PITTSBURGH, Pa. – I never thought I’d write a story like this.
Not about the Browns. Not about the Browns playing like they did Sunday in Pittsburgh against the Steelers in the playoffs.
Not about the Browns scoring 35 points in the first half. Not about the Steelers turning the ball over four times. Not the Browns out-coaching the Steelers when their head coach was watching from his basement.
You can’t make this up.
Usually when I write that phrase, something unbelievably abominable has happened to the Browns.
Not this: Browns 48, Pittsburgh 37.
But yes, that was the final score. Let’s repeat it: Browns 48, Pittsburgh 37.
Say it out loud: Browns 48, Pittsburgh 37.
Don’t dwell on the fact of the Steelers coming back to make your heart race, then skip a few beats.
The Browns hadn’t won at Heinz Field since 2003, a 17-game losing streak. Browns fans are on a first-name basis with all the ghosts of Browns late-game collapses on this field.
And these are the Steelers.
As painful as it is to admit, they are one of the NFL’s most consistent and elite franchises. They weren’t about to just quit against the Browns.
And they didn’t, but the Browns won, anyway.
That’s because the Browns won this game going away, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Think of Sione Takitaki picking off a Ben Roethlisberger pass with 3:16 left to settle the issue.
That was Roethlisberger’s fourth interception of the night.
That’s right, the same Ben Roethlisberger who took a 24-2-1 career vs Browns into the game threw FOUR interceptions.
This wasn’t a win, it was a WOW!
Cleveland Browns tight end Austin Hooper, quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Jarvis Landry celebrate Hooper’s catch for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first half during the Wild Card Playoff game in Pittsburgh. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
BROWNS FANS DESERVE THIS
Browns fans, you have a team to make you proud.
You have a team you deserve after watching your franchise move to Baltimore in 1995 and then return as a dismal expansion team in 1999.
Think of all the hirings, firings, quarterbacks and abysmal draft picks.
Now think about this: You have a team that won its first playoff game since 1994.
You have a team that played as if the playoffs were its own personal playground. Meanwhile the Steelers looked panicked and unprepared to open this game.
Never in NFL history has there been a playoff victory quite like this one.
That’s not hyperbole.
When has a team entered the postseason with its head coach watching the game from his basement?
That was the case for Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski, who tested positive for COVID-19 early in the week. Along with some other positive COVID-19 tests among the players and coaches, that led to the Browns shutting down their facility until Friday.
That’s right, the Browns had only one full-blown practice before this game. And they were without their head coach (Stefanski), their revered offensive line coach (Bill Callahan) and three other assistants because of COVID-19.
Oh, the virus also knocked out Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio and Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws in the first half during the Wild Card Playoff game in Pittsburgh. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
WHO ARE THESE GUYS?
Michael Dunn (in his first NFL game) started at left guard for Bitonio. He got hurt. Then a guy name Blake Hance came in to play left guard. It also was his first NFL game.
Mayfield said he didn’t know Hance until they met in the locker room before the game.
For real…
All Pro right tackle Jack Conklin suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter and left the game. He was replaced by journeyman Kendall Lamm.
And think about these names…
There was Porter Gustin making diving interception after Vincent Taylor tipped a Roethlisberger pass. Porter Gustin? Vincent Taylor? Unless you are a hard-core Browns fan, you probably are asking, “Who are these guys?”
They are like M.J. Stewart, who also had an interception for the Browns.
They are guys who had to play because starters were out. They are marginal players, guys at the end of the roster who moved to the front of the line in the biggest game of their lives.
WHY THIS GAME MEANS SO MUCH
There was offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt stepping in for Stefanski to call the plays. This coaching staff is so organized, you couldn’t tell the difference.
The same for acting head coach Mike Priefer, who kept things together in Stefanski’s absence.
In the past, a game like this in Pittsburgh where players went down, coaches were missing…
You’re a Browns fan. You know what usually happens.
But it didn’t because these aren’t the Same Old Browns.
Instead, they are Your Browns, a team worthy of your loyalty.
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