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The Steelers had six plays of 30 yards or more as they ran out to a 27-3 lead over the Cleveland Browns at halftime of their game today at Heinz Field.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 278 yards, the most in his 11-year career in the first half. He completed 16 of 22 with one touchdown, one interception.
The Steelers exploded in the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns in the first 7:17 and finishing up with a field goal.
Ben Roethlisberger rolled away from pressure and threw a perfect pass in the end zone to Antonio Brown for a 35-yard touchdown. Brown beat Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden for the score.
Brown then set up the next touchdown with a 36-yard punt return which he ended by kicking punter Spencer Lanning in the helmet with his right foot as Lanning tried to tackle him. Brown was flagged for unneccessary roughness.
Two plays later, Le'veon Bell took a handoff and weaved through the Cleveland defense for a 38-yard touchdown, losing his left shoe at the 18 yard line.
Their final drive covered 64 yards on 10 plays that ended with Sean Suisham's 34-yard field goal as the half expired.
The Steelers struck for big plays on offense and gave one up on defense to take a 10-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
LeGarrette Blount ran 7 yards for the only touchdown of the period. Shaun Suisham kicked a 36-yard field goal for the Steelers and Billy Cundiff kicked a 39-yarder for the Browns.
The Steelers' first drive of the game that was so promising with several big plays bogged down with a holding penalty and a sack and Suisham was called on to salvage it with a 36-yard field goal.
Brown ignited the drive by turning a short pass into a 41-yard gain on the second play to Cleveland's 34. Le'Veon Bell picked up another 23 on a screen pass and ran 11 yards to a first down at the four.
He ran into the end zone on the next play but tackle Kelvin Beachum's holding penalty nullified that. On second down, Roethlisberger threw incomplete to Blount in the end zone and the quarterback was sacked by Paul Kruger on third down.
Cleveland responded to tie it on its first series on Cundiff's 39-yard field goal. Most of their yards came on one play when tight end Jordan Cameron beat linebacker Lawrence Timmons for a 47-yard reception from Brian Hoyer.
The Steelers scored their first touchdown of the season on their next series, a 7-yard run up the middle on third down by Blount for a 10-3 lead.
Again, the big play fueled that drive when Roethlisberger hit Markus Wheaton, who caught it along the right sideline just before he stepped out of bounds for a 40-yard gain to Cleveland's 16.
First Published September 7, 2014 2:00 PM Join the conversation:
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