A tie against a Browns team that won zero games last year? C’mon, man.
Maybe the Steelers truly are missing running back Le’Veon Bell, whose holdout continued into Week 1. But perhaps they aren’t. Bell’s fill-in replacement, James Conner, only rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns while adding 57 yards on five catches to his breakout debut in Bell’s stead.
So what happened, Pittsburgh?
Well, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t good. Like, at all. While he did pass for well over 300 yards, he also tossed three interceptions and fumbled twice — both of which were recovered by the Browns.
At least wide receivers Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster made the tie feel a bit better. But that only goes so far.
Overall, it was a sloppy game from the Steelers’ vantage point. And missing a would-be game-winning field goal in overtime seemed like a fitting way to close out Pittsburgh’s overall effort.
And against the Browns. Geez!