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PITTSBURGH - That backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers just might have a future in the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger, who did not start because of a sprained left foot, entered the game early in the first quarter when starter Landry Jones was injured and led the Steelers to a 30-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field.
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Roethlisberger was 22 of 33 for 379 yards and three touchdowns. He threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone.
"The guy was literally in a boot and on crutches on Monday," said receiver Antonio Brown, who had 10 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. "I can't speak highly enough of Ben. He's a tremendous warrior. You never know what he's capable of doing. He's on the brink of greatness. Anytime you have a great quarterback we all reap the benefits."
The Steelers' other big-play receiver reaped the most benefits on Sunday. Martavis Bryant had six catches for 178 yards and a touchdown.
Roethlisberger took limited reps in practice last week and Tomlin said afterward most of the game-planning was built around Jones. The Steelers had to adjust by operating out of the shotgun and no-huddle so Roethlisberger did not put a lot of strain on his foot. That limited the play-calling, especially in the running game, but the Steelers were still able to put up 459 yards against the Browns.
"I thought Ben Roethlisberger did a nice job of administering the offense on little to no reps of preparation," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Tip of the cap to him to be able to do that, but he is a veteran and that experience showed up for us in a positive way."
Quarterback Johnny Manziel started a second consecutive game for the Browns because starter Josh McCown was inactive with a rib injury. He was 33 of 45 for 372 yards, but he did not lead the Browns to a touchdown until 12:28 remained in the game. He also was intercepted and lost a fumble.
"I thought Johnny Manziel did some good things," Browns coach Mike Pettine said. "He stayed poised, had some good presence in the pocket and moved well. I think he improved greatly from the Thursday night game knowing where he had to be to make throws and not looking to get out of the pocket too soon. He made some good plays."
Pettine said, however, the Browns have to be more balanced on offense. They rushed for only 15 yards and 11 of those came on a Manziel scramble in the fourth quarter.
"We can't be that one-dimensional," Pettine said. "We have to be able to run the football. That's a challenge to everybody in the running game. We have to be better."
Jones was injured five minutes into the game when right tackle Marcus Gilbert stepped on his left ankle after he threw an incomplete pass on third down at the Cleveland 6-yard line. Chris Boswell came on to kick a 24-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 3-0 lead.
After the Browns tied the score on their next drive, Roethlisberger entered the game. He led the Steelers to a field goal on his first drive and then two touchdowns in the second quarter.
Roethlisberger threw a 4-yard touchdown to Brown with 3:27 left in the second quarter. Brown also caught the two-point conversion for a 14-3 lead.
The Steelers got the ball back with 1:05 remaining in the half. After a 20-yard pass to Brown that set the Steelers up at the Cleveland 32-yard line, Roethlisberger threw a 32-yard touchdown to Bryant with 37 seconds remaining to give the Steelers a 21-3 lead.
Roethlisberger was injured last week when Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith fell on his foot after he sacked him. Roethlisberger practiced only on a limited basis on Thursday and Friday, but the Steelers decided to make him active for the game instead of third-string quarterback Mike Vick.
In the second half, Roethlisberger tossed a 56-yard touchdown pass to Brown after Manziel threw a 7-yard touchdown to tight end Gary Barndige.
NOTES: QB Ben Roethlisberger's 286 passing yards in the first half were the second-most in his career. He threw for 320 in the first half of a game against Indianapolis last season. ... The Steelers had six sacks, marking the third time this season they've had five or more sacks in a game. ... Steelers S Mike Mitchell recorded his team-leading third interception of the season in the fourth quarter.
