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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers dont think coach Mike Tomlin needs to explain himself whenever his gut tells him to bail on convention.If Tomlin wants to go for it -- whether it be a 2-point conversion, an iffy fourth down or a touchdown instead of a chip shot field goal, a choice he made three times at the end of the first half in Sundays 24-9 victory over Cleveland -- thats totally fine by the Steelers. Last they checked, getting into the end zone is what theyre paid to do.It was awesome, man, center Maurkice Pouncey said. I love it. Get some points, man.Something the Steelers did -- eventually -- during an eyebrow-raising sequence that began with the ball at the Cleveland 3 and 5 seconds left in the second quarter. Leading 6-0, a Chris Boswell field goal would have made it a two-score game. Even though Pittsburgh was scheduled to receive the second-half kickoff, Tomlin kept Ben Roethlisberger and the offense on the field.Two incompletions, two Cleveland penalties, a churning 1-yard touchdown run by LeVeon Bell and a 2-point toss to David Johnson later, Pittsburgh led 14-0. It was halfway to ending a four-game losing streak.Just like Tomlin drew it up, right?We need to score points, Pouncey said. (Kicking field goals) never wins. You get a whole bunch of field goals, we been in that situation before.Tomlin insisted there was no ulterior motive for repeatedly trying to get six, and eventually eight, though the timing was auspicious. The Steelers went 0 for 4 in 2-point conversions in a narrow 35-30 loss to Dallas the week before.The message is that we wanted to score, because scoring produces wins, Tomlin said on Monday. And were always generally aggressive in that area of the field.Pittsburgh (5-5) could afford to gamble more than usual against the woeful Browns (0-11) while winning on the road for just the second time this season. A more difficult test awaits on Thanksgiving night in Indianapolis. Drumming the NFLs worst team a short two-hour bus ride from home is one thing. Trying to rein in Andrew Luck and have enough fresh bodies to do it barely 96 hours later is another. The key is trying to maximize every second of down time in between.Honestly I dont like the Thursday games, Pouncey said. Short preparation, the body gets short rest, and as a lineman, we go out there 71 plays (against Cleveland). Every play I touched somebody, trust and believe that.The Steelers havent exactly thrived on short rest recently. Theyve dropped four straight on Thursdays, including a Thanksgiving night loss in Baltimore in 2013 that included Tomlin nearly colliding with Ravens returner Jacoby Jones during a long runback.Pittsburgh went through its usual Monday routine, which includes a series of sprints on the practice field. There will be minimal contact on Tuesday and Wednesday before hopping the plane to Indianapolis. The Steelers hope the sense of urgency and the adrenaline it brings will overcome any lingering aches.Were playing to stay alive, offensive guard Ramon Foster said. Us coming up short on a Thursday? Theres no excuse.The time to get it going is now. Its why Tomlin wasnt particularly surprised when he headed to the team cafeteria for a cup of coffee early Monday and heard music coming from the training room. He popped his head inside and found linebacker James Harrison going through a series of Instragram-worthy workouts just hours removed from becoming the franchises all-time sack leader .On a short week, hes in there doing what he does, Tomlin said. Theres a lot to learn from a guy who approaches his business in the manner he does. And I know our guys recognize that.A little bit of familiarity with the Colts should help. Pittsburgh has thumped Indianapolis each of the last two seasons by a combined score of 96-44, though Luck did not play in last years 45-10 whipping due to injury.Game notes Its unlikely WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) or RB DeAngelo Williams (knee) return this week. ... S Jordan Dangerfield (groin) and TE Xavier Grimble are questionable.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL George Hill Bucks Jersey . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Ersan Ilyasova Bucks Jersey . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. http://www.nbabucksproshop.com/Authentic-Ersan-Ilyasova-Bucks-Jersey/ . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Giannis Antetokounmpo Jersey . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Brook Lopez Jersey .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. While the first day of the Esports Championship Series group stages was rife with upsets and exciting matches, the second day eschewed the upsets in favor of incredibly close matches filled with intense action. OpTic Gaming and SK Gaming were the two teams left standing once the dust settled on the second day of competition en route to the $250,000 first prize.Group A: OpTic Gaming takes the tough roadWhile OpTic did eventually break through to the semifinals, the road there certainly wasnt the easiest. Their day began with a matchup against their North American brethren in Cloud9. The series began with Dust 2, where Cloud9 picked up an easy 16-8 win. Cloud9 looked to continue their dominating ways in Game 2 on Overpass, finishing the first half with a 12-3 lead, but OpTic would wake up and make their presence known. OpTic won all 13 rounds played in the second half, picking up a spectacular 16-12 win to force a decisive Game 3 on Cache. In a repeat of Game 2, OpTic found themselves down big at the half before storming back. While OpTic needed an overtime period this time, NAs resident Cinderella story finally put Cloud9 away to move on to a date with FaZe Clan.OpTic managed to break out of their pattern of slow starts in the deciding match of Group A. In this series against FaZe, it was OpTic who would consistently start strong with leads in the first half. In Game 1 it was a 10-5 lead that OpTic turned into a 16-10 win. While OpTic began Game 2 with a 12-3 lead, they were unable to hold on against a determined FaZe side. Philip aizy Aistrup and Aleksi allu Jalli helped FaZe punch through the Green Wall with 12 straight wins between the end of regulation and overtime to take the map 19-15. Whereas many teams would have been mentally broken after such a tough loss, OpTic came back with renewed energy in Game 3 on Cache, essentially waltzing their way to a 16-4 win to take the seriess.ddddddddddddGroup B: SK Gaming prevails in the endWhile SK Gaming had to battle through the lower bracket of Group B, they still managed to secure a spot in the semifinals. The road there started with an easy series for SK, as Immortals didnt really put up that much of a fight until the very end. Things started off on Cache where SK took the map by a score of 16-9, with Fernando fer Alvarenga coming in clutch with a strong 27/16 KD (kills/deaths) and 111.7 ADR (average damage per round). Game 2 on Train - usually SKs best map by far - was a much closer affair. Things went back and forth for most of the game before SK took control and closed out the 16-14 win. Despite finishing with a negative KD, stand-in Ricardo fox Pacheco came up with a few kills in the final few rounds that pushed SK ahead to the Group B decider match.The last match of the day for SK against Team Dignitas wasnt as easy as their series from earlier in the day. SK got off to a 1-0 lead in the series with a big 16-9 win on Cache, where Marcelo coldzera David posted a 27/12 KD and a 107.5 ADR. In stark contrast, the second game on Mirage is one that SK will want to purge from their memory, as they looked flustered all game while Dignitas picked up an easy 16-7 win to force a Game 3. While the match was hotly contested until the very end, SK stabilized late with five straight round wins to secure a 16-10 victory over Dignitas that punched SKs ticket to the semifinals.With one final day of competition left, only four teams are left to duke it out for the combined $750,000 prize pool. The playoffs will begin with Astralis facing SK at 2:15pm EST, followed by Team EnVyUs and OpTic Gaming. After the incredible action seen throughout Day 2, one things for sure: the best is still yet to come. ' ' '