PITTSBURGH — On the final day of this bizarro season, the Steelers needed a trifecta of results. They handled the Browns, 28-14. The Bills blasted the Patriots. But the Dolphins inched past the Jets, 9-6, on a 50-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining, dashing the Steelers’ long-shot playoff hopes.
In the third year of seven NFL playoff teams, the Steelers (9-8) nearly grabbed that No. 7 seed for the second year in a row. Instead, they had to settle for clinching a 19th consecutive non-losing season for the franchise, including all 16 under coach Mike Tomlin.
The Steelers did it Sunday via their usual formula, with a little bit more offensive pizzazz sprinkled into it. Two offensive touchdowns for the first time in three weeks, five plays of 20-plus yards and a reliable Chris Boswell helped offset a miserable start at Acrisure Stadium.
Kenny Pickett wasn’t always sharp but managed the game well enough to not need a come-from-behind two-minute drill this week. He threw for 195 yards and one touchdown on 13-of-29 passing, with zero interceptions for the seventh time in his past eight games (not counting his short-lived start against the Ravens).
Pickett made fewer big blunders than his $230 million counterpart, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson was a problem for the Steelers defense when he extended plays and used his legs, but he threw for only 230 yards on 18-of-29 passing with two touchdowns and two brutal interceptions.
The Steelers outgained the Browns 337-307, and outrushed them 148-134. They also converted 9 of 15 third-down conversions, at one point scoring 20 unanswered to take a two-possession lead late in the third quarter.
It was over when: Derek Watt punched in a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:37 left, capping a 14-play, 75-yard drive to give this offense a bit of momentum going into next season.
Player of the game: Cam Heyward. Just a ho-hum eight tackles, two sacks, four quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and a batted pass at the line of scrimmage for “Captain Cam.” It would’ve been an even bigger day, too, had he not had a sack negated by a questionable roughing-the-passer call on Watson. Heyward brought it week in and week out this season, never missing a game due to injury and leading the defense through some dark days. It was fitting that he finished the season with one last sack as time expired.
Trending up: Levi Wallace. With his fourth interception of the season, Wallace likely cemented himself as a starter in 2023. He had some down moments at times in his first year as a Steeler, but he’s done nothing but hold down his side of the field lately, and the ball skills are part of what made him attractive as a free agent last offseason. With Cam Sutton set to hit the market and the Ahkello Witherspoon/William Jackson III duo unable to get a helmet on game days in the second half of the season, Wallace’s surge has been an encouraging development.
Trending down: Diontae Johnson. His near-fumble in the first half could’ve been costly, and he was lucky officials only ruled it an incomplete pass. It was similar to one of his drops last month in the Falcons game. On top of that, Johnson finished his first season making big money without a single touchdown catch. That points to the struggles of the offense overall but also his own big-play potential, or lack thereof.
Next up: The 2023 offseason, after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Free agents include starting cornerback Cam Sutton, starting safety Terrell Edmunds, linebacker Devin Bush.
