Steelers lose 5 in a row

The defending NFL champions lost their fifth straight and had their playoff hopes thrown for a loss by the lowly Cleveland Browns, who ended a 12-game skid against their bitter rival by beating the Steelers 13-6 on Thursday night in subzero wind chills.

Ben Roethlisberger was sacked eight times and lost for the first time in 11 career games against the Browns (2-11), who extended Pittsburgh’s longest losing streak in six years and defeated the Steelers (6-7) at home for the first time since 2000.

Pittsburgh is going to need help to make the playoffs, a stunning freefall for a team that hit the season’s halfway point at 6-2.

Unexpected losses to Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland – three of the NFL’s worst teams with a combined record of 9-28 – have pushed the Steelers to the brink.

“To lose five straight coming off a Super Bowl from last year is embarrassing,” wide receiver Hines Ward said. “There’s nothing fun about losing games, especially five in a row. We’re better than that. We should play better than that. With three games left, you’re going to see who really wants to go out here and play for the pride of this organisation and this city and who doesn’t want to be around here.”