Boy, did the Cleveland Browns take care of a lot of history Sunday night in their wild card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
They took care of the last playoff appearance since 2002 with the win in week 17 over the Steelers at First Energy Stadium, getting into the post-season tournament. Check.
Last playoff win was 1994 when the Bill Belichick led Browns beat New England in the wild card round to advance to the divisional round against guess who? The Steelers. Check.
The last time they won a road playoff game was in 1969, when they routed the Dallas Cowboys and Blanton Collier, the last Browns coach to win the NFL Championship, was still at the helm. Consider that taken care of as well.
This edition of the Browns should bring pride to the city because they let nothing stand in their way and they make no excuses. That comes from Kevin Stefanski, who downplayed his absence due to COVID-19 in media calls all week.
That instills confidence in everyone throughout the organization that they can get things done. This team doesn’t talk about who isn’t there, simply that they can succeed with the folks who are there.
We have said this before. Leaders don’t have to tell people they are leaders. But it’s obvious that the players view Stefanski as their guy. It is telling that Jarvis Landry facetimed the coach as soon as the game was over. He wanted to share it with him.
Cleveland was missing All Pro LG Joel Bitonio, but Michael Dunn stepped in and the offensive line didn’t miss a beat. Another All Pro, RT Jack Conklin, left the game with a hamstring injury in the second quarter, and after Kendall Lamm, who replaced him, was hit with a holding penalty on his first play, did a solid job.
Dunn left in the second half, and the Browns finished the game with Blake Hance, who Baker Mayfield introduced himself to before the game, and Stefanski still hasn’t met in person, at guard.
Talk about the “next man up” philosophy. The one constant need for success is Wyatt Teller. Cleveland is now 11-2 this season when he is on the field.
On offense, the Browns stars stepped up. Nick Chubb had 145 yards rushing and receiving, and his touchdown off a screen pass basically clinched the contest for the visitors. Kareem Hunt rushed for 48 yards and two touchdowns, and Landry caught five passes for 92 yards including a TD on his first reception.
And are there still people who don’t think Baker Mayfield can play? In his first playoff game, the former first overall pick completed 21 of 34 throws for 263 yards and three touchdowns. And no interceptions, in contrast to his opponent at QB, Ben Roethlisberger, who threw four to Cleveland players.
The defense is still a work in progress to be sure, and missing probably their second best defensive player in CB Denzel Ward, didn’t help their performance. But they forced five turnovers, and ultimately, that was the difference in the game. The Cleveland defense took the ball away, the Pittsburgh defense could not.
Ward was missing, but defensive coordinator got big plays out of guys like Sheldrick Redwine, Vincent Taylor, Porter Gustin, and M. J. Stewart.
You need players to step up when other guys are out, and the Browns certainly have that culture. It also helps when GM Andrew Berry and the scouting department bring in men who can contribute.
So, now it’s on to another daunting task in the divisional round against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The odds are against them again, the Chiefs being installed as a ten point favorite.
However, this Browns team believes in their coach, his staff, and each other. We doubt that no matter the result next Sunday, that will not change.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 