Way of the K

With apologies to Kope, this was one of those games. First place in the AFC North was on the line, and for a time, it looked like the Browns were going to forge a 1st place tie, but then the 2nd half had to be played…

The Steelers improbably improved to 7-2 on the season, erasing a 21-6 first half deficit en route to a 31-28 win over the Browns. The Steelers dominated in total yards, rush yards, passing yards and time of possession – 38 to 21 minutes, despite Cleveland taking almost 9 minutes to score its first touchdown of the game. Two special teams blunders – allowing a 90 yard return to the Steelers 3 yard line in the 1st quarter, and allowing a 100 yard return for a TD in the 4th quarter, along with a 2nd quarter turnover that gave the Browns the ball on the Steelers 18 yard line gave the Browns the rest of their scores. Where the Browns were pushing it into the end zone, the Steelers got Field goals in the first half.

The 2nd half was a reversal of fortune – the Browns were unable to secure a first down until their last possession, with little more than a minute to go. In the end, it took Browns place kicker Phil Dawson missing a 52 yard field goal with 6 seconds left, attempting to tie, a field goal that fell just inches short. The result leaves the Steelers two games up on the Browns, with the critical season sweep to effectively make it a three game lead.

The late result of the Colts losing to the Chargers leaves the Steelers temporarily in control of the 2nd seed in the AFC, based on conference record. The Steelers have a single conference loss, having also lost once outside the AFC, while both of Indy’s losses are in conference.