CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Factory of Sadness became the Factory of Joy.
Long-suffering Browns fans are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. The Browns, who ended the season on 11-5, ended the 17-season dry run in the playoffs with a 24-22 win over the Steelers.
It was the longest active streak in the NFL.
The fans hit the seats inside FirstEnergy Stadium and shouted “Pittsburgh Sucks”.
Baker Mayfield, who swore he could turn the team around if anyone could, applauded fans as he left the field.
Myles Garrett, who was the captain for this game, ran over and patted Mason Rudolph after the game after his tortured helmet incident last year.
The Browns will now have a chance to do everything against the Steelers (12-4) in the first round of the playoffs next weekend at Heinz Field. In this game, the Steelers will have Ben Roethlisberger, TJ Watt and other stars back.
“I am proud of that football team, very proud of these guys,” said Browns coach Kevin Stefanski after the game. “… and I’m happy for our fans. They deserve it. They are waiting for this.
“I also want to take notes, I gave Jimmy Haslam and Dee and the whole group a game ball. … they were there for us.
“I am very proud of this for all the people who have been with the organization for a long time.”
Ahead 24 to 16 at the end of the fourth period, the Browns had a chance to take a deep breath at the end, but failed to enter the field goal interval. A fourth pass pass for Rashard Higgins fell incomplete, and the Steelers took over at 35 with 3:37 remaining.
Mason Rudolph, who had already made two 41-yard passes in the game, found Diontae Johnson 47 yards for the Browns 10. A few plays later, Rudolph threw a 2-yard TD pass to JuJu Smith-Smith Schuster to pull in 24 -22. But Rudolph’s two-point pass to Chase Claypool fell incomplete, and the 12,000 fans inside FirstEnergy Stadium roared like 68,000.
Browns’ tight end Stephen Carlson recovered the side kick and the Browns cleared the game when Mayfield converted a third and two into the goalkeeper.
Steelers pull in 1, but the Browns wake up
Rudolph hit his second 41-yard pass, this time for Claypool, for 36 for the Browns. This led to a 46-yard field goal that pulled the Steelers to 10-9 with 8:29 remaining in the third quarter.
But then the tide turned for the Browns, and they remembered that the playoffs were at stake.
Mayfield hit an open Austin Hooper with a 2-yard TD pass on the left side of the end zone that increased his lead to 17-9 with 3:48 to the end of the break. Mayfield hit David Njoku with a huge 14-yard pass in the third and 5 to maintain the lead, and then went up 28 yards on the left to 16.
KhaDarel Hodge took a 10 yard near the left post to set up the TD, and then the Steelers left Hooper open in the final zone.
Grand INT by MJ Stewart
In the Steelers’ next attempt, cornerback MJ Stewart defeated Rudolph in a third and 9 of his own 41 in a pass aimed at Smith-Schuster. Browns’ debuting linebacker Jacob Phillips made the choice possible by colliding with Rudolph to force the wrong launch. He broke a series of three consecutive games, with no loss to the Browns. Stewart returned the INT 30 yards to the Steelers’ 20, and Jarvis Landry ran 3 on the first play of the fourth period to make 24-9. Hodge configured the TD with a 15-yard reception.
Olivier Vernon was eliminated with a left ankle injury
The Browns’ defensive side, Olivier Vernon, suffered what appeared to be a serious ankle injury at 10:18 am from the end of the third period and was taken to the locker room. He suffered a Steelers touchdown attempt in the fourth period and was unable to put any weight on his left leg when he was helped off the field. He was the second Browns player to lose to the game, including Donovan Peoples-Jones, who was checked for a concussion in the first half and did not return.
Steelers pulls to 24-16
After Vernon left the field, the Steelers pulled to 24-16 on a 28-yard TD pass from Rudolph to Claypool, who was heavily covered by Terrance Mitchell.
First half highlights
The Browns led 10-6 after a 47-yard touchdown run by Nick Chubb and a 23-yard field goal by Cody Parkey. The Steelers achieved a 29-yard field goal and a 46-yard field goal for reserve kicker Matthew Wright.
Mayfield completed 7 of 15 attempts for 104 yards in the first half with no touchdowns and no interceptions for a score of 69.9. He was fired twice.
