CLEVELAND — Make it 10. A pathetically perfect 10.
The Browns extended their longest losing streak in the history of the AFC’s oldest rivalry Sunday night on NBC.
Steelers 10, Browns 6.
The Browns have lost 10 straight to Pittsburgh and 16 of 17. They’ve lost eight in a row at Cleveland Browns Stadium. (Even with wind gusting to 60 mph and rain swirling in sheets, the lakefront didn’t scare anyone in yellow and black.)
“This was maybe one of the best games we’ve played against Pittsburgh in awhile,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “But we shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties.
“We screwed it up.”
The Browns may not have been embarrassed as they have too often by the Steelers in the last 10 years, but they certainly weren’t good enough. They fell to 0-2 on the season — both losses at home — and have quieted the playoff talk that was so loud in June.
It’s been replaced by criticism of Crennel — especially his decisions to kick field goals — and questions about an offense that went from powerhouse to puny in the offseason.
Quarterback Derek Anderson isn’t exempt from the critics, not after failing to lead a touchdown drive and throwing two interceptions, including a critical one to end the first half. With eight seconds left from the 11-yard line, Anderson was picked by safety Troy Polamalu as he looked for Syndric Steptoe cutting inside toward the goal.
“It was a poor read,” said Anderson, who went 18-for-32 for 166 yards with two interceptions and a 44.5 rating. “I probably should’ve thrown the ball out of the end zone and taken the three points.”
“I was so mad, I had to contain myself right there,” tight end Kellen Winslow said. “That was a huge turnover.”
For the second straight week, Phil Dawson was booed after making a field goal. This time, the decision to kick can be defended by Crennel, who inexplicably called for a field goal down 28-7 in the fourth quarter in the opening loss to Dallas.
With 3:24 left and facing fourth-and-7 on the 20-yard line Sunday, Crennel called for Dawson and a 38-yard attempt. The Browns would still need a touchdown, but with a defensive stop, a touchdown would win the game.
Dawson made the kick, but the stop didn’t come until 26 seconds remained. It was too late.
Ben Roethlisberger, 8-0 versus the Browns, completed a 23-yard pass to tight end Heath Miller, and Willie Parker picked up a first down with a run around right end. Parker finished with 105 yards on 28 carries.
“It’s frustrating as hell,” linebacker D’Qwell Jackson said. “They made plays when they needed to, no matter how well we played.”
Dawson’s field goal, which made the score 10-6, capped a 14-play drive that used 7:29. The Browns converted three third downs on Anderson completions, but Crennel didn’t give him the chance to convert a fourth down.
“I thought that gave us the best chance with the way the defense was playing,” Crennel said. “I thought we had a chance to stop them.”
The defense failed at the end, but stood up to the Steelers for much of the night. Pittsburgh gained 281 yards, which were 206 fewer than Dallas in Week 1. Of course, the weather played a role, and defensive linemen Shaun Smith (face mask on a sack) and Shaun Rogers (offside) committed critical penalties on the game’s lone touchdown drive that gave Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.
Pittsburgh broke the goose eggs after Anderson was intercepted by Bryant McFadden on his first play with the wind behind him. Anderson threw deep for Braylon Edwards, but the throw ballooned.
Roethlisberger found Hines Ward for an 11-yard score on third-and-9. Nickelback Terry Cousin missed the jam and had no chance catching up to Ward, who celebrated by kicking turf backward toward the Dawg Pound.
“Big Ben just comes up with something every time,” Winslow said. “He gets it done.”
In a first half better-suited for Weather Channel fans than fantasy football players — the wind blew consistently between 20-40 mph and gusted to 60 mph — offense was at a premium. The Browns had a chance to match Pittsburgh’s score, as they crossed midfield for the first time with 2:10 left. They self-destructed with questionable clock management and the Anderson interception.
The Steelers made it 10-0 with 7:58 left in the third quarter on a 48-yard Jeff Reed field goal. The big play of the drive was a jump ball won by former Ohio State star Santonio Holmes. Cornerback Brandon McDonald was in position for the interception, but the ball went through his hands and settled into Holmes’ for a 48-yard completion to the 36-yard line.
The Browns had just three drives of more than five plays. The first ended in the Polamalu interception and the last two with Dawson field goals. Dawson’s first kick made it 10-3 with 1:25 left in the third quarter.
The golden chance came next. The Steelers didn’t catch the kickoff and Cleveland’s Jerome Harrison was the first to the loose ball. He tried to jump on it and it slithered away. When he got to it again, he had company and the ball bounced out of bounds at the 2-yard line.
Two plays later, Roethlisberger, with all day to throw, found Ward sitting in the soft zone coverage for a 31-yard completion. It was the last play of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was filled with more Browns heartbreak against Pittsburgh.
“We gotta get over the hump on these guys,” Winslow said.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com. 

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