PITT-Y GRITTY
Steelers get revenge on Browns, sit in wild-card position in AFC
CLEVELAND coach Freddie Kitchens was spotted rocking a “Pittsburgh started it” T-shirt Friday night. The Steelers made sure they finished off the Browns, as well, in Sunday’s anticipated revenge game.
Two weeks after Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett was suspended indefinitely — and for at least the rest of this season — for clubbing quarterback Mason Rudolph with a helmet during a late-game brawl, the Steelers (7-5) remained firmly in the playoff hunt in the AFC with a mostly uneventful 20-13 victory over Cleveland at Heinz Field.
“We weren’t concerned about it, to be quite honest with you. We were about beating them today,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. “That’s how you deal with some of that stuff, you beat ’em.”
Devlin “Duck” Hodges started in place of a benched Rudolph and threw for 212 yards, highlighted by a juggled 30-yard catch in the end zone by James Washington for a 10-10 tie late in the first half.
Without injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner, the Steelers won for the sixth time in seven games following a 1-4 start, in what perhaps has been Tomlin’s finest coaching job.
“It always feels good to win, but it definitely feels good when you’re faced with adversity in terms of people available to you,” Tomlin said. “There’s just less margin for error.
“We’re looking to strike a blow for team in these circumstances, to stand up for the game of football and team and prove that guys can make plays when given an opportunity. One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity. The standard is the standard, and they’ve made all of those clichés true.”
Former Browns cornerback Joe Haden also sealed the win for Pittsburgh — and dropped Cleveland to 5-7 — with an interception of Baker Mayfield with 1:06 remaining.
“No one is coming to save us. It’s too late in the season for that,” said Browns defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, a former Jet. “We’re all we got.” THE EAST TIGHTENS
The Patriots’ bid for an 11th consecutive AFC East title suddenly is in question.
A 28-22 loss Sunday night in Houston dropped New England to 10-2 with four games remaining, beginning with another formidable conference opponent, Kansas City, next week. Following their Thanksgiving win over Dallas, the Bills are just one game behind the Pats for the division lead with a head-to-head matchup looming Dec. 21, although they play host to rolling Baltimore in Week 14.
Bill Belichick’s defense had allowed just four passing touchdowns over its first 11 games, but Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson shredded the Pats for three scoring throws as Houston improved to 8-4. He also was credited with a TD reception in the fourth quarter on a flip from wide receiver DeAndre Hop
kins on a double-reverse trick play. Tom Brady finished 24-for-47 for 326 yards, including touchdown passes to James White and Julian Edelman in the final 3:42, but the Pats were unable to recover an onside kick in the final minute. DOWN TO THE WIRE
Sunday’s heavyweight clash between the Ravens and the 49ers — the top two teams in The Post’s weekly power rankings — lived up to the hype, with
Justin Tucker’s 49-yard field goal as time expired lifting Baltimore to a rain-soaked 20-17 home victory, and after the Patriots loss to the Texans, the top seed in the AFC.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson admitted afterward that the wet and windy weather was “horrible” and “it messed with me a bit.”
He was held to just 105 passing yards by the NFL’s top-rated defense, but the MVP candidate also ran for 101 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts. According to Pro Football Talk, he is the first player in NFL history to post four “double-triples” — throwing and rushing for 100 yards in a game — in one year. And his five during his first two seasons already are secondmost for a career in the league, behind only
Michael Vick (eight). Jackson also moved past Chicago’s Bob
by Douglass (968 in 1972) into second place for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season with 977, just 62 behind Vick’s NFL record of 1,039 for Atlanta in 2006.
Tucker’s game-winning kick was the 38th consecutive fourth-quarter attempt he’s converted, the longest such streak in the league.
“That golden leg, I got all the faith in him,” Jackson said. “I’m on the sideline praying, but at the same time I know Tucker can do it.” NOT GONNA FLY NOW
Does anyone even want to win the NFC East? The Eagles wasted a chance to move back into a first-place tie with Dallas — Thanksgiving losers to Buffalo — at 6-6, but their defense got torched for more than 400 total yards in a 37-31 loss to Ryan Fitz
patrick and the Dolphins. Philadelphia has dropped three straight games to slip to 5-7 with four divisional games remaining, including next Monday night against the Giants and Dec. 22 against the Cowboys.
“It’s on us. We didn’t make enough plays to get off the field,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. “At the end of the day, you put this game on your leaders. We had the opportunity to jump up in the division and didn’t get it done.” BLOCK PARTY Adam Vinatieri and the Colts assuredly will remember this loss to the Titans. Tennessee safety Dane Cruikshank blocked Vinatieri’s 46-yard field goal attempt with barely five minutes remaining and cornerback Tye Smith returned
it 63 yards for a tiebreaking touchdown to lift the Titans to a 31-17 win over Indianapolis. “It’s almost looking like a weapon for us,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of his team, which has blocked three kicks in the past three weeks. “They know if everyone does their job, we have a chance to get one.” Tennessee (7-5) has won five of six since the quarterback shift from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill, who completed 17 of 22 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Running back Derrick Henry added 149 rushing yards for the Titans, who moved within a half-game of Houston in the AFC West before the Texans faced New England on Sunday night.
LOCK OF THE WEEK
A late defensive pass interference call set up Brandon McMa
nus’ 53-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Broncos to a 23-20 win over the Chargers.
Drew Lock, the team’s second-round draft pick, was 18-for-28 for 134 yards with two touchdown passes in winning his NFL debut.
After the Chargers had tied the game on Michael Badgley’s 46-yarder with 14 seconds remaining, Lock heaved a pass downfield intended for Courtland Sutton, who drew a defensive pass interference call on Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward to set up McManus’ game-winning kick.
THE HURT LOCKER
Mayfield left the Browns’ loss late in the second quarter after hitting his throwing hand on Steelers linebacker Bud DuPree’s helmet on a follow through. He was replaced for one series by backup Garrett Gilbert but returned to the game with a glove over his hand to start the third quarter. Carolina tight end Greg
Olsen appeared to be briefly knocked out and he entered concussion protocol following a helmet-to-helmet hit by Redskins linebacker Ryan Anderson, who was ejected. Dolphins running back Kalen Ballage was carted off the field with a leg injury and did not return. Running back Darrel Williams (hamstring) and defensive lineman Frank Clark (shoulder) left the Chiefs’ 40-9 win over Oakland.
POST PATTERNS
Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles was benched after completing seven of 14 attempts for 83 yards with an interception and two lost fumbles in the first half of a 28-11 loss to Tampa Bay. Gardner Minshew, who filled in for eight starts while Foles was iinjured earlier this season, replaced the $88 million free-agent import again and threw for 147 yards and a touchdown in the second half. … Buccaneers linebacker Devin White had seven tackles, one interception and returned a fumble 14 yards for a touchdown. … Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill also scored a defensive touchdown, a 46-yard pick-six in Kansas City’s win over Oakland. … Rams quarterback Jared Goff threw for 424 yards and two touchdowns, including 13 cacatches for 172 yards by wide receiver Robert er Woods and seven receptions for 107 yayards by tight end Tyler Higbee. … Redskskins running back Derrius Guice ran for 12129 yards and two TDs and Adrian Peterson so added 99 rushing yards and another scscore as Washington (3-9) won its second strstraight game, 29-21, over Carolina.