Browns finish 3-13 with 28-12 loss to playoff bound Steelers
BY JEREMY SOMERVILLE
BROWNS BEAT WRITER
(CLEVELAND, OH) - As they seem to do every year, the Cleveland Browns (3-13) capped off a disappointing season with blowout loss to their former rivals from Pittsburgh (10-6). This year’s 28-12 loss in the home and season finale will likely also trigger another Cleveland tradition, a regime change.
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns, without the help of a running game, as the Steelers ran 19 times for just 30 yards. He did throw two interceptions, but torched the Browns defense with nearly every other throw, as he found three different receivers for each of his three scores. Antonio Brown pulled in 13 catches for 187 yards and one touchdown and Heath Miller and Markus Wheaton also added touchdown catches.
The Pittsburgh defense had Roethlisberger’s back as they punched the Browns inept offense in the mouth all day, holding them to just four field goals, while forcing four turnovers and racking up six sacks.
When Browns quarterback Austin Davis was not running for his life he was 24 of 46 for 240 yards and two interceptions. Gary Barnidge, as usual and no matter who the QB is, led the team in receiving with eight catches for 66 yards. Darius Jennings added six catches, Travis Benjamin five, and Terrelle Pryor made his first catch as a wide out on a 42-yard bomb. Isiah Crowell finished with 53 yards on 15 carries.
The Steelers had to win this game and hope that Buffalo would beat the New York Jets in order to get into the playoffs. They took care of business easily and Buffalo helped them out, beating the Jets 22-17. When news travelled around First Energy Stadium, a roar came from the crowd of mostly Steelers fans. It was yet another embarrassing moment for the Jimmy Haslam led Browns. One that may make his decision to change regimes easier than their 3-17 record in their last 20 games.
Pittsburgh got on the board first when Miller pulled in a Roethlisberger pass for a two-yard score midway through the first. Cleveland came back with a 29-yard Travis Coons field goal to make it 7-3 at the end of one quarter of play. The Browns would pull within one point following a 39-yard Coons field goal made it 7-6, but Roethlisberger was just too much.
With the Playoffs on the line Big Ben led his team on an 80-yard march that found paydirt when Brown pulled in a 17-yard pass for a touchdown to put his team ahead 14-6. Pryor’s big catch put the Browns in field goal range before the end of the half and Cleveland made it 14-9 after two quarters.
Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh defense were just too much to handle in the second half for the clearly overmatched Browns. Every time Cleveland would move the ball, the defense would get it back in the hands of Roethlisberger and he made sure to get his team in the end zone. Touchdowns will always beat field goals, easily. Something Cleveland fans have suffered through for 16 years now.
Pittsburgh is now the sixth seed in the AFC Playoffs and the Browns are once again going home empty handed. With Tennessee losing to Indianapolis the Browns will have the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and because New England was stripped of their first round pick due to deflategate they will also have the 32nd pick in the draft, leaving them with two picks in the top 32 for the fourth time in five years.
POSTED 01/03/2015 at 17:02
Lake County Sentinel
