2022 Steelers Season Recall: Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes end despite convincing win over Cleveland
Steel City Underground presents our 2022 Steelers Recall: a look back at Pittsburgh Steelers games and storylines from last season.
The 2022 NFL regular season concluded as the Pittsburgh Steelers met the Cleveland Browns for their Week 18 matchup at Acrisure Stadium. For some Steelers fans, the end of the season was a letdown as the team missed the playoffs. For others, it was a thrill of a late-season comeback, turning a 2-6 start into a 9-8 season.
However, it was not an easy feat for a Steelers team that was written off early by nearly every analyst – and many fans – only to surge back into contention. By the same token, the Cleveland Browns were betway casinos favorites after landing QB Deshaun Watson in a massive trade, though this would be the first time that Watson would face the Steelers following a lengthy suspension during the 2022 season.
It was fitting that Pittsburgh would find a way to make the most of an AFC North rivalry game by shutting Cleveland down. There has been a long history between the two franchises and, with the way the season started, the “big brother” Steelers had to win to stay alive as playoff hopefuls, but played like they just wanted to make a statement about how far they’d come during the 2022-23 NFL season.
For the naysayers, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had yet to post a losing season – that is any record below .500. The impressive feat for 2022 included a turnaround from a 2-6 start before the Steelers bye week to finish with four-straight victories. It was Tomlin’s sixteenth straight winning season, further etching his name as a Hall of Fame coach.
Speaking of streaks, the Cleveland Browns were in a position to finally break one against their rival Steelers, but it was Pittsburgh that kept themselves out of the basement of the division – somewhere they haven’t been since 1988. This left the 7-10 Browns finishing with a worse record than Pittsburgh for a 33rd straight season!
As for the game, the Steelers were humming on all cylinders and had every chance to be the “dangerous” team with momentum had things worked out their way and they made the postseason.
The Browns, a top-five rushing attack in the NFL, were limited to 134 yards on the ground. However, it was the Steelers who bested them, gaining 148 yards and scoring twice by running the football. It would mark 8 out of 9 times that Pittsburgh topped 100 yards rushing since their Week 9 bye.
Third-year pro Alex Highsmith accumulated 2.5 more sacks against the Browns, bringing his season total to 14.5.
Highsmith’s total would lead the team, with Cameron Heyward next (10.5) and Watt third (5.5). This placed Highsmith sixth in the league, behind Nick Bosa (18.5), Myles Garrett and Haason Reddick (16.0), plus Matt Judon and Chris Jones (15.5).
All of the aforementioned made the Pro Bowl this season, and others who finished behind Highsmith, including Micah Parsons (13.5), with Max Crosby and Brian Burns (12.5). The other top ten finisher who didn’t get the honors? J.J. Watt with 12.5 sacks as well.
Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s reign as the top team in sacks also comes to an abrupt end as they finished with 40 total. (The Eagles would lead the league with 70, while the Chiefs would be a distant second with 55.)
The frigid January temps made for some sloppy football early. The Steelers first possession ended at the Browns one-yard line as Najee Harris committed a rare fumble that replay determined after the Pittsburgh running back stretched for, and fell short, of the goal line.
Cleveland was unable to capitalize, as each of their first three drives ended in three-and-outs, with them punting the ball back to Pittsburgh. Once Deshaun Watson and company orchestrated a ten-play touchdown drive, the Steelers put the clamps down, forcing the Cleveland quarterback to cough up the ball with two interceptions in the next three Browns possessions.
This led to an onslaught of Steelers offense, something unseen over the season, as the team put up twenty unanswered points to go up 20-7 late in the third quarter. Another preposterous penalty on Cameron Heyward led to an extended drive for Cleveland, who finally answered near the top of the fourth and final quarter, to close within six, with the Steelers up 20-14.
However, a nice fullback counter following a massive 14-play drive saw Derek Watt score the final touchdown of Pittsburgh’s season. A two-point conversion placed the Steelers with firm control of the game, as they would win their ninth game of the season by a margin of 28-14 and finish the season with a 9-8 record.
Cleveland would get the ball back one last time, running 13 plays which only netted 38 yards of offense: the series ended on downs as time expired and Pittsburgh learned that the Miami Dolphins’ win over the New York Jets took all hopes of a playoff berth away.
Considering how the 2022 season began, not many would have placed their bets on the Steelers at local casinos. At many of Pittsburgh’s frequented betting hubs, the odds for a late-season surge by the Steelers seemed long. The roller-coaster of a season was a reminder for bettors on the unpredictability of the NFL, where fortunes can change week in and week out. It’s a testament to the Steelers’ resilience that they defied these odds, rewarding any optimistic fans who kept the faith and placed their chips on their team’s resurgence.
The team entered the offseason with renewed optimism that they were growing and a potentially dreadful search for a new franchise quarterback may have been short-lived as Pickett closed the season with strong numbers following the bye week, throwing only one interception and leading several come-from-behind victories.
Yet, the team entered the offseason with renewed optimism that they were growing and a potentially dreadful search for a new franchise quarterback may have been short-lived as Pickett closed the season with strong numbers following the bye week, throwing only one interception and leading several come-from-behind victories.
Now we’re moving on to the 2023 regular season. I hope yinz enjoyed recapping last year’s games in this weekly column and we look forward to having you here with us as we do the same throughout this upcoming season.
