SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 30, 2012
Steelers 24, Browns 10: Ben Roethlisberger threw two of his three touchdown passes in the second half as host Pittsburgh ended its season by snapping a three-game losing streak.
Roethlisberger was 15-of-23 for 134 yards for Pittsburgh (8-8), which had only 212 total yards but turned two Cleveland fumbles into TDs.
Thad Lewis completed 22 of 32 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his NFL debut for the Browns (5-11), who lost their final three games overall and finished 1-7 on the road.
After a scoreless opening quarter, the teams traded field goals before Roethlisberger connected with Leonard Pope for a 1-yard touchdown with 47 seconds remaining in the second. Cleveland pulled even when Lewis hit Greg Little with a 7-yard scoring strike less than four minutes into the third, but Roethlisberger threw a 9-yard TD pass to Antonio Brown with 4:39 left in the period to give Pittsburgh a 17-10 lead.
Roethlisberger put the game away when he hit Plaxico Burress over the middle for a 12-yard touchdown on third-and-10 with 3:20 remaining in the contest.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cleveland K Phil Dawson missed only his second field goal of the season when his 39-yard attempt early in the second quarter was wide right. Dawson entered the game 28-of-29. ... Lewis made his first career start as both Brandon Weeden and Colt McCoy were inactive with shoulder injuries. Browns RB Trent Richardson also did not play due to a sprained left ankle. ... Burress made two catches for 24 yards after hauling in only one pass over the first two games of his second career stint with Pittsburgh.