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After an unprecedented week, the Cleveland Browns rode a historically fast start and did enough down the stretch to hold off their rival Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 on Sunday, notching the franchise’s first playoff win since 1994.
The Browns were missing head coach Kevin Stefanski and key starters Joel Bitonio and Denzel Ward, but still managed to pull off the victory in dominant fashion, capitalizing on the Steelers’ miscues.
Former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield looked all the part in the win, proving he’s the quarterback of the future for the franchise, passing for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“We believed. People on the outside don’t matter to us. We believed the whole time,” Mayfield said on the postgame broadcast. “Guys stepping up all over the board.
“Michael (Dunn) got hurt and a guy named Blake who I literally introduced myself to before the game stepped up in the fourth quarter.”
The Browns draw defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City next week for the Divisional Round.
“Obviously it’s a great challenge for us,” Mayfield said. “Once you’re in anything can happen. We believe in ourselves and will keep it that way.”
Internet Runs Wild After Browns Fast Start
The Browns raced out to a very quick 28-0 lead, notching the most by any team in the first quarter of a playoff game since the 1970 merger.
Radio host Jim Rome, who has been a vocal Browns believer, didn’t hold back with his reaction.
“THESE MIGHT BE THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!” he wrote on Twitter in all caps.
Even injured Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. weighed in on the game.
“Lock in! lock in! Cmon ! Respond! Let’s go,” Beckham wrote as the Steelers started to make a comeback.
But after Sione Takitaki’s pick late in the fourth quarter, Beckham could celebrate.
Undisputed host Skip Bayless has the perfect sendoff for the Steelers following the win.
“CONGRATULATIONS, BROWNS FANS. YOU PAID A LOAD OF DUES FOR THIS NIGHT, ONE OF YOUR GREATEST IN TEAM HISTORY. TONIGHT, YOU BIG-BROTHERED THE STEELERS.”
Nick Chubb Brings the Hammer in Second Half
When the Browns needed Chubb the most, he stepped up to the plate. The Browns didn’t do a ton in the second half as the Steelers captured momentum, but Chubb was able to turn the tide with an angry run on a 40-yard catch and scamper for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Chubb finished the game with 76 yards rushing, 69 yards receiving and the touchdown. His running mate Kareem Hunt scored a pair of touchdowns, adding 48 rushing yards.
One Steelers player who had a solid outing was JuJu Smith-Schuster, who provided some bulletin board material earlier in the week. Smith-Schuster caught 13 balls for 157 yards and a score.
“I think they’re still the same Browns teams I play every year,” Smith-Schuster said. “I think they’re nameless gray faces. They have a couple good players on their team, but at the end of the day, I don’t know. The Browns is the Browns.”
As Smith-Schuster quickly learned, this team is not like the Browns of past. The win on Sunday was the franchise’s first since 1994.
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