The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves as 5.5-point favorites against the division rival Cleveland Browns heading into their NFL Wildcard game Sunday evening in Pittsburgh.
Making their first playoff appearance since all the way back in 2002, the Browns were without multiple players and their head coach due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the organization. This led to odds changing swiftly in the Steelers’ direction.
That changed big time early from Heinz Field. On the Steelers’ first offensive snap of the game, center Maurkice Pouncey somehow found a way to snap the ball over the head of the 6-foot-5 Roethlisberger. The end result was a comedy of errors that resulted in a Browns touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
We’re still not too sure what Big Ben and James Conner were doing in an attempt to cover the fumble. It needed Benny Hill theme music. That’s for sure. Obviously, Browns safety Karl Joseph will take it.
A few minutes of real time passed before Roethlisberger threw a horrible interception into the hands of Browns cornerback M.J. Stewart. And just a few plays later, Baker Mayfield hit Jarvis Landry for a touchdown and 14-0 Cleveland lead. This all took less than a half of quarter of action.
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NFL world reacts to disastrous start for Steelers against the Browns
These Steelers finished up the regular season by losing four of five since an 11-0 start to the campaign. As for the Browns, they needed a win against Pittsburgh’s backups in Week 17 to guarantee a playoff spot.
Right now, it looks like these Browns are the vastly superior team. Then again, a fumble on a snap and an interception to open things up didn’t help the Steelers’ cause.