Big Ben provides only drama in Steelers’ rout

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a concussion in Pittsburgh’s easy 31-0 win over hapless Cleveland.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — For a team that supposedly couldn’t lose, the Steelers nearly sustained the worst possible setback going into the playoffs. The Browns ended a miserable season with an embarrassing loss that may lead to another today, that of Romeo Crennel’s job.

Ben Roethlisberger gave playoff-bound Pittsburgh a major scare by sustaining a concussion during a 31-0 rout over the Browns on Sunday, a game notable only in that it likely was Crennel’s last as Cleveland’s coach.

Roethlisberger, expected to play a half to stay sharp before a two-week break, lay on the turf for nearly 15 minutes after being leveled by Willie McGinest and D’Qwell Jackson while delivering a pass late in the second quarter. Hospital tests revealed no other injuries, and the quarterback probably will be ready when the No. 2-seeded Steelers (12-4) play an AFC division game Jan. 10 or 11.

“We are optimistic of where he’s going to be,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “Again, it is encouraging.”

Roethlisberger’s injury highlights the risk NFL coaches take by playing regulars once a team’s playoff positioning has been determined. Tomlin didn’t want his key players sitting for three weeks, and most lobbied to play.

Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu was determined to play until the end, sneaking onto the field after Tomlin thought he had pulled him.

“We rested last year and it didn’t get us anywhere,” Hines Ward said, recalling how most starters were held out against Baltimore the week before a playoff loss to Jacksonville. “It’s our last dress rehearsal for two weeks. Sit all the guys out, now you’ve put us at three weeks [resting], and you get some rust.”

Rusty doesn’t begin to describe a Cleveland offense that ended the season by failing to score a touchdown for six games and 24 quarters, an NFL record.

Starting their fourth quarterback the Browns (4-12) threw for only 26 yards, tying for the second-fewest in club history. The only offense came from Jamal Lewis, who ran for 94 of their 126 yards to become the first Browns running back since Mike Pruitt in 1980-81 to gain 1,000 yards in successive seasons.

The Browns, 14-0 losers to Cincinnati last week, were shut out in successive games for the first time in franchise history

It wasn’t supposed to end this way in a season that began with so much hope after the Browns went 10-6 in 2007, causing owner Randy Lerner to give Crennel a $12 million extension through 2011. Now, Lerner will meet with Crennel in Cleveland today, almost certainly to fire him.

“We’re going to leave here, go back and have a final meeting tomorrow, but we’ll go into the offseason seeing what we can do better and get more competitive,” said Crennel, evading questions about what he expects to happen.

Crennel, the only full-time coach in Browns history to never beat Pittsburgh, could be retained in another position, though it is unclear if he would be comfortable in such an arrangement or if the new coach would want his predecessor on his staff. Crennel didn’t discuss his situation with the players after the game.

“I think it’s very sad he’s taking all the blame for this year. He didn’t miss not one tackle, he didn’t throw not one pick, he didn’t drop not one ball,” linebacker Andra Davis said. “It’s unfortunate that he’s taken all the blame.”

Cleveland, outgained 369-126, probably could have played a lot longer without scoring against a Pittsburgh defense that gave up the fewest yards and points in the NFL.

“We were so upset we had to practice on Christmas, we had to take it out on the Browns,” linebacker Larry Foote said.