Staggering continues

Lisa Salters of ESPN corralled an emotional Ben Roethlisberger after he, ground-pounding running back Najee Harris and the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense ravaged the Browns, 26-14, Monday night on national television in what probably is the big quarterback's last appearance before the home folks after 18 seasons.

"How do you leave this place?" she asked him as he left Heinz Field. It was the perfect setup and he came up with the perfect answer. "As a winner," he replied as he quietly celebrated his 26th career victory over the Browns in 30 games, all but one as a starter.

But Roethlisberger wasn't the main reason the Steelers extended the Browns' losing streak to three games and reduced their record in the last dozen games to 4-8 as they slowly sink deeper into and practically lock up another AFC North cellar finish. He was the benefactor.

The future Pro Football Hall of Famer had plenty of help from a relentless defense that sacked Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield nine times, knocked him down another 11 times, batted down five of his 38 pass attempts and picked him off twice. The fact he emerged vertical at the end is a minor miracle.

And then there was Harris, a 6-1, 230-pound rookie running back who carved up the Cleveland defense for a personal-high 188 yards on 28 carries, capping the evening with a 37-yard scoring burst against a whipped Cleveland defense after the Browns had closed to within 19-14 with 70 seconds left in regulation, but failed on an onsides kick.

He shredded that defense for 74 yards in 13 attempts in the first half, then pounded and pounded and pounded out another 114 yards on 15 more carries in the second half as they had all kinds of trouble getting him on the ground

Those are the kinds of statistics and opportunities many Browns fans would like to see Kevin Stefanski give Nick Chubb, the Browns' ground-pounding tackle breaker. For some reason, Chubb ran the football only four times in the first half for 35 yards, 32 of them on the first play of the second possession, before he disappeared. He came back in the second half to add eight more carries and 23 more yards.

If there is a good reason to use Chubb so sparingly, it's time for Stefanski to explain why because his quarterback is definitely not nearly the playmaker Chubb is.

Only two of the Browns'13 possessions in this one lasted longer than five plays. One lasted nine plays and went nowhere at the end of a scoreless first half; the other was a slow-motion 17-play, 76-yarder that removed 4:38 off the game clock and was helped by a pair of pass interference penalties against the Steelers.

Mayfield, who earlier hooked up with tight end David Njoku for a score from five yards out at the tailend of the third quarter, found tight end Harrison Bryant from a yard out to cut the margin to five. But it proved too little and way too late.

The offense was so offensive, in fact, Dustin Colquitt was called on eight times to punt as the extremely active and decidedly emotional Steelers defense was determined to shut down the Cleveland attack and preserve the victory for Roethlisberger.

In the first half alone, the Cleveland offense racked up just two first downs and 51 total yards on 17 plays and bled just 5:49 off the clock on the first five possessions of the game. Mayfield at one point failed to connect on 10 straight passes after opening the game with a 20-yarder to Jarvis Landry.

Steelers linebacker T. J.Watt abused poor Browns rookie right tackle James Hudson III all evening with a virtuoso performance. The National Football League's leading sack artist collected four of the nine sacks, five of the 11 quarterback hits, three of the 10 tackles for loss and added two defensed passes for good measure as he campaigns for defensive player of the year.

Mayfield didn't help himself much, often looking confused after taking the snap, uncertain as to what to do with the football, On numerous occasions, strong coverage by the Pittsburgh secondary was the causal factor for many of the sacks.

At other times, Mayfield, who was also victimized by at least four drops, appeared to find someone open and wound up to throw, then changed his mind and pulled the ball back, either scrambling if there was room or taking a sack due to his inability to escape the pocket, which had to frustrate the offensive line.

Roethlisberger, who has lost to the Browns only three times in his 18-year career, had a frustrating evening (other than the victory), completing only 24 of his 46 passes for a measly 123 yards and a first-quarter scoring strike to Diontae Johnson.

The way this season has turned out, it can't be over soon enough for the Browns and probably the fans. With the AFC North Division champion Cincinnati Bengals up next in the season finale at home Sunday in yet another meaningless game, one can only imagine how disinterested the Browns will be.

Just like no one saw the stunning 11-5 record and first postseason in two decades coming last season, the same can also be said about this edition, but in a slightly different context. Given all that talent (at least on paper), no one saw a losing, underachieving season unfolding as the extremely disappointing 2021 Cleveland Browns stagger to the finish line.