Eight Turnovers Doom Steelers in Cleveland in 20-14 Loss

You can put the blame wherever you want, but the bottom line in the NFL is your not going to win when you give the ball away eight times.

The Steelers hung around all day with the Browns, but in the end, the giveaways were way too much, and the team fell to 6-5 in 2012 with a 20-14 loss.

It was first time since a cold Thursday night in 2009 that the Steelers fell to the Browns, and this time it hurt even worse since they had ample shots to win the game.

The team took a 14-13 lead into the locker room on a pinball run by Chris Rainey with one second left in the half gave the team a one-point lead.

In the second half, a turnover at the Steelers 31 opened the door for the Browns, and RB Trent Richardson gave the Browns a lead they wouldn’t lose with a 15-yard TD run to make it 20-14.

Of the 14 Steelers possessions, half of them ended with turnovers, three interceptions by Steelers 3rd string QB Charlie Batch, and four fumbles, one each, by four different Steelers running backs.

The game started great for Pittsburgh, as Lawrence Timmons took a tipped pass and went 53 yards for a score just 1:11 into the game to make it 7-0.

Then after the Browns punted, the giveaways for the Steelers started, with Rashard Mendenhall fumbling first, and then a couple more before the Steelers put a drive together to take the lead at the end of the half.

Batch wasn’t very good, but it wasn’t all his fault for the loss. On the day he went 18-for-31 for 175 yards, and mostly went to safe routes and check downs.

Plaxico Burress made one memorable play, as he got the Browns on a pass interference call in the end zone with 7 seconds left in the half that allowed the Steelers the shot to score at the end of the second quarter.

Browns QB Brandon Weeden went 17-for-26 for 158 yards with a touchdown to tight end Jordan Cameron that gave Cleveland a 10-7 lead in the second quarter after another turnover.

The Steelers offense never got in sync with all the turnovers, and would up just 1-for-9 on third downs on the day.

17 of the 20 Cleveland points were a direct result of the turnovers from the Steelers.

The loss is the second straight for the Steelers, and their season is now very much on the brink as they will head to Baltimore next week for the second meeting with the Ravens.