CLEVELAND, Ohio — Notes, observations and some facts on the third quarter …

• Ben Roethlisberger is determined to take lead on first drive. After three runs, he’s throwing almost every down. In no-huddle mode, Ben completes passes of 12 yards to Heath Miller, 11 to Antonio Brown and 11 to Mike Wallace.

• A dropped interception at the goal line by Buster Skrine kept alive the Steelers’ drive. Skrine jumped when he didn’t have to and dropped the ball.

• Dimitri Patterson breaks up lob pass to Jerricho Cotchery in the end zone.

• Browns defense holds at the 11. Shaun Suisham’s 29-yard field goal ties score at 6.

• Troy Polamalu steps in front of Evan Moore for interception at Browns’ 43 with 8:22 to go. Seneca Wallace was drifting to the right and throwing off back foot again.

• This Isaac Redman is always spinning, like Montario Hardesty. Tough to lay a lick on him.

• Now Roethlisberger has Steelers back inside Browns 20.

• Jabaal Sheard guessed wrong and jumped offsides. Steelers at the 7. Redman plows in for a 7-yard TD run.

• Needing to up the tempo, Wallace connects twice with Cribbs for 11 and 21 yards, and then keeps it for 20 yards to Steelers’ 24.

• Ryan Clark blitz scores a sack of Wallace back to Steelers’ 31. Then a holding call on Alex Mack moves it back 10 more.

• Phil Dawson makes 49-yard field goal to cut Steelers’ lead to 13-9 after Mike Tomlin declined a 10-yard holding penalty on third down.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Notes, observations and some facts on the second quarter …

• Steelers convert fourth-and-1 and get to Browns’ 14. But Jabaal Sheard’s 13-yard sack and Shaun Suisham’s 45-yard field goal miss keeps game scoreless.

• Seneca Wallace hits Jordan Cameron for 15 yards. First Browns first down. Peyton Hillis gets another on runs of 9 and 2 yards.

• From the 31, Wallace accelerates on a keeper and is tripped up at the Steelers’ 4. His fumble disallowed when ruled down by contact. Browns go backwards, but Phil Dawson’s 26-yard field goal makes it 3-0.

• Jayme Mitchell buries Ben Roethlisberger just after a 1-yard throw. Browns finally on to his dunkathon.

• At the 2-minute warning, Wallace’s 23-yard pass to Josh Cribbs takes Browns to Steelers’ 41.

• Cribbs again for 14 yards to the 27. A jump ball in end zone for Evan Moore against Ryan Clark falls incomplete.

• Dawson’s 45-yard field goal makes it 6-0.

• Roethliserger throws over Joe Haden and Antonio Brown makes over-shoulder catch for 40 yards down to Browns’ 14.

• After Brown makes another catch at Browns’ 1, Steelers use their last timeout at :11.

• Roethlisberger throws too far on lobs for Brown and Hines Ward. After Pat Shurmur ices Suisham, chip shot field goal of 19 yards is good, killing shutout bid, 6-3.

Published: Sunday, January 02, 2011, 4:11 PM     Updated: Sunday, January 02, 2011, 4:18 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns served up a performance Sunday afternoon that redefined odoriferous.

Saving their worst for last, the Browns were dismantled by the Steelers, 41-9, at Cleveland Browns Stadium. And it wasn’t that close.

The Browns finished 5-11 under coach Eric Mangini for the second consecutive season. Last year, they won the final four games to help save Mangini’s job; this year, they dropped the final four.

If Mangini survives this nosedive, rabbits will be hopping out of top hats everywhere along the North Coast.

Mangini owns a 33-47 career record in five years as an NFL head coach, the first three coming with the New York Jets.

The Browns lost for the 20th time in the last 22 regular-season meetings against their supposed rival. Sunday’s fiasco ranks among the most embarrassing in that stretch.

The Steelers (12-4) needed a victory to secure the AFC North. Their only obstacles were abdominal pain from laughing too hard and brain cramps from boredom.

Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on its first four possessions, turning Browns coordinator Rob Ryan’s defense inside-out. A field goal on the fifth possession pushed the advantage to 31-3 with 1:30 remaining in the second quarter. Boxing referee Mills Lane would have called it at intermission, but NFL rules state that a second half must be played.

Not surprisingly, the Steelers took the second-half kickoff and moved 77 yards in 13 plays. A 3-yard TD pass from Antwaan Randle-El to Hines Ward capped a drive that lasted 7:42.

Byron Leftwich then replaced Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback for the Steelers. Roethlisberger went 15-of-22 for 280 yards and two touchdowns.

The Steelers led, 38-7, through three quarters. Evidently, they were undaunted by Ryan’s assurance during the week that the Browns would get after the Steelers’ rear ends.

Cleveland pulled within 41-9 on Colt McCoy’s 20-yard pass to Brian Robiskie midway through the fourth quarter. The two-point pass attempt by Seneca Wallace failed.

The game took a dramatic turn in the first minute. On the Browns’ opening possession, McCoy threw a pass intended for tight end Ben Watson. The ball bounced off Watson’s outstretched left hand and into the arms of Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. Pittsburgh took over at its 44.

Moments later, the Steelers led, 7-0. Roethlisberger connected with Mike Wallace for a 56-yard touchdown with 14:17 left. Wallace, running a post pattern, ended up splitting rookie cornerback Joe Haden and rookie safety T.J. Ward.

