This is the end for the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. And rather than fight it, the player defined by his ability to fend off defenders embraced it.
Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to rookie Pat Freiermuth and rookie Najee Harris had an 8-yard TD run after halftime.
The Steelers (3-3) swear they won’t have vengeance in mind as much as keeping their season rolling in the right direction when they face the Browns (4-3), who put an exclamation point on their turnaround in January by winning at Pittsburgh in the playoffs.
The Browns dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in the wild-card round Sunday night, picking up the franchise’s first postseason victory in more than a quarter-century and earning a trip to Kansas City next Sunday to face the defending Super Bowl champions.
Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass and had several big runs in the second half as the Browns made the playoffs for first time since 2002 on Sunday, surviving a late Mason Rudolph-led rally to beat the rival Steelers, who sat quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and several other starters.
It was another tough day for Carson Wentz and the Eagles. Wentz was sacked five times to bring his league-leading total to 40.
While the Browns might be on their way back to relevance, the Steelers provided a stark reminder of how far Cleveland still has to go in a lopsided 38-7 victory on Sunday.
