PITTSBURGH — Antonio Brown was the hero as the Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North title, to the surprise of no one.
“Who else would it be?” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said with a smile.
The Pro Bowl wide receiver started the scoring with a 71-yard punt return and ended it with a 63-yard reception as the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 27-17 Sunday night in a showdown for the division crown.
While the Steelers (11-5) won their first division title since 2010 and secured a home playoff game Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens (10-6) in the AFC wild-card round, they could be without team Most Valuable Player Le’Veon Bell.
The second-year running back sustained a hyperextended right knee in the third quarter when struck by the helmet of Bengals safety Reggie Nelson while being tackled. Bell finished the regular season with 1,361 rushing yards plus 83 receptions for 854 yards.
X-rays showed no structural damage in the knee, but Tomlin said it was too early to know Bell’s availability for Saturday. Tomlin also got in Nelson’s face after the game, wagging a finger at him. Both later said the confrontation was not a big deal but declined to address it beyond that.
Josh Harris, an undrafted rookie free agent, finished the game at running back for Pittsburgh. Harris gained 7 yards on five carries, while Bell gained 20 yards on eight carries.
The Bengals (10-5-1) will visit the Indianapolis Colts (11-5) on Sunday in a wild-card game, marking the fourth consecutive season Cincinnati will participate in the playoffs. The Bengals missed a chance to win back-to-back division crowns for the first time in their 44-year history.
Brown had seven receptions for 128 yards and finished the regular season leading the NFL with 129 catches and 1,698 yards.
Brown’s touchdown catch with 2:50 remaining sealed the victory and was his 13th receiving TD of the season, breaking the franchise record.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 24 of 38 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns despite feeling the effects of a stomach virus.
“I feel good now because we won,” Roethlisberger said with a grin after the game. “It was no big deal. Just a little bug.”
Down 20-17, the Bengals were driving when wide receiver A.J. Green lost a fumble with 3:54 remaining after being hit by cornerback Antwon Blake following a 17-yard reception. Blake recovered at the Cincinnati 31 while the Bengals medical staff put Green under concussion protocol following the game.
Three plays later, Roethlisberger and Brown connected for a touchdown.
“A lot of people say the division title doesn’t mean anything, all that matters is getting into the playoffs.” Blake said. “But it’s important for us to win the AFC North. It’s a tough division. We’re playing another AFC North team next week in the playoffs. We wanted to put on those (division championship) hats and T-shirts after the game.”
Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis admitted it was disappointing to see the Bengals let a chance to win the division slip away with the last of his team’s three turnovers.
“We had that turnover at the end, and the turnover seemed to be our issue today,” Lewis said. “That was the biggest part of the day against us. We had a rough day. It’s key to take care of the football. We didn’t do a very good job of it.”
However, Lewis said there was no sense in dwelling on the loss.
“It’s a new season now,” he said.
Bengals rookie running back Jeremy Hill gained 100 yards on 23 carries, and Green, also playing with a bruised left forearm, caught eight passes for 82 yards. Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton finished 27-for-38 for 244 yards and two touchdowns but was also intercepted twice.
Cincinnati cut the deficit to 20-17 with 11:14 left when tight end Jermaine Gresham caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Dalton.
The Steelers scored the final 13 points of the second quarter to take a 20-10 halftime lead.
Kicker Shaun Suisham tied the score with a 29-yard field goal with 7:36 left then put the Steelers ahead by 10 points when he connected from 25 yards with 44 seconds remaining.
In between field goals, wide receiver Martavis Bryant put Pittsburgh on top 17-10 when he turned a screen pass from Roethlisberger into a 21-yard touchdown with 5:52 remaining in the half. The score was set up by the first of cornerback Brice McCann’s two interceptions.
The Bengals moved in front 10-7 when running back Giovanni Bernard caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dalton with 2:43 left in the first quarter and kicker Mike Nugent converted a 39-year field goal with 12:32 to go in the second quarter.
Brown started the scoring in exciting fashion 4:10 into the game. He fielded Kevin Huber’s 54-yard punt and cut right, where he found no running room, before reversing field and going down the left sideline for the score that included a somersault just as he reached the end zone.
NOTES: Pittsburgh S Troy Polamalu (knee) and CB Ike Taylor (shoulder) were inactive. Polamalu missed his second straight game and sat out for the fifth time in the last eight games while Taylor missed his third game in a row. … Cincinnati CB Terrence Newman (ankle) was inactive, sitting out for the second time in the last three games. … Bengals RB Cedric Peerman left the game in the first quarter with a concussion and did not return. … Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons had a game-high 11 tackles.