The Browns took advantage of the Pittsburgh Steelers resting their biggest stars by dominating early in Sunday's season finale between the two teams at Heinz Field and earning a 14-7 halftime lead.
After clinching the AFC North title and securing a No. 3 playoff seed last week, the Steelers sat their offense's top stars -- quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver Antonio Brown, running back Le'Veon Bell and center Maurkice Pouncey.
The Steelers used their starting defense, but Browns quarterback Robert Griffin had a strong first half anyway. He completed 16-of-20 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and posted a rating of 104.8.
The Browns drew first blood during their second series when Griffin threw his first touchdown pass in five starts this season. Rookie tight end Seth DeValve was wide open when he caught a short pass from Griffin and beat cornerback Ross Cockrell to the front right corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. The score finished an eight-play, 55-yard drive and allowed the Browns to capture a 7-0 lead with 7:48 left in the first quarter.
Another touchdown pass from Griffin to a tight end created a 14-0 advantage for the Browns. Tight end Gary Barnidge was wide open when he ran a slant route and caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Griffin on second-and-goal, capping an 11-play, 67-yard march with 9:21 remaining in the second quarter.
Griffin completed 15 of his first 19 passes before being intercepted by inside linebacker Ryan Shazier near the goal line with 3:39 left in the second quarter. Griffin's pass was intended for rookie wide receiver Rashard Higgins in the end zone, but Shazier snagged it at the 2.
The Browns then forced a three-and-out and took over at the Steelers' 47 after a punt.
But undrafted rookie center Anthony Fabiano sailed a shotgun snap over Griffin's head on first-and-10 from the 47, and Steelers safety Sean Davis recovered at the Browns' 37 with 2:01 left in the second quarter. This is Fabiano's first regular-season start at center on any level. The door opened for him when the Browns decided to experiment with 2015 first-round draft pick Cameron Erving by moving him from center to right tackle.
The Steelers capitalized on the miscue by trimming their deficit to 14-7 with a seven-play, 37-yard scoring drive. On second-and-10, running back DeAngelo Williams caught a short pass from quarterback Landry Jones, busted through linebacker Jamie Collins' attempted tackle and bolted into the end zone for an 11-yard, catch-and-run touchdown with 31 seconds left before halftime.