Pittsburgh—— The Pittsburgh Steelers did their part to keep their playoff hopes alive with a 28-14 home win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 18.
The Steelers got off to a slow start offensively, but scored four straight times before and after the break to give the home team an insurmountable lead.
A 31-yard drive by Kenny Pickett and George Pickens tied the game at 7-7 with 1:52 left in the second quarter. After a Levi Wallace interception, the Steelers got the ball back and added to a Chris Boswell field goal before halftime to take their first lead.
Boswell scored again on the first drive of the second half. Then there’s Damontae Kazee in front of a pass from Deshaun Watson. Najee Harris finished the ensuing drive with a 4-yard drive down the middle to give Pittsburgh a 20-7 lead.
The Browns ended the long drive early in the game with a touchdown by Watson on David Njoku, but struggled to keep any offense alive. The Steelers pressured Watson all game and ended up with seven sacks.
Pickett wasn’t dominant in the game, going 13-for-29 for 195 yards and a touchdown. But he avoided the turnover that plagued Watson and gave the Steelers 10 points.
Najee Harris was the backbone of the Steelers’ offense, rushing for 84 yards on 23 carries. Jalen Warren added 36 yards on six carries. Harris has over 1,000 yards this season.
Pickens was the Steelers’ most efficient receiver with three catches for 72 yards.
Going into the final week of the season, the Steelers need two wins from the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets to stay alive, and they are important underdogs heading into the playoffs.