Just as the clock hit zero to finish off a 28-14 victory over Cleveland on Sunday, Pittsburgh’s slim but for weeks seemingly zombielike playoff chances vanished when the Miami Dolphins kicked a late field goal and tacked on a safety to beat the New York Jets and earn the AFC’s seventh and final postseason spot.
The Steelers wanted a chance at carrying the momentum they’ve built over the last two months into next week’s wild-card round. Instead, they’ll spend Monday cleaning out their lockers and pointing toward 2023.
Cleveland was hoping to sweep the Steelers for the first time since 1988 and finish ahead of them in the standings for the first time since 1989. Instead, the Browns (7-10) couldn’t protect Watson and wound up at the bottom of the AFC North while losing at least 10 games for the 17th time since the franchise re-entered the league in 1999.
“It’s tough to win seven games and finish the season like that,” said Watson, who went 3-3 as a starter after serving an 11-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. “We’ve got to reflect on the season, watch the tape. There might be changes.”
While Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is expected to return, he might have to shake up his staff. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods’ job could be in jeopardy as the unit was inconsistent overall and awful against the run, even with Myles Garrett — whose 16 sacks tied his own club record — having another spectacular season.
Watson connected on 19 of 29 passes for 230 yards with two touchdowns and the two interceptions. Nick Chubb ran for 77 yards and caught a touchdown pass to join Jim Brown as the only players in Browns history to exceed 1,500 yards rushing in a season.