Steelers snap losing skid, bypass Browns in 24-9 win
CLEVELAND — The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) snapped their four-game losing skid in a 24-9 win over the Cleveland Browns (0-11) Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium.
It wasn’t a pretty performance, nor up to par with the expectations facing a winless opponent, but the Steelers will take a win of any kind given their current circumstances.
It was a small, but positive step in the right direction in their pursuit of a playoff push in the second half of the season.
With gusty 27 mph winds coming off the coast of Lake Erie, the Steelers heavily utilized running back Le’Veon bell on the ground and in the intermediate passing game. He finished with 201 all-purpose yards on 36 touches as the Steelers offense controlled the time of possession battle.
The Steelers offense held the ball for nearly 34 minutes, five minutes above their average.
Ben Roethisberger orchestrated consecutive 9-minute drives on the Steelers’ first two possessions, but they both ended in field goals as the offense stalled in the red zone. Chris Boswell connected on a pair of 32-yard and 33-yard field goals.
Roethlisberger then led an 11-play, 59-yard two-minute drill at the end of the first half that ended with 1-yard touchdown rush from Bell as time expired. Tight end David Johnson hauled in a successful 2-point conversion to give the Steelers a 14-0 lead at halftime.
The Browns drove 48 yards on 11 plays on their first possession of the second half, but a goal-line stand by the Steelers defense forced Cleveland to settle for a 24-yard field goal.
Boswell would tack on a 22-yard field goal to close out the third quarter.
With Cleveland starting quarterback Cody Kessler knocked out of the game with a concussion, Josh McCown connected with tight end Gary Barnidge for a 14-yard touchdown with 9:45 left in the fourth quarter. Rookie nose tackle Javon Hargrave then recovered a fumble in the end zone with 3:36 left to secure the win.
The Steelers finished with eight sacks, more than half of their previous season total of 13 coming into the game. Lawrence Timmons led the Steelers with seven total tackles as the defense limited Cleveland to 201 net yards of total offense, including just 23 on the ground.
Restricted by the high winds, Roethlisberger finished 23 of 36 for 167 yards. Antonio Brown caught a game-high eight receptions for 76 yards.
The Steelers look next to a prime time Thanksgiving matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on November 24.