BROWNS/STEELERS NOTEBOOK From Cleveland Browns Stadium

Holcomb streaks: Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb tied a franchise passing record by making 16 straight completions spanning the past two games. He completed his last 13 pass attempts in last week's game against the Arizona Cardinals and started Sunday's game by completing his first three attempts. The 16 straight tied a record set by Bernie Kosar. Holcomb also set a career high with 44 pass attempts, surpassing his previous high of 39 set last season against Kansas City.
Getting defensive: The Browns held Pittsburgh to 168 yards and 11 first downs. That yardage was the lowest allowed by the Cleveland defense since allowing 127 against New Orleans in 1993. The Browns' defense has allowed just one touchdown in its last eight quarters.
Sack masters: The Browns have recorded a sack in seven straight games, tying the longest stretch since 1999. Defensive end Mark Word and tackle Gerard Warren sacked Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox on Sunday.
Rookie out: Browns rookie center Jeff Faine injured his right ankle in the first quarter and didn't return. He was replaced by Melvin Fowler. "Melvin came in and played pretty well," Holcomb said. "We had a couple of communication problems, but he played well. Melvin's played, he's started, so I don't think it [production] dropped off any." Steelers center Jeff Hartings suffered a right knee injury in the opening quarter and did not return. He was replaced by Chukky Okobi. Running back James Jackson suffered a left eye injury in the second quarter, but played the second half.
Sitting it out: Listed on the Browns' inactive list for Sunday's game were Lewis Sanders (DB), R.J. Bowers (FB), Ben Taylor (LB), Chad Beasley (OL), Enoch DeMar (OL), Felipe Claybrooks (DL) and Antonio Garay (DL). On the Steelers' inactive list were Dante Brown (RB), Matt Cushing (TE), Keydrick Vincent (OL), Chris Hoke (DL), Freddie Milons (WR), Jay Riemersma (TE) and Alonzo Jackson (LB).
Coming up: The Browns (4-7) will make their final West Coast trip of the season when they play in Seattle Sunday against the Seahawks (7-4). They'll return home for their first Monday night game since the expansion team was created in 1999. The Browns will host the St. Louis Rams (8-3) on Dec. 8 at 9 p.m. The Steelers (4-7) will play the first-place Cincinnati Bengals (6-5) Sunday at 1 p.m. at Heinz Field. On Dec. 7, the Steelers will be home against the Oakland Raiders (3-8) for a 1 p.m. game. "We've got to get to where we win back-to-back games," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "We've yet to do that this year."
The Bus: With 93 yards on 24 carries, Steelers tailback Jerome Bettis has 3,001 carries in his NFL career. "This is big," Bettis said. "I have been blessed to be able to play this long and take that many shots. With 3,000 carries comes 3,000 hits."
Nine completions: Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox completed 9 of 24 passes for 73 yards. "It didn't matter if it was pretty, ugly or 3-0. You want to be good statistically, but you want to win games. That is the most important thing. We are still climbing up a hill, but this one feels good for right now."
Fourth-quarter surge: The Steelers offense ran just six plays in the third quarter. Left tackle Marvel Smith said, "When we came out of the locker room, we didn't pick it up like we wanted, but in the fourth quarter, we had a whole lot of energy."
-- Brian Richesson, Tom Williams