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NO CONTEST: Steelers prep for playoffs as Browns await coach’s fate
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace (17) runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns in an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, in Cleveland.
Pittsburgh rocks Cleveland, McCoy
Associated Press
CLEVELAND
There are steps, some big, some small, teams must take before they can be Super Bowl champions.
The Pittsburgh Steelers know the uphill path well.
On Sunday, they quickened their pace.
Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes as the Steelers geared up for another possible title run by winning the AFC North and securing a first-round playoff bye with a 41-9 rout of Cleveland, in what may have been Eric Mangini’s last game as Browns coach.
“We love to win the division,” Roethlisberger said. “This is a hard division. We hope this is just the beginning.”
Roethlisberger, who rested most of the second half, threw a 56-yard TD to Mike Wallace on his first pass as the Steelers (12-4) built a 31-3 halftime lead and rocked the Browns (5-11), who didn’t put up much of a fight.
The Steelers clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC and guaranteed themselves at least one more game at Heinz Field.
“Mission accomplished,” said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, sporting a black-and-white championship cap. “We’re excited to win the division and proud of doing it, but it’s only hardware you pick up along the way. Today was the first game where we felt like we played close to what we’re capable of.”
The Steelers look ready for a lengthy playoff run.
For Roethlisberger, this was more redemption.
He began the season serving a four-game suspension — cut from six by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell — for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. There was no telling how the Steelers would do without him. But they went 3-1 without their leader, and in his first game, he threw three TD passes in a 28-10 win over Cleveland on Oct. 17.
Not only did Roethlisberger return as the same physical talent, he came back a more mature person.
Big Ben, now more at peace with himself, has hardly been better.
“We have been through a lot,” he said. “Now, it’s playoff time.”
Roethlisberger went 15 of 22 for 280 yards. He has thrown 158 passes without an interception, the longest streak of his career and further evidence of improved judgment and composure not always present.
“Ben came through adversity,” wide receiver Hines Ward said. “He stepped up.”
Mendenhall’s two short TD bursts and Roethlisberger’s scoring passes to Wallace — following Troy Polamalu’s interception — and Heath Miller gave the Steelers a 28-3 lead. It swelled to 38-3 in the third on wide receiver Antwaan Randle El’s 3-yard TD pass to Ward.
“We knew we had a lot riding on this game,” Miller said. “Our whole season came down to this. All of our goals hinged on this. We knew we had to take care of business.”
Under pressure on almost every pass, Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy was intercepted three times and sacked four more. He ended up 20 of 41 for 209 yards — much of it in garbage time. He did throw a 20-yard TD pass to Brian Robiskie in the fourth.
McCoy wasn’t expected to play this season, but was thrust into a starting role by injuries. He went just 2-6, but felt fortunate to gain experience.
“I don’t know what the future holds for the coaching staff,” McCoy said. “Guys in that locker room are committed to changing the way it’s been around here, and I’m one of them.”