Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continued his mastery over Cleveland on Sunday with three touchdown passes to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 28-12 victory over the Browns.
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Roethlisberger has now thrown 16 interceptions in only 12 games played, an alarming stat made worse considering four of those picks have come against next week’s playoff opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals. They host the unsafe Seattle Seahawks next week while Green Bay will hit the road to face the NFC Least winners in Washington.
On the last Sunday of the regular season, only one playoff spot remained up for grabs, the sixth seed in the AFC, and the Pittsburgh Steelers claimed it mere hours after the early afternoon kick-off. He didn’t play in the Steelers’ next game, a 30-17 loss in a wild-card round game against the Ravens.
The Steelers (10-6) had to win and needed Buffalo to knock off the New York Jets to make the postseason.
Pittsburgh pulled off its parlay on the Great Lakes.
When the outcome had been decided, Pettine, bundled up on a cold day on the lakefront with occasional flurries, embraced Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and slowly walked off the field for the final time. “We’re where we need to be”.
The Steelers could once again be down a running back when they travel to Cincinnati this Saturday to take on the Bengals in NFL Wild Card Weekend. “I heard cheering and looked because I thought there was a fight or a Steelers fan beating up a Browns fan or something (laughter)”, he said. “Thanks to (Buffalo Head Coach Rex) Coach Ryan and the rest of the Bills and everybody in Buffalo”.
“We’re just hopeful we get a win”, fan Walter Visage said. As usual, Roethlisberger did his part, throwing for 349 yards, including 187 to Antonio Brown, the seemingly un-coverable wide receiver who had had 13 catches and a TD. The Steelers, meanwhile, are going to make sure the reprieve amounts to more than a one-week cameo. He is 9-2 in games played in Cleveland. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2010 AFC championship.
Manziel’s second season was better than his rookie year, but he remains a work in progress.
Roethlisberger made one of the iconic postseason throws in Steelers history, the 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes to beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
“We find our edge playing in front of the home crowd”, Carolina QB Cam Newton said.
The Browns put up a fight, but lost for the 13th time this season.
The Jets entered Week 17 on a five-game winning streak but fell behind as Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor scored on an 18-yard touchdown run and Karlos Williams then went over from two yards out.
Haslam said the team will begin an immediate search for its eighth full-time coach of the expansion era.
Williams has started 11 games this year in place of first-team All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in October. Williams will be re-evaluated Monday and Tomlin said he would not rule him out against the Bengals.
Haslam wants to hire a head coach first and then hire a general manager with input from the head coach as well as from Brown, Haslam and Haslam’s wife, Dee.
According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, Jaguars offensive line coach Doug Marrone and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will be the first names the search committee contacts about the vacancy.
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Haslam also reportedly announced the promotion of executive VP, general counsel Sashi Brown to executive VP of football operations at a Sunday night press conference.
