The curtain closed, and the play didn’t review well -- for the Steelers or the Browns. The Browns pulled a fake punt, outgained the home side by 100-plus yards and even seemed to win the post-play fights on Heinz Field. In Sunday’s end, though, the host Steelers capitalized on a season-high four takeaways and skulked from an underachieving and injury-riddled season with a 24-10 victory and an 8-8 record.
Defense, the steadiest element for the Steelers in 2012, posted a season-high four takeaways -- half of them caused by second-year cornerback Cortez Allen, a nickelback starting for an injured Ike Taylor. That followed the previous season-high of three, which came a week ago against Cincinnati. In those two games, Allen alone accounted for five takeaways on two interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Travis Benjamin and Josh Gordon fumbles -- both caused by Allen, the former on a swipe once Benjamin arose from the grass trying to gain extra yardage -- turned into Pittsburgh touchdowns.
“Basically, the game came down to two fumbles by rookie receivers that lead to 14 points,” beleaguered Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. “There is the score.”
The Steelers’ offense had five three-and-out possessions and only two drives all game that accounted for more than 27 yards. So even though the unit yielded 320 yards total to 5-11 Browns, who were down to third-teamers at several skill positions, the NFL’s leading defense did enough to send the Steelers to only their second victory in their final seven games.
“Offense-defense, we never clicked together,” Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton said. “We never played well [at the same time].”
Doug Legursky, who spent time at both guard spots due to injuries Sunday, pointed to a nagging inability of an offense that scored 27 points or more three times in the opening seven games and never matched that the rest of the way.
“A lot of the games, the defense was playing tough and the offense was struggling,” Legursky said. “For us on offense, we [didn’t] have much of an identity.”
When the game turned: Cleveland lost a measure of momentum when Pro Bowl K Phil Dawson missed from 39 yards in the opening moments of the second quarter. The Browns were never able to do any better than tie the game thereafter. A third-quarter, 80-yard drive that culminated in Roethlisberger’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown put the Steelers ahead. After that, the Pittsburgh defense got two stops, and Allen's fumble recovery off Benjamin sealed the win.
Highlight reels: Allen’s strip off Benjamin was a nifty play, especially when (so video review seemed to indicate) he missed a swipe-tag on Benjamin after the catch and simply got him on the second try. Ray Ventrone, a Pittsburgh native and NFL journeyman, rumbled 35 yards with a fake punt. And the “chippy” play, as Shurmur called it, prompted all the scuffles and scrums.
Backyard brawls: Browns-Steelers used to contain fisticuffs and fireworks regularly. (Anyone remember Joe “Turkey” Jones planting Terry Bradshaw into the Cleveland Municipal Stadium turf in 1976?) But after Browns DT Phil Taylor hit rookie Steelers OT Kelvin Beachum seemingly after a play, causing Beachum to leave with an expected concussion, tempers flared. Pro Bowl C Maurkice Pouncey pursued Taylor more heatedly after Taylor did something he would “regret.” Added Pouncey: “He did [apologize afterward], but that’s the NFL.” Legursky got into with Taylor and others, too. “After the game, we all discussed it,” Legursky said. “There were no hard feelings. [There were] cheap shots on all sides. When something happens, there’s going to be an opposite reaction. It was a pretty grimy game.”
Top-shelf performances:
- Steelers CB Cortez Allen -- eight tackles, two fumbles forced, one fumble recovery and a 21-yard return to set up the final Pittsburgh touchdown.
- Steelers ILB Lawrence Timmons -- six tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hurries, a fumble forced and a fumble recovery. “I still don’t see how he wasn’t selected to the Pro Bowl,” teammate OT Max Starks said of Timmons, who finished second in Steelers tackles with 110.
- Steelers OLB James Harrison -- a game- and personal season-high 11 tackles, plus a sack and a quarterback hurry.
- Browns TE Ben Watson -- seven receptions (on eight targets) and a game-high 64 yards.
- Browns No. 3 QB Thaddeus Lewis -- 22 for 32 for 204 yards, one touchdown, one interception (Troy Polamalu) and three sacks. The Steelers, by comparison, collected 212 yards on 51 snaps.
What they said about their hazy team futures:
- Roethlisberger, on likely retooling of the Steelers roster -- “We’d love to have everybody back. Some of the older faces we realize may not be around.”
- Foote, who wound up the team-leading tackler with 113: “At 32, you got to be healthy and productive, and I did that. That’s what I bring to the bargaining table, if they open one up for me. Either they want me or they don’t.”
- Hampton: “I want to be here. But it doesn’t matter what I say.”
- Shurmur, the Cleveland coach who spotted new minority owner Jim Haslam and operations boss Joe Banner before the game but spoke to neither: “I don’t know. We really did not win enough games, and we’re not competing next week. I was never really worried about [coming back to coach next year], and I have no regrets.”
Numbers you should know: Pro Bowl K Phil Dawson’s first-half, 39-yard miss was his first of the season between 30-39 yards and third over the past four years, encompassing 22 tries from that distance. ... The Steelers’ 6-10 season in 2003 remains their only losing record of the 21st century and over the past 13 seasons. ... Pittsburgh had 99 yards of total offense by the time it went on an 80-yard touchdown march midway through the third quarter; the Steelers finished with 212 (compared to 320 total by a Browns bunch without its top two quarterbacks, RB Trent Richardson and by the second half its top deep threat, rookie WR Josh Gordon). . . Pittsburgh TE Leonard Pope caught three passes for nine yards all season but scored two touchdowns, including one Sunday. . . Jonathan Dwyer’s 623 yards rushing marked the fewest by a Steelers, leader since Merril Hoge (610) in 1991. Never once in those 21 seasons did a team rushing-leader fail to gain 760 yards, minimum. His surge might make Rashard Mendenhall expendable. . . The Steelers finished with 10 interceptions, thanks to Polamalu’s pick deep in Steelers territory. That eclipsed last season’s 11 total as the fewest ever in a Steelers 14- or 16-game season.
Injury update: Browns -- was there anyone left to get hurt? Well, WR Josh Gordon (ankle) didn’t play the second half and OG John Greco (knee) left in the fourth quarter. Steelers -- DE Brett Keisel (knee/MCL) might require surgery. Beachum (concussion), CB Keenan Lewis (knee) and OG David DeCastro (shoulder) all exited, the latter two in the first half.
Going forward: Steelers -- And so it ends, without a playoff spot for just the fourth time in the past 12 years. The Steelers don’t know what to do with themselves, except retool/restructure. Browns -- Will they clean house under new ownership and completely rebuild? Time will tell.
Follow Steelers reporter Chuck Finder on Twitter @CBSSteelers and @cfinder.
Stay dialed in on the Cleveland Browns on Twitter at @CBSBrowns throughout the season with on-site updates from CBSSports.com RapidReports correspondent Marty Gitlin.