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Roethlisberger erased a night of wrongs

I'll admit it.

When Ben Roethlisberger left the field in the second quarter Thursday night, I thought the Steelers were going to lose to the Browns.

There was no way Roethlisberger was going to return from that injury, I thought.

The heck with losing to the Browns. From the looks of that injury on the replays, I thought you could kiss any dreams of a Super Bowl run goodbye.

Yeah, I was way off on that one.

Roethlisberger returned to start the second half and the Steelers did just enough to beat the Browns on national television.

It looked like one of those games the Steelers would squander away. Hines Ward and Heath Miller each lost a fumble inside the red zone, and the Steelers started another drive inside the Browns' 40-yard line and came away with zero points.

Ward, as a side note, didn't have another catch after that fumble.

Even at the end, with Roethlisberger doing his best Willis Reed, it looked like the Browns would take the lead after the Steelers were stopped four times from inside the Browns' 2-yard line.

Wrong again.

Colt McCoy, who started the game looking like the Packers' Aaron Rodgers, played like Colt McCoy again.

McCoy was picked off in the end zone, saving the day.

Then Antonio Brown came though with a 79-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown.

Game over.

Add another exciting chapter to the legend of Roethlisberger.

Now the Steelers will have to wait to see the results of Roethlisberger's MRI on that badly injured ankle. He'll have 10 days to get ready for a Monday night showdown with the 49ers.

Until then, that'll be on victory to savor.


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