After Week 5 of this 2013 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns had won their third straight and, at 3-2, had a three-game advantage in the win column over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers, 0-4 and coming off a bye week at that point, were at rock bottom and the Browns were optimistic about evacuating the basement of the AFC North.
Well, it’s Week 17 and…the tables have turned on lowly Cleveland (4-11) while Pittsburgh (7-8) remains alive for the sixth and final opening in the AFC playoff picture. With a victory at home against the Browns, and losses by Miami, Baltimore, and San Diego, the Steelers would still be playing next week, on the road in a Wild Card weekend showdown against the number three seed.
While that certainly is a lot that needs to occur, the simple fact that the Steelers survived the odds last week gives players, coaches, and fans reason to believe it can happen. They survived a wild, wintry finish at Green Bay last week while getting the losses they needed by several others to remain eligible for playoff consideration.
In this final regular season matchup, Cleveland comes to Heinz Field on a six-game losing streak that has included a blowout loss to division-leading Cincinnati, a 27-11 home loss to Pittsburgh, ugly losses to Jacksonville and the New York Jets, and an improbable last-minute collapse at New England. Jason Campbell, who is one of three starting quarterbacks for Cleveland this year, has shown signs of competence at a position that has been a major struggle for the Browns since rejoining the league in 1999.
Before Campbell, it was last year’s odd first-round draft pick Brandon Weeden, who started the year atop the depth chart. When Weeden was deemed unworthy of the job, Brian Hoyer did an admirable job before suffering a season-ending injury. Campbell has been decent, completing 57 percent of his passes and throwing for ten touchdowns and seven interceptions. His best targets are breakout WR Josh Gordon (80 receptions, 1,564 yards, 9 touchdowns, despite missing two games due to suspension) and TE Jordan Cameron (75 receptions, 848 yards, 7 touchdowns), but if they are covered by the Steelers’ 8th-ranked pass defense, there is little else to turn to for the Browns offense. Gordon had a monster game against Ike Taylor and the Steelers earlier this season, catching 14 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown.
The Browns have just the 27th-ranked rushing offense and the leading rusher on the season is Willis McGahee with only 377 yards. Pittsburgh has just the 29th-ranked rushing offense, but rookie Le’Veon Bell (770 yards, 7 touchdowns) is getting better each week and is coming off of his first career 100-yard game. Bell ran well in the snow at Lambeau Field and is a strong compliment to the passing offense engineered by Ben Roethlisberger and Steelers team MVP WR Antonio Brown, who was one of two Pro Bowl selections named earlier this week.
The other Pittsburgh representative at this year’s Pro Bowl will be safety Troy Polamalu, who helps lead a defense that has struggled at times, but is playing solid football throughout most of the second half of the season. At Cleveland in the first matchup between these two teams, Pittsburgh forced four turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown by William Gay.
If Pittsburgh is victorious but is left out of the playoffs, they will finish the season 8-8, and at best tied for second place in the division. After starting the season 0-4 and weathering controversies involving the commitment of Roethlisberger, the competence of offensive coordinator Todd Haley, and the behavior of head coach Mike Tomlin, an 8-4 finish to the season would be a positive step towards returning to the organization’s winning ways next season.
A victory, and help from the Jets (playing Miami), Bengals (playing Baltimore), and Chiefs (playing San Diego), would result in one of the most remarkable turnarounds in team history.
Pittsburgh has won six of seven in this series and Ben Roethlisberger is 16-1 in his career against the Browns which, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is the best mark against any opponent by any quarterback with a minimum of 15 starts against them.
Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Steelers
