PITTSBURGH — In the words of Austin Powers: who throws a shoe? Honestly.
During the Cleveland Browns' matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, the answer that that question was Jadeveon Clowney. While the Browns defensive end made an impressive play, wrapping up Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool short of the sticks on a third-and-10 with 12:24 remaining in the second quarter, he negated the third-down stop by ripping of Claypool's Air Jordan cleat and throwing it down the field.
As a result, the No. 1 pick of the 2014 NFL Draft was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, giving Pittsburgh a first down at Cleveland's 18-yard line. Three plays later, the Steelers were in the end zone, with Ben Roethlisberger finding Diontae Johnson for a five-yard touchdown pass to give Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead.
Clowney's miscue was just the latest for the Browns, in a game that's been full of them on both sides of the ball. On offense, Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield has completed just one of his first 10 pass attempts, with four passes having batted down and one being intercepted.
Entering Monday night's game with a 7-8 record, the Browns have already been eliminated from postseason contention. On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals officially clinched the AFC North, while the Los Angeles Chargers' win over the Denver Broncos eliminated Cleveland from Wild Card contention.
For all the latest from the Browns' Week 17 matchup at Heinz Field, follow our live blog.