CLEVELAND -- Let's do it again next week.
That will be the case as the Steelers dropped a 24-22 decision to the Browns Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium, allowing Cleveland to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2002.
The Browns' reward for getting into the postseason is a rematch with the Steelers next weekend in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have knocked the Browns out of the playoffs in each of the past two times they've reached the postseason, beating them in 1994 and again in 2002.
And given how much of a struggle this game was for the Browns (11-5) against the Steelers (12-4), who were resting a number of starters, that might not be exactly what the doctor ordered. The game will be the sixth playoff game of the weekend, kicking off at 8:15 p.m.
"It is not like you can Xerox a game plan," Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said. "You have to go back in and see what you called, see what worked, see what did not work and see who is available to you, and they will do the same. It is going to be quite the challenge. Again, we respect that team. It is a really good team, and we are going to have to play our best to have a chance to beat them.”
Though Mike Tomlin wasn't looking for any consolation prizes.
"I'm appreciative of the efforts of our guys, but we came up short," said Tomlin. "I thought we weathered the storm early, something we talked about last night. I thought the Browns would play with energy and urgency given the circumstance and it was something we had to endure. The guys did a nice job enduring that and staying in the fight. We just didn't make enough plays."
With Ben Roethlisberger among those sitting this one out, Mason Rudolph got his first start in over a year. He threw for a career-high 315 yards and tossed a pair of touchdowns to keep this one interesting. He also threw a critical interception that led to a touchdown by the Browns that extended their lead to 24-9.
But Rudolph threw touchdowns in the fourth quarter to Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster to make a game of it, the latter coming with 1:23 remaining in the game.
Rudolph's two-point conversion pass to Claypool, however, was too high for the receiver to haul in -- with a defender draped all over him -- and the Browns ran out the clock from there to get the win.
"I felt we made enough plays to be in at the end," said Rudolph. "It came down to what I call four-point plays. We kicked some field goals in the first half instead of coming away with touchdowns. We have to come away with seven instead of three."
Rudolph was playing in Cleveland for the first time since the Steelers lost here, 21-7, in Week 11 of last season, a game that ended with Browns defensive end Myles Garrett ripping the helmet from Rudolph's head and clubbing him with it, touching off a brawl.
Garrett would later claim, multiple times, that Rudolph had used a racial slur against him.
Rudolph waited for Garrett after the game, but when he was engaged with some other players, Rudolph began to walk away and Garrett saw him and ran down and shook his hand.
"Myles came over and said 'good game,'" Rudolph said. "I said, 'good luck.' I have a lot of respect for him."
That was nearly their only interaction of the game, as Garrett finished with four tackles and a pass defensed, but no sacks or quarterback hits, as the Steelers often had tight end Vance McDonald help out with chipping the star defensive end. However, Alejandro Villanueva also had a strong effort against Garrett most of the day.
And Garrett's sidekick on the front line, Olivier Vernon, who had the Browns' lone sack of Rudolph in the first half, was injured late in the game, going down with an ankle injury that will put his status for next week's playoff matchup in question. And wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones suffered a concussion in the first half, as well.
The Steelers, meanwhile made it through without any injuries of note.
In addition to Roethlisberger, they also played without center Maurkice Pouncey, defensive lineman Cam Heyward, outside linebacker T.J. Watt, placekicker Chris Boswell and strong safety Terrell Edmunds. Only Boswell (groin) and Edmunds (shoulder) were dealing with injuries. Both are expected to be ready to play next weekend.
Despite that, the Steelers gave Cleveland everything it could handle.
"We were playing and playing to win," said Tomlin. "I wasn't worried about next week. I was worried about this game."
That showed as the Steelers pulled out all kinds of stops, including using third-string quarterback Josh Dobbs, who is typically inactive, at times. Dobbs had two carries for 20 yards on run-pass options and completed four of his five passes, but for just two yards.
In the meantime, Rudolph settled in and kept making plays down the field against a Cleveland defense that was missing both starting safeties and top cornerback Denzel Ward because of COVID-19 issues.
Claypool and Diontae Johnson were the main targets downfield as the rookie finished with five catches for 101 yards, while Johnson caught three passes for 96 yards.
"It was our intention to feature him a little," said Tomlin of Claypool.
The day wasn't all great for Rudolph. His interception at the end of the third quarter allowed the Browns to extend their lead to 24-9 after the Steelers had closed the gap on them in the third quarter to 10-9.
Baker Mayfield, who passed for 196 yards and a touchdown, threw a 2-yard pass to Austin Hooper to give the Browns a 17-9 lead, then Rudolph was intercepted on the Steelers' next possession -- the only turnover of the game -- when he was pressured by linebacker Jacob Phillips on a blitz up the middle that running back Benny Snell was unable to pick up.
"I had an unblocked guy come up the A-gap," Rudolph said. "I should have thrown that away."
Rudolph's pass to Smith-Schuster was intercepted by M.J. Stewart and returned to the Pittsburgh 20 to set up a 3-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep by Jarvis Landry.
But Rudolph came back and converted a pair of fourth-down plays on the ensuing possession, first hitting Johnson for an 8-yard gain on fourth-and-6 from the Cleveland 36, then throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Claypool on fourth-and-10 later in the drive.
After the Steelers held the Browns from converting a fourth-down play of their own on the next possession at the Pittsburgh 35, Rudolph hit a 47-yard pass to Johnson down the middle of the field to the Cleveland 10 with 3:02 remaining in the game.
He then tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Smith-Schuster on third-and-goal to pull the Steelers within two points. But his final pass of the game on the conversion to Claypool on a quick slant was high.
"I've got to make a better throw on the 2-point conversion," Rudolph admitted.
Still, for Rudolph, it was a big step forward for a player who was benched the week after a four-interception game here last season against the Browns with Roethlisberger out for the season.
"I thought his performance was great," said backup center J.C. Hassenauer, who started in place of Pouncey. "He set the tempo for us all week and was a leader."
And now, he'll hand the reins back to Roethlisberger to face the Browns next week.
"As a backup quarterback in this league, we do not get many opportunities and I was excited to get this one this week," Rudolph said. "It didn’t matter who the opponent was. I was excited for myself, as well as a handful of others to prove ourselves to our teammates and coaches. Obviously, you want to win the ball game.”