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December 12, 2009

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Home » Sports » American Football

Browns triumph to dent Steelers' playoff hopes

Source: Agencies | December 12, 2009, Saturday | Print Edition

PITTSBURGH'S hopes of retaining its National Football League title took another serious blow on Thursday with a 6-13 defeat by the lowly Cleveland Browns -- the Steelers' fifth straight defeat.

The Browns ended a 12-game losing streak against their old rivals in a game played in sub-zero wind chills in Cleveland.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked eight times and lost for the first time in 11 games against the Browns (2-11), who extended Pittsburgh's longest losing streak in six years and defeated the Steelers (6-7) at home for the first time since 2000.

"A long time coming," Browns quarterback Brady Quinn said.

Pittsburgh's postseason chances are in peril -- if not over completely. The Steelers are going to need help to make the postseason, a stunning freefall for a team that hit the season's halfway point at 6-2.

Unexpected losses to Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland -- three of the NFL's worst teams with a combined record of 9-28 -- have pushed Pittsburgh to the brink.

Cleveland's Chris Jennings scored on a 10-yard run and Phil Dawson kicked a pair of 29-yard field goals for the Browns. Roethlisberger tried to rally the Steelers, but his fourth-down pass to Santonio Holmes with less than two minutes left was knocked down by linebacker David Bowens.

The win was just the second for Cleveland's embattled first-year coach Eric Mangini, who certainly helped his job security by beating Pittsburgh.

Cleveland's Josh Cribbs rushed for 87 yards, had 104 return yards and caught one pass for nine yards. Cribbs picked up a big first down on a 14-yard run in the fourth quarter when the Browns were trying to milk the clock.

Still, the Steelers managed to get the ball back with 6:16 left at their own 21. Roethlisberger, who has broken Cleveland's hearts before, began working his team down field with short passes. But he was sacked at midfield in the final two minutes and had his final pass batted away. Quinn, making his first career start against Pittsburgh, completed just one pass in the second half and finished 6 of 19 for 90 yards.
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