In the fourth quarter of an old-school, helmet-jarring football game, the Steelers found themselves with a first down on the Cleveland two, after a catch-and-run from receiver Mike Wallace that had been called a touchdown on the field was overturned via replay review.
And with four cracks at the end zone from the two, the Steelers couldn’t get in.
Linebacker Chris Gocong set the tone with a wicked helmet-to-helmet hit on running back Rashard Mendenhall, a maneuver that’s legal when applied to ball carriers. Gocong tackled Mendenhall on second down and assisted on third down.
On fourth down, the Steelers opted not to take the chip-shot field goal, which would have put them up by seven. Instead, the Steelers ran it again — and the Browns once again rose to the challenge.
In the end, Pittsburgh’s 14-play drive, led by a hobbled Ben Roethlisberger, was wasted. But for the bad field position with which the Browns are now saddled.