Passing Pittsburgh TJ Watt recorded a career-record four of his team’s nine sacks per night to come out on top of the league with 21.5 in the season, making him just shy – with one game yet to play – the official all-time record. established by Michael Strahan for the Giants in 2001
Ben Roethlisberger hit a touchdown in what was likely his last home game in Pittsburgh and the Steelers retained their faint playoff hopes, beating the already eliminated Cleveland Browns on Monday night with a 26-14 win.
Watt recorded a career-record four of his team’s nine sacks when he took over the league lead with 21.5 in the season, making him just shy – with one game still to come – the official all-time record set by Michael Strahan for New -York giants in 2001
Harris, meanwhile, dashed for his career best 188 yards on 28 constrictions, breaking the rookie speed record in a single Steelers franchise season: his 1,172 yards overtook Franco Harris’s 1,055 Hall of Fame yards in 1972. Last-minute touchdown 37 yards.
In the second quarter, Roethlisberger gave a five-yard pass to Dionte Johnson, but if it really was the 39-year-old’s last game to his home fans at Heinz Field, it was far from his best. he only completed 24 of 46 attempts, reaching a record 123 yards.
The two-time Super Bowl winner with the Steelers, who turns 40 in March, has not officially announced his retirement from the NFL, but he said ahead of the game that “all signs point to it. The quarterback moved up to fifth on the NFL’s best passes list on December 19 and holds most of Pittsburgh’s passing records, including completed (5386) yards (63,721) and touchdowns (416).
Browns QB Baker Mayfield, meanwhile, had a tough evening, going 16 of 38 for 185 yards, being sacked nine times, and also landed twice – for David Njok and Harrison Bryant – and intercepted twice.
Chris Boswell was successful with four field goal attempts and the Steelers opened the score 19-7 in the final six minutes of the competition. Although the Browns hit a five-point game just over a minute before Mayfield’s second goal-scoring goal of the day, any hope of a notable return was soon dashed as Pittsburgh played the ensuing hit and Harris went to the races in three games. later.
With a win, the Steelers (8-7-1) are again guaranteed to end the season at 0.500 or better. They have yet to reclaim the losing record in 15 seasons of head coach Mike Tomlin, who led the team.
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