Same Old Story for Browns

The Cleveland Browns usually find a different way to lose at Three Rivers Stadium. But Sunday they found a familiar one.

For the second straight year, the Browns were beaten by a last-minute field goal by Gary Anderson, this time falling, 10-9.

Anderson’s game-winning kick was a 29-yarder and it came with nine seconds left.

Last year, the Browns lost, 23-20, at Three Rivers when Anderson kicked a field goal with five seconds left.

“I was just thinking of last year,” Anderson said Sunday. “We were moving the ball downfield just like last year, going for the score.

“I tried to think back to better days and concentrated. I never felt better after a kick. I’ve been struggling this year.”

The Browns have never won at Three Rivers Stadium since it was opened in 1970.

“I make nothing of the jinx,” said Cleveland cornerback Frank Minnifield, who was called for a costly pass interference penalty that set up Anderson’s kick. “I haven’t been here for all the 16 years. It sells papers but it does nothing for me.”

The Steeler victory, coupled with victories by Houston and Cincinnati, threw the four teams in the AFC Central Division into a tie at 4-5.

Anderson’s kick capped a 10-play, 73-yard drive by the Steelers in the final four minutes. Minnifield was called for a 30-yard pass interference penalty on the first play of the drive.

The Steelers ran the clock down to 11 seconds before Anderson kicked his 12th field goal of the season.

With Pittsburgh trailing 6-0, the crowd of 51,976 helped the Steelers take a 7-6 lead in the third quarter. The Browns’ rookie quarterback, Bernie Kosar, was in shotgun formation in a third-down situation when the spectator noise caused him to wait. Center Mike Baab snapped the ball when Kosar was not ready and Kosar was thrown for a 12-yard loss.

Cleveland Coach Marty Schottenheimer refused to blame the mistake on Kosar.

“We couldn’t handle the turmoil, that’s what was happening,” Schottenheimer said. “I thought Bernie was fine . . . the whole offensive line should have left the line of scrimmage.”

Said Kosar: “The official (Bob Frederic) kept telling me to try to get the play off but I couldn’t hear anyone around me. Baab thought I said, ‘Set, go’ and he snapped the ball.”

Cleveland ended up punting and Jeff Gossett’s punt traveled only 32 yards, giving the Steelers the ball at the Browns’ 44.

David Woodley, playing for the injured Mark Malone, hit Louis Lipps for 12 yards and Walter Abercrombie followed with a 32-yard sprint off left tackle for the game’s only touchdown.

Matt Bahr’s third field goal of the game, a 30-yarder, put Cleveland ahead, 9-7.