The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 26-14 last night at Heinz Field in what will likely be the last home game appearance for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Ben threw for just 123 yards and a touchdown, despite throwing the ball 46 times. He still managed to remain unbeaten against the AFC North rival Browns at Heinz Field, going a perfect 13-0 in his career. His 98 wins at Heinz Field also ties Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre’s team record at Lambeau Field.
Running back Najee Harris had a career night, with 188 yards on 28 carries. He broke Hall of Famer Franco Harris’ rookie record for first-year yardage. It is also the first time the Steelers have had a 1,000-yard rusher in four years. Najee Harris now has 1,172 yards heading into the team’s final game in Baltimore Sunday. Franco Harris had 1,055 yards in 1972.
The Steelers sacked Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield nine times, with T.J. Watt leading the team with four sacks. He has become the 12th player in NFL history to have at least 20 sacks in one season. He is one sack away from tying Michael Strahan’s all-time record of 22-1/2 sacks in a season.
The Steelers line to the playoffs is not complex. They improved to 8-7-1 overall and will need to beat Baltimore, have Indianapolis lose to Jacksonville, and the Las Vegas Raiders-Los Angeles Chargers game cannot end in a tie.
(By the way, the Colts have not defeated the Jaguars in Jacksonville since 2014.)