hail Mary attempt. But in the locker room afterward, Pickens said “nothing” happened in the end zone with Newsome.

Newsome was blunt about the situation.

“Fake tough guy,” the cornerback told ESPN, repeats a social media post he did on X after the game.

Pickens appeared to be locked in with Newsome as the pair ran into the end zone during the play. As they left the back of the end zone, Pickens appeared to throw Newsome toward the stands. The pair then fell to the ground and after they got up, Pickens was restrained by stadium staff as they tried to defuse the situation.

Fellow Steelers wide receiver Mike Williams came over to help contain Pickens.

“I don’t know what was going on,” Williams told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I was looking for him, and then I saw him in the stands, so I just went over there to get him. I don’t know what was going on.”

After Thursday night’s game, the Browns defensively quit Myles Garrett also seemingly fueled a feud with the Steelers pass rusher TJ Wattone stemming from Garrett winning Defensive Player of the Year over Watt last season.

“I wasn’t really looking at what he was doing,” said Garrett, who recorded three sacks in the first half and increased his season total to 10. “I was really just focused on going out and playing the very best ball I could. But , well, I wanted to make it known that I’m the guy, I’m the No. 1 edge defender. That was a statement I intended to make, and I think I did.

Garrett won his first Defensive Player of the Year honor after registering 14 sacks last season. Watt, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, recorded a league-leading 19 sacks. On the night Garrett received his award, Watt wrote on the X, “nothing I’m not used to.”

On Tuesday, Garrett was asked about Watt’s reaction and said: “I’ve never complained about the trophy not being at my house and vice versa. He shouldn’t know two ways about knowing it’s coming to me. So it’s just playing. I’m not playing against TJ, he doesn’t play me grabs this year, and we’ll see the best man win.”

Watt, who has 7.5 sacks this season, finished the game with four combined tackles and a tackle for loss.

ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi contributed to this report.