Steelers Beat Browns But Miss Playoffs After Dolphins Win
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have done their part. They beat the Cleveland Browns, 28-14 at Acrisure Stadium to clinch a winning record and improve their standing in the AFC playoff race. Their playoff hopes still hinged on a Jets win against the Dolphins in Miami, but all the Steelers could control has been completed.
The Steelers won the toss but deferred their option until the second half. The Browns took the ball first and gained first downs on their first two plays, but an illegal hands to the face penalty called on backup offensive lineman James Hudson set them behind the sticks and Cleveland had to eventually punt.
The Steelers put together a promising drive and marched right up to the goal line, thanks to hard running from Najee Harris and a 32-yard catch and run from Diontae Johnson. But on third and goal from the one yard line, Harris coughed up his third fumble of season and the Browns recovered.
Other than the opportunity cost of fumbling a yard away from the endzone, the fumble didn't hurt the Steelers. Both sides traded punts through the end of the first quarter, unable to create any points. The Browns picked up big gains on first and second downs but the Steelers held firm on third downs. Meanwhile, Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett struggled throwing the ball. He sailed some passes on key downs and the Browns were able to contain Harris in the run game.
The Browns finally broke the ice midway through the second quarter. A defensive holding call on Robert Spillane on third and 10 from midfield sparked the Cleveland offense, who marched the remaining 50 yards easily and scored on 10-yard pass from Deshaun Watson to David Njoku.
Trailing 7-0 with 6:33 to go, Pickett and company took the ball back at their own 25 yard line. Zach Gentry got the offense moving with a 23-yard catch and run. Then Johnson drew a pass interference call that got the Steelers into Browns territory. Right after the two-minute warning, Pickett began aiming for the endzone. He missed a deep ball to Johnson along the sideline but didn't miss a wide-open George Pickens, who was running up the scene and caught a game-tying 31-yard touchdown pass.
Two plays later, Pickett and company were back in business after Watson tried to squeeze a pass to David Bell in between three defenders but Levi Wallace was there to pick it off. Set up at their own 44 yard line, a 24-yard back-shoulder connection from Pickett to Pickens set up Chris Boswell's 49-yard go-ahead field goal to make it 10-7 with 43 seconds until halftime.
Cleveland couldn't make anything of their final drive and the Steelers went to halftime leading by three.
The home team came out of intermission receiving the opening kickoff and they rode the legs of Warren and Harris into the redzone. But on four plays from inside the 20-yard line, the Steelers gained just nine yards and had to opt for another field goal from Boswell.
The Browns tried to mount a response but Damonte Kazee cut the drive short by picking off Watson for the second time. He undercut a reciever in the flat and set the Steelers offense up with a short field and they capitalized. Five runs gained all 25 of the necessary yards and Harris punched in a four-yard scoring run to make it 20-7 with 3:17 left in the third quarter.
The defense harrassed Watson relentlessly on the Browns' next possession. He was under constant pressure and took two sacks before his team had to punt with 1:04 to go in the third quarter. The Steelers had to punt as well and Watson went back to work down two scores.
He connected with Amari Cooper for 36 yards to move the Browns into Steeler territory and a roughing the passer penalty on Cameron Heyward helped extend the drive before Watson found Chubb during a scramble drill for a two-yard touchdown pass.
The Steelers held a six-point lead with 10:11 to go and possessed the ball for more than five minutes of game clock. Pickett was backed into multiple third and longs, but delivered strikes to move the chains. Conner Heyward and Pickens helped their quarterback out by completing acrobatic catches. After converting two more third and longs by connecting with Heyward and a pass interference penalty in the endzone went in Pickens' favor, setting up a one-yard touchdown run from Derek Watt. The two-point conversion pass to Diontae Johnson put Pittsburgh up 28-14.
Watson threw for 36 yards to get the Browns over midfield afer getting the ball back. While they drove, the Dolphins kicked a field goal to go ahead of the Jets, 9-6 with 24 seconds left in their game, all but certainly ending the Steelers' season. With 53 seconds left, the Steelers were in the middle of icing their own win but dejected fans left the stadium as they learned the Dolphins had won.
The Steelers got a fourth down stop as the clock expired on their final game and the regular season. They clinched a winning season, but fell short of the playoffs.
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