Steelers Send Ben Roethlisberger Off With a Win, Defeating Browns in Week 17

The Pittsburgh Steelers keep their playoff hopes alive.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers send Ben Roethlisberger off with one final win at Heinz Field, defeating the Cleveland Browns 25-14 in Week 17.

The Steelers and Browns exchanged defensive stands in the opening quarter, both failing on fourth downs on their way to a 0-0 tie at the end of one. 

The Steelers found some light on offense in the second quarter, driving 66-yards before Roethlisberger found Diontae Johnson for a five-yard touchdown pass, putting the first point of the game on the board. 

After three-and-outs by both teams, Baker Mayfield threw an interception to Ahkello Witherspoon, setting up a 22-yard field goal by Chris Boswell. 

T.J. Watt's second sack of the night stalled the Browns' final first-half drive, ending the second quarter, 10-0. 

The Steelers opened the second half holding the Browns to a punt before driving 66 yards to kick a 30-yard field goal, moving the score to 13-0. 

The Browns found the endzone with 56 seconds remaining the in the third quarter after a 44-yard drive capped with a Mayfield touchdown pass to David Njoku. 

Pittsburgh failed to score on their next possession, leaving the score 13-7 heading into the fourth quarter. 

The fourth quarter continued to be a defensive battle until the Steelers drove eight plays and 26 yards for a 50-yard field goal with 9:46 remaining, moving the score to 16-7. 

And then came Renegade.

Alex Highsmith found Nick Chubb in the backfield on the first play for a two-yard loss. The next play, Derrek Tuszka sacked Mayfield for a five-yard loss. And after a holding call and then a false start on third down, Marcus Allen stopped D'Ernest Johnson on a three-yard run. 

The Steelers went three-and-out in the following drive but set up Boswell for a 48-yard field goal. 

The Browns drove 76 yards in four minutes and 17 seconds on the following to score a touchdown and move the score to 19-14 with 1:10 remaining. 

Pittsburgh recovered the onside kick, and Najee Harris broke a 37-yard run for one last touchdown, topping off the victory, 25-14.

And as the clock ticked zero, and the future Hall of Famer walked off of Heinz Field one last time, the "Thank you, Ben" chants couldn't be louder. 

No. 7 got one final win at home. 

Roethlisberger finished the night completing 24 of 46 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown to an interception. Harris rushed for 188 yards and a score. 

On defense, Watt finished with four sacks, Highsmith with two more, and Robert Spillane led the team with eight tackles. 

The Steelers keep their playoff hopes alive, moving to 8-7-1 on the season. They'll travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens in Week 18. 

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.