Dawg-Gone! Steelers Romp Pittsburgh Sweeps Browns, Reaches Afc Title Game

It was just like old times, except Barry Foster was carrying instead of Franco Harris. The road to the Super Bowl again runs through Pittsburgh.

The Steelers returned to what they do best with a relentless running game, and Vinny Testaverde reverted to his old form with costly interceptions as Pittsburgh stormed into the AFC title game by beating the Browns 29-9 Saturday.

The Steelers fed off Foster’s running, a towel-twirling crowd and a defense that pressured Testaverde - hurt early by several dropped passes - into bad throws and a safety for their first home playoff victory since 1979, the season when they won the last of their four Super Bowls.

“We’re one game from the Super Bowl,” said Foster, who gained 133 yards. “I can’t express what that means to this team. We were pumped. It was the biggest game we’ve ever played.”

Pittsburgh, a one-game-and-out playoffs loser under coach Bill Cowher the last two seasons, will play either the Dolphins or Chargers in the AFC title game in Three Rivers Stadium on Jan. 15. The Steelers last reached the conference finals 10 years ago, losing to Dan Marino-led Miami.

For the Browns, one of only nine NFL teams never to make the Super Bowl, it was a January jolt nearly as jarring as their three AFC title game losses to Denver in the 1980s.

“They dominated the whole game,” safety Eric Turner said. “It’s hard for me to say it, but that’s what they did. They were at a championship level. You can’t let a team run on you like that in a game like this.”

“They did pretty much everything we expected, it’s just that they did it so well,” added Michael Dean Perry.

Not only did the Steelers beat the Browns three times in a season for the first time in the Rust Belt rivalry’s 45-year history, they did it thoroughly and convincingly, bolting to a 17-0 lead by scoring on their first three possessions.

“I’ve never been around a better half of football than what we played in the first half,” said Cowher, who grew up in Pittsburgh.

The two regular-season games were physical, defensive duels decided mostly by the Browns’ eight turnovers, but this was a whipping that continued Cleveland’s growing playoff frustration. Cleveland is 0-8 in road playoff games since a 38-14 win at Dallas in 1969.

Foster’s running so preoccupied Cleveland that it allowed a mistakefree Neil O’Donnell to pick apart a frustrated, helmet-slamming Browns’ defense that was the NFL’s stingiest during the regular season.

O’Donnell, tagged as the weak link on a team loaded with All-Pros, was 16 of 23 for 186 yards and touchdowns of 2 yards to Eric Green and 9 to Browns-killer Yancey Thigpen, both in a decisive 21-point second quarter.

“If we can establish the run, everything else falls into place for us,” Thigpen said, pointing to the Steelers’ 238-55 rushing advantage. “Neil had a great game, with great throws and the right decisions.”

Testaverde, barely resembling the quarterback who was so efficient in beating the Patriots last Sunday, was only 13 of 31 for 144 yards. More importantly, he had eight interceptions in the three Steelers’ losses - four of them by Darren Perry.

The Steelers may have set the tone for their biggest victory in 15 years in, of all places, the pregame introductions as rookie defensive end Brentson Buckner ran defiantly through some Browns twirling two Steelerstrademark Terrible Towels.

The Steelers promptly fed off the crowd’s jackhammer-loud response, moving 65 yards on a momentumseizing drive that ate up nearly 7 minutes and ended with Gary Anderson’s 39-yard field goal.

With receivers dropping four passes, two by Derrick Alexander, on Cleveland’s first three possessions, Pittsburgh turned all three ineffective drives into points.

O’Donnell found Ernie Mills, who made a pivotal first-quarter touchdown catch against Cleveland last month, for 21 yards, before Foster ran for 18 yards on four carries to set up O’Donnell’s third-and-2 scoring pass to Green with 14:12 left in the second quarter.

After a punt, Foster, playing with two broken bones in his lower back, ran off gains of 9, 3 and 28 yards to set up Williams’ 26-yard touchdown run - again on third-and-2 - just over 5 minutes later.

The Browns were in big trouble, and they knew it. Linebacker Carl Banks slammed his helmet into the turf, sending it skidding 20 yards toward the bench.

Coach Bill Belichick’s conservatism may have cost the Browns any chance to get back in it. He refused to gamble on fourth-and-inches at the Steelers’ 5 late in the second quarter, opting instead for Matt Stover’s chipshot field goal.

Big mistake.

The Browns probably should have been down only 17-3 - or 17-10 at the half - but Testaverde persisted in trying to make something of nothing after Mills’ fumble gave Cleveland the ball back. With his receivers blanketed, his sideline throw intended for Alexander was picked off by Tim McKyer.

That allowed O’Donnell, booed by Pittsburgh fans only a month ago, to hit Thigpen with just 16 seconds remaining in the half for his third touchdown catch against Cleveland this season.

Steelers 29, Browns 9

Cleveland 0 3 0 6 - 9 Pittsburgh 3 21 3 2 - 29 First quarter

Pit-FG Anderson 39, 9:38.

Second quarter

Pit-Green 2 pass from O’Donnell (Anderson kick), :48.

Pit-J.Williams 26 run (Anderson kick), 5:57.

Cle-FG Stover 22, 12:23.

Pit-Thigpen 9 pass from O’Donnell (Anderson kick), 14:44.

Third quarter

Pit-FG Anderson 40, 12:25.

Fourth quarter

Cle-McCardell 20 pass from Testaverde (pass failed), 9:07.

Pit-Safety, Lake sacked Testaverde in end zone, 12:15.

A-58,185.

Cle Pit First downs 10 23 Rushes-yards 17-55 51-238 Passing 131 186 Punt Returns 3-40 1-0 Kickoff Returns 6-101 3-30 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 2-21 Comp-Att-Int 13-31-2 16-23-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 2-13 0-0 Punts 5-38 5-38 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1 Penalties-Yards 2-17 4-50 Time of Possession 17:33 42:27

RUSHINGCleveland, Byner 9-43, Hoard 3-8, Metcalf 5-4. Pittsburgh, Foster 24-133, Morris 22-60, J.Williams 2-43, Tomczak 3-2.

PASSINGCleveland, Testaverde 13-31-2-144. Pittsburgh, O’Donnell 16-23-0-186, Tomczak 0-0-0-0.

RECEIVINGCleveland, Jackson 3-47, McCardell 3-47, Metcalf 2-18, Carrier 2-8, Byner 1-14, Hoard 1-5, Kinchen 1-5. Pittsburgh, Mills 5-117, J.Williams 4-20, Green 3-21, Hastings 2-18, Thigpen 2-10.

MISSED FIELD GOALSNone.