Jan 2, 2016 5 min read

CLEVELAND – Win and hope.

That’s what the Steelers have planned for today after their playoff hopes took a major turn in the wrong direction last weekend in Baltimore.

Controlling their own playoff fate, the Steelers lost, 20-17, against the Ravens last Sunday, putting a second consecutive playoff trip in jeopardy.

Now, Pittsburgh (9-6) must win today at Cleveland (3-12) and hope Buffalo (7-8) can knock off the visiting New York Jets (10-5) at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Both games begin at 1 p.m.

“We have to focus on what we have to do – that’s goal No. 1, the most-important game of the season for us,” said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

A victory by Pittsburgh would guarantee there will be a 10-win team missing the playoffs for the 22nd time since the NFL went to a 16-game format in 1978. The Steelers would edge a 10-win Jets out of the postseason based on better record against common opponents.

Winning this game, however, is just as important to Pittsburgh’s psyche after a poor offensive and defensive performance against the Ravens.

“It’s more about us getting rightly focused and getting back on track, getting that stench off of us from our last performance, and bouncing back the way that championship-caliber groups do,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Regardless of what happens in Buffalo, the Steelers must take care of business against the Browns if they have any hope of competing for a championship.

To do that, they will have to get their offense back on track.

The defense allowed Baltimore to convert 9 of 18 third downs last week and possess the ball for 35 minutes, but the offense turned the ball over twice and scored just 17 points, breaking a string of six consecutive games with 30 or more points.

“We just didn’t get the job done,” said Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “No. 1, we turned the football over. No. 2, we didn’t make enough plays in situational football where we needed to get it done.”

Roethlisberger did not start the previous meeting (Nov. 15) with the Browns after suffering a sprained foot the week before in a win over Oakland. But he came off the bench for first time since his rookie season and threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns after replacing an injured Landry Jones in the first quarter.

The yardage total set an NFL record for a quarterback coming off the bench and the Steelers hope for a similar effort today, though they know the Browns won’t simply roll over.

“We need to be ready for anything and everything,” Roethlisberger said.

Cleveland could be playing for second-year head coach Mike Pettine’s job. After starting 7-4 last season, the Browns lost their final five games to finish 7-9.

That, coupled with this year’s record, has led to speculation the jobs of Pettine and-or general manager Ray Farmer could be in jeopardy.

“Our lack of success here, there’s a lot of speculation,” said Pettine. “I get asked about job security here often. As a coach, you just can’t get caught up in it. You preach to your players about handling adversity, mental toughness and controlling the controllable. As a coach, you’ve got to get bunkered in and have tunnel vision on your next opponent. And when the smoke clears and the season’s over, whatever happens, happens. But at least you know each day you woke up and did the job to the best of your ability.”

Cleveland was set to start Johnny Manziel for a second time against the Steelers, but the second-year quarterback was diagnosed with a concussion Tuesday in a delayed reaction to a shot he took last Sunday in a loss at Kansas City.

Manziel, who threw for a career-high 372 yards in the first meeting against the Steelers, will sit this game out, and Austin Davis will replace him.

“I’ve played with my third-string quarterback every season of my nine-year career, so it’s not like this is going to be anything new,” said Browns Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas. “We wish we had the opportunity to just play with one guy the whole season, but that’s not the way it’s been. Sometimes, you just have to roll with the punches.”

That’s what the Steelers hope to do after their loss last week.

“We can’t go back and play last week’s game over,” said Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, who needs seven receptions to break the team record of 129 he set last season. “All we can do is move forward, win this game and hope that’s enough to get us into the playoffs.”

The Steelers won five of the past six games against the Browns, though the last loss came at Cleveland, 31-10, in 2014. … Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams needs 101 yards to record the third 1,000-yard season of his career and first since 2009. … Brown needs 52 yards to break his team record of 1,698 receiving yards in a season and 53 to become the seventh player to have 1,700 yards in one season.