Browns vs. Steelers: Pittsburgh deals Pat Shurmur a loss

Pittsburgh’s defense was key in the victory, forcing four turnovers and carrying an offense that managed just 212 yards of total offense. One of the biggest contributors on defense was cornerback Cortez Allen, who was lauded by Neil Coolong of SB Nation’s Steelers blog Behind the Steel Curtain:

Allen finished with eight tackles on the day and also recovered one of his own forced fumbles. The five forced turnovers in the past two weeks accounted for all five of Allen’s forced turnovers on the year. The strong performances by the 24-year-old are certainly a bright spot in a rather disappointing campaign for the Steelers.

Chris Pokorny of SB Nation’s Cleveland Browns blog, Dawgs by Nature, writes that turnovers and unforced errors wasted what was otherwise a well played game for the Browns.

The loss drops the Browns to 5-11 and gives them the 6th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, which will highlight an offseason that is sure to contain plenty of player and personnel changes. The Browns have finished in last place of the AFC North in four of the last five seasons.

Cleveland faked a punt on a 4th-and-5 for a 35-yard run by punter Ray Ventrone to spark a 6-play, 80-yard drive on the first possession of the second half to tie the game at 10.

Winners: Roethlisberger didn’t put up gaudy numbers by going 15-of-23 for 134 yards, but he threw three touchdowns without an interception and helped the Steelers take advantage of Cleveland turnovers.

The Browns will finish with double digit losses for the fifth straight year, and for the 10th time since the franchise returned in 1999. According to reports from The Plain Dealer on Saturday night, this will be the final game for head coach Pat Shurmur, who’s expected to be fired on Monday. Per usual, the final week of the season does not mean anything for the Browns, and the first team on both sides of the ball will be comprised of a patchwork mishmash unit.

Neal Coolong from Behind the Steel Curtain notes that this may be the final game in a Steelers uniform for many players, such as James Harrison, and also discusses what else is on the line in the finale:

Both teams will likely be glad to put this season behind them. Pittsburgh could use the offseason to get healthy in hopes of a better 2013, while the Browns could really use an upgrade at quarterback and quite a few other weapons before the start of next season.

1 p.m. ET Dec. 30