A Browns win over Pittsburgh could cost the Steelers the division title, a first-round playoff bye and a home playoff game. That's a lot to play for.
View full sizeA year ago, the Browns put the finishing touches on Rashard Mendenhall and the Steelers' fading playoff hopes with a December victory at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Steelers have already clinched a playoff berth, but the Browns could make Pittsburgh's path much more difficult with a season-ending victory on Sunday.BEREA, Ohio -- Browns victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers have been rare since their expansion rebirth in 1999. Only four wins versus 20 losses. But the occasional defeat usually inflicts great damage on Cleveland's arch-rivals.
Every time the Browns have won, the Steelers have failed to make the playoffs. That won't happen this year; the Steelers have clinched a playoff berth. But a Browns win in Sunday's regular-season finale could hurt the Steelers badly.
If Pittsburgh (11-4) wins, it claims its third AFC North title in four years. More importantly, a win secures the AFC No. 2 seed, a first-round playoff bye and a home game in the divisional playoff round.
If the Browns win -- and if Baltimore beats Cincinnati -- the Steelers would tumble to second place and possibly the AFC sixth seed, pending the Jets-Buffalo game. They would likely play on the road against the Chiefs for the right to play No. 1 seed New England in Foxboro, Mass.
"It's huge for us," nose tackle Casey Hampton said to Pittsburgh reporters on Monday. "We definitely need it. If you get a bye, it gets you closer to the Super Bowl. You only have to win two games instead of three. Anything can happen in the playoffs so you want to play as least games as possible trying to get there."
So the stakes are high for the Steelers. They may be high enough for all-world safety Troy Polamalu to rush into action. Polamalu has missed two games with an Achilles tendon injury and was hoping to rest all the way through the second round of the playoffs. He is questionable now for the Browns' game.
A secondary factor for the Steelers on Sunday is to avenge last year's 13-6 Browns win on Dec. 10 in Cleveland. It was their fifth loss in a row. They recovered to win their final three, but the loss to the Browns ousted them from the playoffs in a tie-breaker with Baltimore.
The other Browns' wins in the expansion era did not have playoff implications.
• In the first meeting in 2003, the Browns hammered the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 33-13. They finished 6-10.
• In the first meeting in 2000, the Browns prevailed, 23-20, as the Steelers ran out of time trying to line up for a game-tying field goal attempt. They finished 9-7.
• In the second meeting in 1999, Phil Dawson's field goal as time ticked down to :00 gave the Browns a 16-15 victory, avenging the Steelers' 43-0 party-crashing whitewash that ushered in the Browns' new era. After the defeat in Pittsburgh, team chairman Dan Rooney called it "one of our all-time worst losses."
A win over Pittsburgh would make the Browns 6-10 -- one game better than in 2009 and improve coach Eric Mangini's two-year record to 11-21. It would also give the fan base some satisfaction as attention turns to the draft and typical off-season business.
But one thing to note about the Steelers. They are great finishers. Only one time since 1969 have they blown a division lead held late in the season. That was in 1990 when they lost a season finale to the Houston Oilers and finished behind them in the wild-card tie-breaker.
TONY GROSSI'S SCOUTING REPORT
Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday 1 p.m. in Cleveland Browns Stadium
Record: 11-4.
Last game: Beat Carolina, 27-3, Dec. 23, in Pittsburgh.
Coach: Mike Tomlin, 45-22, fourth year.
Series record: Steelers lead, 61-56 (counting postseason).
Last meeting: Steelers won, 28-10, Oct. 17, in Pittsburgh.
View full sizeRookie receiver Mike Wallace (17, beating T.J. Ward and Eric Wright for a touchdown in October) has been a highly productive weapon for an offense that has been resilient despite a series of injuries.League rankings: Offense is 15th (ninth rushing, 16th passing), defense is second (first rushing, 14th passing), and turnover differential is plus-14.
Offensive overview: It's a credit to them they've achieved run-pass balance during a year when they lost both starting tackles and used three different right guards. Rookie center Maurkice Pouncey has been an absolute gem as an anchor in the middle. Beaten-up QB Ben Roethlisberger is making good on his commit to pursue a championship after his suspension. He's missed only one practice despite a recurrent fracture in his right foot and a broken nose. RB Rashard Mendenhall has been a plow horse, with 1,237 yards and 11 TD in 310 carries. The revelation of the year has been second-year burner WR Mike Wallace. As teams have dropped back coverage to avoid getting beat deep, Wallace has learned to take the quick, short passes and turn them into big games -- a la Santonio Holmes.
Defensive overview: Legendary against the run, they're outdoing themselves this year. They're allowing an average of 64.1 rushing yards per game -- more than 10 yards better than their all-time best and less than four yards off the NFL record since 1970. They've allowed one individual 100-yard rusher in the last 49 games. Only two teams have had 100 yards against them this year -- the Jets (106) and New England (103). The Pats' BenJarvus Green-Ellis' 87 yards are the most by an individual. Forcing teams to throw, they co-lead the NFL with 44 sacks, led by LB James Harrison's 11. They've got playmakers at every position group, but none is better than SS Troy Polamalu. One of the unsung stars has been inside linebacker James Farrior, who may be having his best NFL season at age 35.
Special teams overview: Since taking over for released kicker Jeff Reed for Game 11, Shaun Suisham is 12-of-13 in field goals. He was 8-for-8 between 40 and 49 yards before missing from 41. Punter Jeremy Kapinos, subbing for injured Daniel Sepulveda, has been pedestrian -- averaging 38.7 yards gross and 30.9 net. The kickoff return teams have scored on a 97-yard return and allowed one of the same length. Antonio Brown and Antwaan Randle-El have been unspectacular on punt returns.
Players to watch:
View full sizeTroy Polamalu has missed his last two games with an Achilles tendon injury, and his status for Sunday's game is uncertain.• Strong safety Troy Polamalu: He leads the team with six interceptions despite missing the last two games. A legitimate defensive player of the year candidate, he makes game-changing plays all over the field.
• Linebacker James Harrison: He leads the team with 11 sacks and the league in fines for illegal hits. In the first meeting, he knocked out Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi, the latter hit costing him $75,000.
• Receiver Mike Wallace: One of the fastest receivers in the league, his 20.2 yards per catch ranks second in the NFL, he has seven catches of 40 or more yards, including five of his nine touchdowns.
Injury report: SS Troy Polamalu (achilles) has missed the last two games and will be questionable during the week. RB Mewelde Moore (knee) left the last game. LB Jason Worilds (knee) missed the last game.
Small world: Defensive end Nick Eason played with the Browns from 2004-06. ... Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is from Findlay, Ohio, and played at Miami (Ohio). ... Linebacker James Harrison is from Akron and played at Kent State. ... Safety Will Allen played at Ohio State. ... Cornerback Anthony Madison spent part of the 2010 season with Browns. ... Defensive line coach John Mitchell coached the position with Browns from 1991-93. ... Linebackers coach Keith Butler coached the position for Browns from 1999-2002. ... Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was Browns' O.C. from 2001-03.
-- Tony Grossi