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Steelers lose to the Browns, 13-6
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Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by the Browns' Marcus Benard tonight in Cleveland.
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CLEVELAND -- On a bitterly cold, windy night, as angry swells from Lake Erie next door lapped over seawalls, the Steelers season sailed into darkness.
The Cleveland Browns, who have the dubious daily double of last place rankings on both offense and defense in the NFL, became the latest of the league's dregs to dine at the Steelers' table.
The final score was 13-6, the fifth straight loss for the Super Bowl champs, including ones to the lowly Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders. It dropped their record to 6-7 and their faint playoff hopes may have finally expired.
The Browns -- No. 32 on offense, No. 32 on defense -- ended their own seven-game losing streak and improved their record to 2-11. The Steelers now have the longest current losing streak in the NFL.
It is a plummet with no end in sight and an inexplicable fall from 6-2 and a first-place tie in the AFC North Division for the erstwhile champs. The "undesirable pattern of behavior" -- coach Mike Tomlin's words on Monday -- continues.
The Steelers now must win two of their final three games to avoid their first losing season since 2003, the first in Mike Tomlin's coaching tenure. It also ended a 12-game winning streak against the Browns and in doing so the Browns sacked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, eight times.
These Browns also were playing without five injured starters and their starting running back.
Thus, the second Super Bowl hangover in four seasons lingers.
This is what the Cleveland Browns have looked like for much of this season, only they switched uniforms last night. The Steelers looked like the Browns and the Browns looked like the old Steelers.
First Published December 10, 2009 9:01 pm