Rudolph competed 11 of 18 in the first half for 134 yards, with no TDs and no INTs for a rating of 84.0.
Peoples-Jones’ injury occurred in the last move of the first half, when he jumped to a high pass in the middle and was hit in the back by safety Sean Davis. He remained in the field for a few minutes and then was escorted to the side and to the locker room, where he was diagnosed with the concussion.
Nick Chubb’s 47-yard touchdown
Chubb started the party early, advancing the right sideline for a 47-yard tank destroyer on the Browns’ first move. Chubb made Tyson Alualu miss early, and then left security Minkah Fitzpatrick in the dust at around 25 to find daylight.
Chubb passed 1,000 yards in the race – he needed 41 – and became the first Browns to run for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons since Jamal Lewis did that in 2007-08. He achieved the feat despite losing four games at the start of the season with his twisted MCL.
Chubb started the race with an explosion of 11 yards on the first move.
Last season, Chubb finished second in the NFL for Derrick Henry of Tennessee with 1,494 yards.
Mayfield to Higgins by 42
In the second quarter, Mayfield hit Higgins with a 42-yard pass on the right touchline, where he defeated Cleveland native Justin Layne, who started the game in place of Haden. Unfortunately for the Browns, they only managed a 23-yard field goal on the big move. Minkah Fitzpatrick broke a pass to David Njoku in the first and a goal from the 4 and then Mayfield made an incomplete throw for him on the third down.
Rudolph responded with a huge 41-yard blow to Diontae Johnson from the right sideline, where he aimed at Jackson, but the Steelers were forced to settle for a 29-yard field goal to pull 10-3 with 4:10 remaining in the half after Adrian Clayborn pressured Rudolph into a third descent incompleteness. They made the 10-6 in a 46-yard field goal with 1:07 to the end of the break.
The Steelers increased the pressure on their last two first-half shots for possession balls in each of these moves. The Browns took over at 35 with 1:07 to the end of the break and a chance to increase their 10-6 lead, but they spoiled.
The first move was a high pass for Peoples-Jones through the middle that resulted in his concussion, and the second was a 10-yard serve from Alex Highsmith. They punished two moves later.
The victory came after a tumultuous and stressful week for the Browns.
Garrett was named captain of the game by coach Kevin Stefanski, but not because he would face Rudolph again. Garrett hoped to be captain in the October 4 win over the Cowboys because he was born and raised there, but Stefanski chose Andrew Sendejo for that game.
When Stefanski made the announcement the Friday before the Cowboys game, Garrett asked him about it and Stefanski gave him the choice of the rest of the games. He chose this one, long before he knew it would be an unmissable game for the Browns, and long before he knew it would mark a rematch between him and Rudolph, who was involved in the helmet incident at FirstEnergy stadium last season.
In the final moments of the Browns’ 21-7 victory on November 14, Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and hit him over the head with him. Garrett later told ESPN that Rudolph called him “a stupid N”, an accusation that Rudolph vehemently denied.
The Browns had five players back in this game who missed the chance to help the Browns beat the Jets last week and secure a playoff spot: Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge and the linebacker Jacob Phillips.
But they also had six players on the COVID-19 reserve list for this game: cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Kevin Johnson, linebackers BJ Goodson and Malcolm Smith, free safety Andrew Sendejo and tight end Harrison Bryant. Ward, Smith and Bryant tested positive on Thursday, and Johnson was placed on the list on Saturday.
Cornerback Robert Jackson, who played only on special teams this season, made his first career start for Ward.
But the Steelers were also a shell of the team that beat the Browns 38-7 on October 18 in Pittsburgh. Professional players Ben Roethlisberger, TJ Watt, Cam Heyward and Maurkice Pouncey rested so that Mike Tomlin could “send them by air to the playoffs”. They didn’t even make the trip to Cleveland.
The Steelers also did not start in cornerback Joe Haden, tight end Eric Ebron and linebacker Cassius Marsh, who were placed on the reserve list for COVID-19 on Saturday. Haden tested positive for the virus and is also likely to be left out of the first round of the playoffs next week.
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