The Browns fizzled in their second possession, and the Steelers pounced again. Rashard Mendenhall’s 1-yard run capped a 10-play, 71-yard drive. Shaun Suisham kicked the extra point to make it 14-0 with 6:57 remaining in the first quarter.

Terrible Towels were visible everywhere.

McCoy put the Browns in position to cut the deficit in half early in the second quarter. But a second-and-goal pass into the end zone glanced off tight end Robert Royal’s hands and a third-down pass shot through Royal’s hands.

Mangini opted to send out Phil Dawson for a 19-yard field-goal attempt, which Dawson converted. Steelers fans cheered as Browns fans booed.

Pittsburgh’s offense kept rolling. Mendenhall’s 1-yard run at 7:51, plus the extra point, increased the spread to 18. Minutes later, the Steelers had themselves a rout. Ryan Clark’s interception of McCoy set up a three-play, 24-yard possession. Heath Miller caught a 4-yard TD pass from Roethlisberger at 4:53 for a 28-3 bulge.

McCoy made his NFL debut against the Steelers on Oct. 17 in Pittsburgh. He was 23-of-33 for 281 yards in a 28-10 loss.

McCoy had a much tougher go of it in the rematch. He finished 20-of-41 for 209 yards with the one TD pass and three first-half interceptions.

 

• WHO: Browns vs. Steelers
• WHERE: Cleveland Browns Stadium
• WHEN: Today, 1 p.m.
• RECORDS: Browns 5-10; Steelers 11-4
• LAST WEEK: Browns lost 20-10 to Baltimore; Steelers beat Carolina 27-3
• SERIES: Steelers lead 61-56, including 2-0 in playoffs
• SERIES AT CLEVELAND: Browns lead 35-22
• LAST MEETING: Steelers won 28-10 on Oct. 17 in Pittsburgh
• COACHES: Eric Mangini is 10-21 with Browns, 33-47 overall; Mike Tomlin is 45-22 with Steelers and overall
• TV/RADIO: Channel 19, with broadcasters Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts; WMMS 100.7-FM, WTAM 1100-AM
• NFL RANKINGS (OUT OF 32 TEAMS): Browns – offense 29th (19th rushing, 30th passing), defense 21st (26th rushing, 13th passing); Steelers – offense 15th (9th rushing, 16th passing), defense 2nd (1st rushing, 14th passing)

BROWNS UPDATE

• Browns are 6-2 in season finales since 2002 and have won four straight.
• Joshua Cribbs’ three kickoff returns for touchdowns against Pittsburgh are tied for the most in NFL history against an opponent. He’s averaged 27.6 yards per kickoff return in 11 games against the Steelers. He needs 17 return yards to pass Michael Bates (9,154) for 10th on the NFL list. He needs 120 kickoff return yards to pass Desmond Howard (7,959) for seventh on the career list.
• WR Brian Robiskie has seven catches for 117 yards in the last two games. He’s the first Brown with a touchdown reception in consecutive games since Braylon Edwards in 2008.
• S T.J. Ward leads the team with 98 tackles and could become the first rookie to lead the Browns since 1999.
• NT Ahtyba Rubin leads NFL defensive linemen with 79 tackles.
• Browns are only team not to give up 30 points in a game. They’ve shut out the opponent in the first quarter in the last four games and have allowed a league-low 26 points in the first quarter this season.
• DL Travis Ivey made his NFL debut last week, starting at end and making a tackle.
• Browns lead the league with four players having thrown a TD pass – Colt McCoy, Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace and WR Mohamed Massaquoi.
• RB Peyton Hillis has 60 catches and needs six to pass Greg Pruitt for most by a Browns running back in a season.

STEELERS UPDATE

• RB Rashard Mendenhall ranks sixth in the NFL with 1,237 rushing yards. He’s carried 310 times with a 4.0 average and 11 TDs.
• LB LaMarr Woodley needs 1½ sacks to reach 10 and join LB James Harrison as the only players in team history with 10 in three straight seasons.
• Tomlin served a minority coaching internship with the Browns during the 2000 training camp.
• K Shaun Suisham spent time with the Browns in the offseason. He was a midseason pickup of the Steelers and is 12-for-13 on field goals.
•  LB James Farrior has six sacks, tying a career high.
• Steelers haven’t lost the season series against the Browns since 1988.
• Steelers are 6-1 on the road this year.
• Since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, Steelers have the best record in the NFL, 383-246-2 (.611).
• WR Hines Ward is the franchise’s all-time leader in catches (949), receiving yards (11,657) and touchdown catches (82). He has 54 catches for 710 yards and four TDs this year.
• BROWNS INJURY REPORT: Questionable: DE Kenyon Coleman (knee), RB Peyton Hillis (ribs), DL Shaun Rogers (ankle, hip), OL Floyd Womack (knee); Probable: LB Eric Alexander (groin), LB Marcus Benard (shoulder), CB Sheldon Brown (shoulder), LB Matt Roth (thumb), TE Robert Royal (shoulder), DE Brian Schaefering (shoulder), OL John St. Clair (ankle), TE Benjamin Watson (ankle)
• STEELERS INJURY REPORT: Out: RB Mewelde Moore (knee), DE Aaron Smith (triceps); Questionable: S Troy Polamalu (ankle), LB Jason Worilds (knee); Probable: LB LaMarr Woodley (knee)
• THE PICK: Mangini and his staff have one more upset in them, leave on a high note. Browns 17-16.

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