Growing up a Browns fan, I knew it was unlikely I would ever see them play in a playoff game. After all, they had played one in my lifetime, even if I was not even 2 years old yet.
This season, it seemed they were a shoo-in to make the playoffs, but they lost to the then-1-13 New York Jets in the second-to-last game of the season, putting their playoff hopes in doubt.
They played that game without a single wide receiver who had caught a pass that season, as they were all out due to contact tracing. It seemed as if, just as the Browns were looking playoff-bound, the universe was conspiring to keep them out.
Going into the final game of the season, all the Browns needed to do was win, and they would be back in the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Standing in their way was the Pittsburgh Steelers, a franchise they had only beaten seven times since they returned to the NFL in 1999.
The Steelers were resting some key players, having already secured a division title, but it still felt as if a Browns’ loss was inevitable. Unsurprisingly, it was an incredibly close game, and Browns fans everywhere had their hearts in their throats for its entirety.
When Baker Mayfield scrambled to his right for the game-clinching first down, it was a surreal moment that I will not forget any time soon. The Cleveland Browns would be playing in a playoff game.
Unfortunately, Cleveland was playing its first playoff game in 18 years at the same place it played its last two, Heinz Field, home of the Steelers. The Browns went into the game having lost 17 straight games in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers, not resting any starters this time, were prepared to do what they had done so many times over the last two decades and send the Browns home with a loss.
Then the unthinkable happened. The first snap of the game went over Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s head, and the Browns recovered it in the end zone. This kickstarted a first quarter in which Cleveland jumped out to a 28-0 lead.
As a Browns fan, it was impossible not to be nervous throughout the rest of the game, but the Steelers never made it close enough to justify the nerves. Cleveland stunned Pittsburgh to win its first playoff game in 27 years.
The Browns lost the next week against the Chiefs, but it didn’t matter. They played Kansas City closer than any team has in the playoffs the last two seasons, and more importantly, they reassured fans that however this year ended, they would be back.
Cleveland has finally found the right general manager, the right coach and the right quarterback. They have a roster that’s young, hungry, and talented. They will be back next year with the chance to give Browns fans back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since they returned to the NFL.
There is hope in Cleveland. The Browns finally look like a competent football organization that will be able to compete at the top end of the league for the foreseeable future.
The bottom line is that we do not know how far the Browns will be able to go with this particular group of players, but if this year is any indication, Clevelanders will finally have a reason to be proud of their football team.
Will Cunningham is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Will? Tweet him @willocunningham.
