Pittsburgh and the Jets finished the season with the same record but the Steelers held the tie-breaker due to having the best win percentage in common games.
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The Bills victory, coupled with the Steelers’ 28-12 win against the Cleveland Browns, sent the Steelers to a wildcard playoff berth.
Williams was injured early in the second quarter against the Browns and did not return to the game. This being the Jets, they instead threw away their shot, and a late Ryan Fitzpatrick interception helped seal a 22-17 loss.
They’re in. And they’re risky.
After a stunning loss last week in Baltimore, the Steelers (10-6) were in a predicament. Yet when Ben Roethlisberger is healthy, Pittsburgh is just as explosive as Todd Haley promised during the offseason when the uber-aggressive offensive coordinator predicted his unit should average 30 points.
“We’re not trying to make broad, sweeping statements about who and what we are”, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. “We need to be great”.
Leading comfortably in the closing minutes, Roethlisberger heard the crowd roar. “I know they’re excited about 8-8 and we’re excited they got us in”.
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 349 yards, 187 to the sensational Antonio Brown, who had 13 catches and a TD. And today it looks as though a continued adherence to either slogan will be a contributing factor in whether the Steelers are to remain in the playoffs beyond Saturday night. The Steelers finished plus-one in the turnover margin, a telling statistic for them.
If the Bengals are looking for a weak link on the Steelers offense, they have found it. On the plus side the Steelers sometimes play to the level of their competition so the playoffs could really be a good environment for them.
The Browns put up a fight, but lost for the 13th time this season.
Haslam will immediately begin the search for a new coach, Cleveland’s eighth since 1999. Tomlin said Williams will have to be evaluated and that the extent of the injury is unknown.
ESPN first reported that Williams did not sustain any fractures or structural damage to his ankle and is day-to-day. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said Monday that Williams is dealing with a sprain but could play through it against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Once the Browns have their coach, they then hire a GM.
Haslam also promoted Sashi Brown, formerly executive vice president/general counsel, as his director of football operations with control over the 53-man roster. He finishes the season with 1,043 yards, the second-highest total for a tight end in Browns history. Roethlisberger has at least one 40-yard completion in four straight games, the franchise’s longest such streak since Hall of Famer Bobby Layne did it in 1958. He selected quarterback Johnny Manziel and cornerback Justin Gilbert in the first round past year, but both have been major disappointments. Haslam said a report Marrone, who was Bills coach in 2013-14, would be first up was incorrect.
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“We’ll have to see what happens”, said the nine-time Pro Bowler.
