CLEVELAND (AP) — They’re bruised, limping and not close to being healthy. The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t themselves.
But they are going to the playoffs.
At this point, that’s all that matters.
Isaac Redman replaced injured starting running back Rashard Mendenhall and scored a touchdown, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made enough big plays on his sprained ankle and Pittsburgh hobbled into the postseason with a wind-whipped 13-9 win Sunday over Cleveland, the Steelers’ 16th victory in 17 games against the Browns.
Redman scored on a 7-yard run in the third quarter for the Steelers (12-4), who finished tied with Baltimore for first in the AFC North but lost the tiebreaker because the Ravens beat them twice. Pittsburgh needed to win and hope Cincinnati could knock off the Ravens, who beat the Bengals 24-16.
But the Steelers are in the playoffs as a wild card and will face Tim Tebow and the Broncos in Denver next week.