What it means: The Steelers didn’t just lose a game on a crisp, sunny day near the shores of Lake Erie. They may have also ceded the psychological advantage they have enjoyed since the NFL returned to Cleveland in 1999. The Browns dominated the Steelers after a slow start and have outscored their longtime tormentor 55-13 in the past six quarters. Unlike recent losses to the Browns, the Steelers couldn’t blame this one on not being ready to play or a rash of fumbles. The Browns (3-2) are simply the better team right now, and the franchise appears to be headed in the right direction. The Steelers have some serious soul-searching to do after falling to 3-3 and getting embarrassed in the process.
Stock watch: Something is wrong with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. A week after not playing particularly well in a narrow win at Jacksonville, Roethlisberger looked completely out of sync against a team he normally owns and was outplayed by Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer. Roethlisberger completed just 21 of 42 passes for 228 yards and seemed off all day in losing to the Browns for just the second time in 20 starts. He inexplicably kept throwing to second-year wide receiver Markus Wheaton even though it looked like the two had met for the first time Sunday and had never played together before. Wheaton caught four passes for 33 yards despite getting 11 balls thrown his way. Roethlisberger just barely overshot a wide-open Wheaton in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
Read more: http://espn.go.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/9732/rapid-reaction-pittsburgh-steelers-13
MOD Edit: Shorten article.
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