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October 19, 2009 at 12:03a.m.

Steelers turn back Browns (again)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — No matter how you measure it, the Cleveland Browns can’t beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes in an increasingly wide-open Pittsburgh offense and the Steelers benefited from a debatable first-down measurement to beat the rival Browns 27-14 on Sunday, their 12th consecutive victory against their oldest rival.

Roethlisberger, second in the league in passing and on pace for what would easily be his best statistical season, was 23 of 35 for 417 yards in his second career 400-yard game. Hines Ward made eight catches for 159 yards and a touchdown, Santonio Holmes had five for 104 and tight end Heath Miller caught his fourth TD pass in three games.

“He’s in total command of the offense,” coach Mike Tomlin said of Roethlisberger, who has thrown for 1,887 yards and 10 touchdowns in six games. “It’s fun to watch.”

Even if all the turnovers weren’t — four for each team, including two apiece in a span of 1:25 late in the third quarter.

Pittsburgh outgained Cleveland 543-197, yet the Steelers led only 17-14 in the third quarter. And they might not have had that lead if they hadn’t been given a first down after Roethlisberger looked to be stopped inches short on a fourth-down sneak from Cleveland’s 14 late in the second quarter.

TV replays appeared to show the ball short of the stick on a play in which Roethlisberger tried to lure Cleveland offside before slamming headfirst into the middle of the defense. As the Browns players yelled and began running off the field, referee Walt Anderson surprised both teams by signaling first down.

“It was a close play — and we got lucky,” Roethlisberger said.

“I saw all the Cleveland guys arguing and yelling, so it was, well, the referee knows the rules better than I do,” tackle Max Starks said. “If he says first down, it’s a first down.”

Even if the Browns, obviously, didn’t think it was.

“He made the call; you have to live with it,” linebacker David Bowens said. “I don’t know if there was [an explanation]. He just said first down and that’s it.”

Anderson explained the TV angle might have been deceptive.

“If you shot that angle from the other side, it might actually look like it’s further in advance of the stake of what it was,” said Anderson, who was certain the call was correct.

Roethlisberger’s apparent 13-yard TD pass to Ward two plays later was overturned on replay because the ball came out of Ward’s hands as he rolled out of bounds, and Pittsburgh settled for the field goal.

Because of the first-down ruling, the Browns trailed 17-14 instead of being tied after driving for only their fourth touchdown on offense in 12 games — they’ve lost 11 — on Derek Anderson’s 1-yard pass to Lawrence Vickers early in the third quarter.

Anderson was 9 of 24 for 122 yards.

“We’re not trying to lose every time we go out here,” Anderson said, referring to Cleveland’s 1-9 record in Heinz Field. “We put tons of hours in and ... it’s frustrating. Every single week, it’s frustrating.”

The Steelers, winning their third in a row, made it 24-14 when Roethlisberger hit Ward for 45 yards and Mike Wallace for 21 ahead of Rashard Mendenhall’s 2-yard touchdown run.

“I think we haven’t played our best ball yet and that’s pretty comforting,” Miller said. “We’ve gotten a few wins here without playing our best.”

The Browns’ other score came on Joshua Cribbs’ 98-yard kickoff return late in the second quarter that followed Roethlisberger’s touchdown passes of 8 yards to Miller and 52 to Ward. Cribbs ran untouched along the Steelers’ sideline for his club-record eighth kick return score, six on kickoff returns, and his third against the Steelers.

“I heard ‘Return one for me’ from 1,000 fans back home in Cleveland and I got up for this game,” Cribbs said.

After the flurry of turnovers, Reed kicked a 39-yard field goal, and the Browns gave the ball back yet again — their fourth turnover and 32nd in 12 games — when Anderson was intercepted by Ryan Clark.

Cribbs also was intercepted, by Troy Polamalu, out of the wildcat formation during the first half.

No passing fancy: Offensively, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been identified with a punishing running game throughout most of the past two decades. This season, they appear to prefer to air it out. A lot. Pittsburgh (4-2) was fourth in the NFL in passing before Ben Roethlisberger threw for 417 yards in a 27-14 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the second-best yardage game of his career. He threw for 433 yards against Denver in 2006. “I don’t think we know how good we can be,” Roethlisberger said. “Truth be told, I think we have to keep striving for excellence.” Roethlisberger went 23 for 35 with two touchdowns and one interception. He also had a 113.6 passer rating, the third consecutive game it was above 100. The Steelers are averaging 313 yards passing. Sunday, the Steelers averaged 10.6 yards per pass attempt and had 11 plays of at least 19 yards. Just call them Air Arians, a reference to offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. “They just found some soft spots in the zone and were able to turn those plays into big plays,” Cleveland cornerback Eric Wright said. “With a team like that, you can’t afford to give them big plays and we gave them a lot. And they took it.” The running game was below average last season even as the Steelers were winning the Super Bowl, and it has been only slightly better this season despite Rashard Mendenhall’s 165-yard game against San Diego. He ran for 62 yards and a touchdown on Sunday “We don’t care by what means we move the chains or light up the scoreboard, as long as the job gets done,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “A lot of times what we do is dictated by what our opponents do, and we’re OK with that.”

Cribbs in the Wildcat: Cleveland’s passing offense has been so deficient, ranking second-to-last in the NFL, that the Browns went in a different direction early on: the wildcat. The ball was snapped directly to receiver Joshua Cribbs during more than a quarter of Cleveland’s plays from scrimmage, with varying degrees of success. While Cribbs was the team’s leading rusher with 45 yards on six carries, he also ended what looked to be an early scoring drive when he was intercepted by Troy Polamalu late in the first quarter, the first of four Browns turnovers. The Steelers took advantage by taking a 7-0 lead on Ben Roethlisberger’s 8-yard pass to tight end Heath Miller. “I was doing too much. It’s unacceptable,” said Cribbs, who had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. “I was trying to make a play when there wasn’t a play to be made. Coaches ask you to do your job and that’s it. Don’t try to do something that the coach doesn’t ask you to do. I should have thrown it away.” The interception was the sixth wildcat play on a seven-play drive. The Browns largely abandoned the formation over the next two quarters but brought it out again when Cribbs gained 15 yards on three plays during the fourth quarter. “When it hit there early, we kept going to it, came back with it a little in the second half and generated a few first downs,” coach Eric Mangini said. “I think it’s the type of thing that’s good because it’s different and it’ll force our opponent to prepare for a few things.” Coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers practiced facing the wildcat last week. “Just because you prepare for it doesn’t mean you can stop it,” he said. “He is a special guy, as we continue to see in a lot of different phases. I respect him.”

Yes, the Steelers have a tight end: Heath Miller has long built a reputation as one of the NFL’s best blocking tight ends. Now he’s showing he can be an elite receiver, too. Miller entered the game seventh in the league with 29 receptions, and only the Indianapolis Colts’ Dallas Clark had more among tight ends. The former first-round draft pick had five receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. Miller is averaging 5.7 catches and is on pace for 91 after averaging 42 during his first four seasons. “Like I’ve always said, the defense kind of dictates where the ball goes,” Miller said. “I feel like Ben spread the ball out to everybody today and everybody contributed.” Starting receivers Hines Ward (eight catches) and Santonio Holmes (five) each had more than 100 yards receiving. Rookie Mike Wallace also had two catches. Miller’s touchdown was his team-high fourth of the season and 25th of his career, moving him into second place among tight ends in franchise history. He also surpassed 200 receptions, only the third Pittsburgh tight end to do so.