After celebrating their week 12 win like a Super Bowl, the Browns met up with the Steelers again in week 14, this time in Pittsburgh. The snowy conditions took over in the week 12 game, but it was a beautiful day in the Steel City this time. Pittsburgh showed Cleveland how the first matchup should’ve gone, winning 27-14 to get their 10th win on the season and eliminate the Browns from playoff contention.
On Sunday morning it was announced that the Steelers would be without star pass catcher George Pickens against the Browns. It took a group effort from the Steelers’ offense, but they got it done. Pat Freiermuth led the team in receiving with three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Scotty Miller got activated an hour before kickoff and caught three passes for 38 yards.
Miller wasn’t the only one to turn back the clock in Week 14 as Mike Williams saw his most action as a Steeler. He caught three passes for 36 yards. Van Jefferson only caught one pass for ten yards, but it was a touchdown. Running back Jaylen Warren grabbed two receptions for 25 yards on top of his 47 rushing yards. In typical fashion, Najee Harris had a good day, posting 53 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Russell Wilson didn’t have his best game as a Steeler but found ways to manage the game without his number one option, George Pickens. Wilson completed 15 of his 26 pass attempts for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The Browns sacked him four times in the week 12 matchup but only got to him once in the week 14 game. Chris Boswell hit two field goals as he chases David Akers’s record of 44 field goals in a season.
The Steelers’ offense sleepwalked through the first handful of possessions. Still, it was jolted awake by an incredible Keeanu Benton interception that set them up perfectly for a Najee Harris touchdown to give the Steelers the lead. They never looked back. Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku found the endzone, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the elite Pittsburgh defense.
Cam Heyward continued his revival season with two sacks on Jameis Winston. Alex Highsmith returned from injury and got a sack. Pittsburgh was all over Winston, picking him off twice. Benton and James Pierre both plucked passes out of the air. Browns superstar Myles Garrett was busy shushing the Acrisure Stadium crowd while down 13 points with three minutes to play.
TJ Watt wasn’t able to get a sack in week 14, but he made his presence felt. He finished the game with four tackles and one tackle for loss. Two of Pittsburgh’s offseason additions played a big part in the game with DeShon Elliott leading the team with 13 tackles and Patrick Queen getting 10. Both guys have been key to the Steelers’ defensive success this season. The Steelers’ defense is a championship unit but it is up to the offense to hold up their end of the bargain. They have to this point.
With the Browns in the rearview, things are about to get extremely real for the Steelers. Now they face a gauntlet of a schedule to close the season with games against the Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, and Bengals. Pittsburgh has the number-one seed in the AFC in their sights. Those aren’t easy opponents, especially if George Pickens’s hamstring injury keeps him out. The offense will have to step up, but the dream of the one seed is realistic for Pittsburgh.
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