Cleveland running back Carlos Hyde took a handoff from Tyrod Taylor and sifted through the muddle to the second level of the Steelers' defense. Only Sean Davis, playing in his first full game at free safety after two seasons at the strong position, stood between Hyde and a potential touchdown.
Davis came up from his position in the middle of the field, broke down and wrapped up the 235-pound Hyde for what would be a 9-yard gain.
It might seem like a little thing. But it wasn't little to Davis. Or the Steelers.
One of the big questions for the team entering 2018 was if Davis could make the transition from being a safety who played in the box to one who could read and react to things and get people on the ground when needed.
"When we've been good on defense, we didn't give up big runs because we had a player at that position, whether it be Ryan Clark or Chris Hope, who got guys on the ground," defensive coordinator Keith Butler told me this summer.
That's why, even though he wasn't particularly happy with the outcome of the game Sunday -- a 21-21 tie -- Davis was all smiles when it came to talking about his performance.
"For the most part, I felt like we played solid. My debut at free, I feel like I played well," he told me. "Of course, there's room for improvement always. It's something I feel like I need to get better at each day and stack performances."
The coaching staff took notice, as well. And likely breathed a big sigh of relief that their faith in Davis' athleticism paid off -- at least in one game.
The Steelers rolled the dice to a certain degree when they named Davis the starting free safety after letting Mike Mitchell go in the offseason. After all, he had never played the position before and was coming off a season in which he missed 21 tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
Against the Browns, Davis was the only Steelers player on the field for all 89 defensive snaps. He finished with five tackles, two passes defended and -- perhaps most importantly -- no missed tackles. He also had an interception nullified by a penalty.
The lack of missed tackles was nice. But Mike Tomlin was particularly happy with the range Davis showed when he made plays on the ball. He recorded a big pass breakup early in the game with a well-timed hit on which he used his shoulder to separate the receiver from the ball. He also jumped a pass to tight end David Njoku late in the game on which he baited Taylor into making a throw that Davis nearly picked off.
"I thought he had some really good moments," Tomlin said Tuesday when I asked him about Davis' play. "I liked the breakup down the middle of the field early, the clean breakup where he, it was a defenseless receiver-type play, and he did a good job of not hitting the guy in the head and neck area and not utilizing his head. Things like that — he’s new to the middle of the field, so to see him make a play like that, and do so cleanly, is encouraging. He tracked the ball and had an interception that was negated by penalty. He broke up another big play on a play-action on a third-and-1 down the field. So, I thought I saw some really good middle-of-the-field things."
Davis also nearly made the play of the game when he alertly leaped into the air to recover what appeared to be a loose punt that had touched a Browns player.
The Steelers were still upset with that call, which was not overturned by replay.
"All of us saw the ball hit that guy," Tomlin said. "Their returner (Jabrill) Peppers saw the ball hit that guy, because why else would a returner insert himself into that scrum trying to recover the ball unless he was sure the ball hit the guy? Why that play was not corrected, I have no idea. Ask New York. ... I’d be interested to see their comments regarding that play."
That was good for a first test for Davis. In Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon and Njoku, the Browns have some good weapons at the receiver position. This week's opponent for the home opener has the kind of weapons in the passing game that makes defensive backs lose sleep at night.
Receiver Tyreek Hill might be the fastest player at any position in the NFL. And he's coming off a game against the Chargers in which he had seven receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns in a Kansas City win. On the other side is Sammy Watkins, who has averaged 15.8 yards per catch in his career, while tight end Travis Kelce has recorded 168 catches in the past two seasons to occupy Davis in the middle of the field.
And, oh, by the way, new quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a big arm, likes to go deep and also is a good scrambler.
"For sure," Davis told me when I asked him if he expected an even bigger test this week. "They've got speedsters. They've got a great receiving tight end. They will go downfield. They want to do that. That's their weapons. I love the challenge. I'd love to track the ball downfield and get some picks that count this time."
That would be the next step.
Despite his struggles tackling last season, he did lead the Steelers with 92 tackles last season, while tying for the team lead with three interceptions and breaking up eight passes.
But the missed tackles were a big focus for obvious reasons. That became an even bigger deal when he was moved to what is considered the last line of defense.
"That's something I was working on, something I knew was going to be new for me, coming downhill and attacking running backs from that angle," he told me. "That's something I knew I had to do. I wanted to showcase that. It was hard. I want to continue to stack those kind of tackles, because those are very hard plays. I've got to be the guy who can get them down."
So far, so good, but as Tomlin noted, it's just a start.
Davis understands that, as well. But Sunday's effort didn't do anything to shake his confidence.
"Right," he said. "And that's my spot. I'm holding down the middle. That's all I've got to say. I'm holding down the middle. It felt good. I felt good being back there."