Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers did their part in the final-season push for a playoff spot, but the Dolphins' simultaneous win eliminated them.

Five runs gained all 25 of the necessary yards and Harris punched in a four-yard scoring run to make it 20-7 with 3:17 left in the third quarter. But on four plays from inside the 20-yard line, the Steelers gained just nine yards and had to opt for another field goal from Boswell. With 53 seconds left, the Steelers were in the middle of icing their own win but dejected fans left the stadium as they learned the Dolphins had won. He was under constant pressure and took two sacks before his team had to punt with 1:04 to go in the third quarter. They clinched a winning season, but fell short of the playoffs. The Browns picked up big gains on first and second downs but the Steelers held firm on third downs. But on third and goal from the one yard line, Harris coughed up his third fumble of season and the Browns recovered. A defensive holding call on Robert Spillane on third and 10 from midfield sparked the Cleveland offense, who marched the remaining 50 yards easily and scored on 10-yard pass from Deshaun Watson to David Njoku. He missed a deep ball to Johnson along the sideline but didn't miss a wide-open George Pickens, who was running up the scene and caught a game-tying 31-yard touchdown pass. He sailed some passes on key downs and the Browns were able to contain Harris in the run game. The Steelers won the toss but deferred their option until the second half. They beat the Cleveland Browns, 28-14 at Acrisure Stadium to clinch a winning record and improve their standing in the AFC playoff race.

The Browns came to Pittsburgh on Sunday with no playoffs possible. However, they had things to play for against the rival Steelers.

The Browns had the ball at the Pittsburgh 11, where they faced a second-and-7. It appeared a little bit of a make-up call was awarded to Cleveland on its next possession, and in just the right moment. That ended with Chris Boswell's 49-yard field goal with 38 seconds left in the half to provide a 10-7 Pittsburgh led. Their first drive reached their own 48, where Watson scrambled for 5 yards for a first down at the Steelers 47. The bigger conversion came when Pittsburgh's Robert Spillane was called for defensive holding on third-and-10 at midfield. The officials may have graced the Browns with some good luck on the Steelers' opening drive. Earlier, Watson hit his other tight end, Harrison Bryant, for a 14-yard gain on third-and-3 from the Cleveland 36. The drive took 10 plays and went 71 yards, with Watson hitting tight end Njoku for a 10-yard touchdown pass just inside the front left pylon. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs, they needed to win to make that possible. The Steelers, at 9-8, managed to assured themselves of their 19th consecutive .500-or-above season, which ties the New England Patriots for the second-longest streak in NFL history. They could've assured themselves of third place in the AFC North thanks to the head-to-head record. However, they had things to play for against the rival Steelers.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Najee Harris ran for 84 yards and a touchdown and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 28-14 on Sunday but were eliminated ...

Kosar said earlier in the week he placed a bet on the Browns to win the game. ... T Jedrick Wills went to the sideline in the final minute with a leg injury. Steelers: WR Gunnar Olszewski injured his left leg on a jet sweep in the third quarter. The Browns drew within 20-14 on a 2-yard flip from Watson to Chubb with 10:20 to go. Watson connected on 19 of 29 passes for 230 yards with two touchdowns and the two interceptions. Browns: LB Reggie Ragland left in the first half with a shoulder injury. ... CB Denzel Ward did not play in the second half due to a shoulder injury. “We've got to reflect on the season, watch the tape. Instead, the Browns (7-10) couldn't protect Watson and wound up at the bottom of the AFC North while losing at least 10 games for the 17th time since the franchise re-entered the league in 1999. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods' job could be in jeopardy as the unit was inconsistent overall and awful against the run, even with Myles Garrett — whose 16 sacks tied his own club record — having another spectacular season. “I think it will take a little bit of time to kind of understand and come to terms with it because I feel like we were starting to play some really (darn) good football,” Pittsburgh outside linebacker T.J. Tomlin has coached 258 regular season games with the Steelers.