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Pittsburgh — The Pittsburgh Steelers did their part to keep their playoff hopes alive with a 28-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in their home matchup in Week 18.
The Steelers got off to a slow start on offense, but scored on four consecutive possessions surrounding the halftime break to give the home side an insurmountable lead.
Kenny Pickett connected with George Pickens on a 31-yard strike to tie the game at 7-7 in 1:52 in the second quarter. After a Levi Wallace interception, the Steelers got the ball back and added a Chris Boswell field goal just before the half to take their first lead.
Boswell scored again on his first drive of the second half. Then it was Damonte Cazzie who stepped in front of the pass of DeShawn Watson. Nagy Harris drove the ensuing drive up the center with a 4-yard rush to make it 20-7 Pittsburgh.
The Browns advanced with a long drive that ended in a touchdown from Watson to David Nyok early in the game, but struggled to maintain an offensive presence. The Steelers put Watson under pressure the entire game, finishing with seven sacks.
Pickett finished 13 of 29 for 195 yards and 1 touchdown, and had no statistically dominant games. However, he avoided the turnover that plagued Watson and gave the Steelers his 10 points.
Nagy Harris was the bulwark of the Steelers’ offense, tallying 84 yards on 23 runs. Jaylen Warren added 36 yards on his six carries. Harris surpassed 1,000 yards on the season.
Pickens was the Steelers’ most productive receiver, recording three catches for 72 yards.
The Steelers needed wins from both the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets to survive after entering the final week of the season as a key underdog to make the playoffs.
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