Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams (34) runs after a pass reception as Cleveland Browns linebacker Karlos Dansby (56) defends during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Cleveland.
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Wide receiver Antonio Brown had 10 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns when the teams met earlier this season. Denver and Cincinnati are both alive for it. A Denver loss would remove them from the No. 2 seed unless Cincinnati and Kansas City also lose.
First things first. As long as they don’t stumble against the Browns (3-12), whom they easily handled 30-9 on November 15, the Steelers have a playoff pulse. Their fanbase would love nothing more than to beat Pittsburgh and knock them out of the playoffs, so the Steelers can not repeat their performance of last week.
They’re in. And they’re unsafe. There, the Bills must beat the New York Jets to give the Steelers half the equation they need to make it as a wild card in the AFC. “We’re where we need to be”.
Big Ben finished 24 of 36 and improved to 19-2 over Cleveland. Miami’s Andrew Franks (46 yards) and New England’s Stephen Gostkowski (46 yards) both missed field-goal tries.
“I assumed there was a fight or a Steelers fan was beating up a Browns fan”, he said with a laugh.
Yet as numbing as the loss was – to the point where quarterback Ben Roethlisberger curtly offered “I’m over that one, sorry” when asked about it on Thursday – the Steelers (9-6) insist they hope their coach makes the same decision this weekend if the situation presents itself.
“If you look at it every year and say, ‘I want to be at this level or this level, ‘ you can kind of get frustrated, especially if you’re injured or something’s not going right”, Mosley said.
Pittsburgh’s bumpy season – the Steelers overcame suspensions, injuries and the shocking loss to the Ravens – will continue with at least one more game. He finishes the season with 1,043 yards, the second-highest total for a tight end in Browns history.
The win alone did not send the Steelers to the playoffs. What we haven’t seen much of is the Steelers do it offensively and defensively in the same game.
They’re still in the hunt for another Super Bowl title. With Austin Davis handling the Browns’ quarterbacking duties, neither of these two should be a major concern.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to the playoffs with uncertainty at running back.
Brown fumbled to end the Steelers first drive after a 13-yard reception, and although the Browns took over at the Steelers 39, they did not score. Owner Jimmy Haslam, who vowed in August that he wouldn’t “blow things up” did just that, ousting Pettine and Farmer after two disappointing seasons.
Pettine went 10-22 in two years, dropping 18 of his final 21 games after a promising 7-4 start in 2014. When the Philadelphia Eagles fired head coach Chip Kelly on Wednesday rumors immediately ignited that he would perhaps find a home in Cleveland. We can’t take this for granted. Blake left last week’s game with back spasms in the first half. Tomlin said Williams will be evaluated, and would not rule him out of the postseason.
The Browns’ season had been rough.
Brown joined the Cleveland organization in January 2013 in the role of executive vice president-general counsel after spending eight years with the Jacksonville Jaguars in a similar position.
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And beyond their many on-field issues, Manziel, who was sidelined with a concussion, continued to be a distraction.
