PITTSBURGH - The following are the highlights and lowlights from the Steelers' 14-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night at Heinz Field:
Play of the game: With 3 minutes, 5 seconds left in the game and clinging to a 7-3 lead, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a short pass to Antonio Brown on second-and-9. When Cleveland defender Joe Haden slipped, Brown turned the catch into a 79-yard game-clinching touchdown.
Offensive player of the game: Roethlisberger completed 16-of-21 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns despite playing the second half with a badly sprained ankle.
Article Photos
Mirror photo by J.D. Cavrich
Antonio Brown is congratulated by Rashard Mendenhall after his fourth-quarter touchdown.
Defensive player of the game: Pittsburgh cornerback William Gay broke up three passes, including an interception in the end zone late in the game.
Most telling statistic: The Steelers had 416 total yards to Cleveland's 304.
Best pass: Roethlisberger looked right, stepped up in the pocket and fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery in the first quarter with the Browns' Jayme Mitchell ready to sack him.
Worst pass: Cleveland's Colt McCoy underthrew tight end Evan Moore in the second quarter and was intercepted by Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.
Best run: Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall ran a tough 15 yards up the middle late in the third quarter.
Best catch: Brown leaped high to snag a pass from Roethlisberger early in the fourth quarter and raced to the sideline for a 27-yard gain.
Dropped pass: Brown missed a third-and-13 pass at the beginning of the third quarter.
Best block: Cleveland left guard Jason Pinkston sealed a huge hole for Chris Ogbonnaya on a third-and-20 draw that went for 28 yards in the second quarter.
Missed block: The Steelers' Isaac Redman didn't stop the Browns' D'Qwell Jackson on a second-quarter sack of Charlie Batch.
Best tackle(s): Browns linebacker Chris Gocong was instrumental in helping the Browns stop the Steelers on four straight running plays after getting a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line in the fourth quarter.
Best hit: Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark drilled Cleveland receiver Greg Little on the sideline after a 17-yard reception in the second quarter.
Missed tackle: Roethlisberger sidestepped the Browns' Kaluka Maiava and completed a 13-yard pass to Brown in the second quarter.
Best coverage: Gay intercepted a McCoy pass to Mohamed Massaquoi in the end zone with 3:11 remaining in the game. He also knocked down a deep pass intended for Jordan Norwood in the end zone in the second quarter.
Worst coverage: Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons was chasing after Moore on a 33-yard pass play on the Browns' first possession.
Best kick(s): Browns punter Brad Maynard pinned the Steelers inside the 10-yard line three times.
Worst kick: Maynard had a 33-yard punt from his own 5-yard line in the fourth quarter.
Best decision: The third-and-20 draw to Ogbonnaya was the Browns' best highlight of the game.
Worst decision: The Steelers ran Mendenhall four straight plays at the goal line.
Best effort: Brown finished with five catches for 151 yards and the game-clinching touchdown.
Unsung hero: The Steelers defense has given up less than 10 points in three straight games.
Replays: An official review of a 2-yard McCoy touchdown run in the first quarter was overturned and put the ball at the 1-yard line. The Browns eventually settled for a field goal. Cleveland won a challenge later in the first quarter when a catch by the Steelers' Brown was overturned, resulting in an incompletion. In the third quarter, a 24-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace was overturned when it was ruled that Wallace's knee was down at the 2-yard line. In the fourth quarter, a James Farrior interception was overturned and ruled an incompletion.
