Don Wright / Associated Press
Does no practice make perfect?
The Cleveland Browns dealt with an outbreak of COVID-19 within the organization in the week before their first playoff appearance in 18 years and were unable to train until Friday. They took a guided tour on Saturday before flying to Pittsburgh.
But it worked, since the Browns used a monster in the first quarter to take down the Pittsburgh Steelers, 48-37, and advance to the divisional round next weekend.
The Steelers, who have lost five of their last six games after starting the 11-0 season, started to recover in the third quarter but failed to reach the tall Browns.
Notable Artists
- Baker Mayfield, QB, Browns: 263 yards (21 of 34), 3 TD
- Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers: 501 yards (47 of 68), 4 TD, 4 INT
- Kareem Hunt, RB, Browns: 48 yards, 2 TD
- Chase Claypool, WR, Steelers: 59 yards, 2 TD
Browns shake rust at first historic record
On Thursday, Baker Mayfield said he had not played ball since defeating the Steelers the previous weekend. He finally practiced the next day, but with everything at stake in a postseason fight, the Browns couldn’t miss a beat against the revenge-hungry Steelers.
The odds were against them due to lack of preparation and the fact that two starting cornerbacks – Denzel Ward and Kevin Johnson – were still on the reserve / COVID-19 list alongside guard Joel Bitonio, receiver KhaDarel Hodge, head coach Kevin Stefanski and multiple other assistants.
And with all that in mind, the Browns prevailed.
Mayfield led Cleveland to a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, starting with a defensive touchdown in the opening scrimmage move. As soon as he got the ball, he opened with a 40-yard touchdown pass that found Jarvis Landry, and was complemented by a pair of hits from Kareem Hunt.
It was a historic effort by the Browns when it mattered most.
In the second quarter, Austin Hooper grabbed a seven-yard ball from Mayfield to create a 35-7 game. The Steelers doubled in a field goal to close the semester at 35-10, and a return from Pittsburgh was in preparation.
Steelers falls short on second half return
Against the Browns last week, the Steelers did not score a touchdown until the fourth period, settling for three field goals over the first three frames.
Okay, that happened with Mason Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs splitting time in the center while Ben Roethlisberger rested, but the team’s best caller got off to a slow start in his last game, a week 16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. where the team fell into a 24-7 hole and Roethlisberger did not launch a touchdown pass until the end of the third quarter.
Pittsburgh’s defense was off from the start, as demonstrated by the 28-0 start for the Browns, but Roethlisberger also failed to produce anything on his side.
He was caught three times in the first half, shooting for just 177 yards in 20 submissions (30 attempts). When they finally made it onto the board, it was a quick score from James Conner.
Something changed at halftime and, similar to the AFC North game by winning the title against the Colts, when the Steelers lost by more than two touchdowns at halftime, they started to crawl out of the hole. After losing 35-10 in the interval, Roethlisberger launched a pair of touchdowns to enter the fourth quarter with 35-23, although a score was limited by a failed two-point conversion attempt.
The clubs exchanged touchdowns, and when the Steelers had a chance to make a two-goal game with a successful two-point conversion after a 29-yard pass to Chase Claypool, they missed again, settling for a 42- 29.
The Browns scored two goals before a touchdown by Roethlisberger and finally a conversion for two. An attempted side kick recovered by the Browns sealed the deal and allowed Cleveland to move forward.
Although he ended the night with a NFL-record 47 submissions, Steelers failed to recover from its brutal first half.
What is the next?
The Browns will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round next week.