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Cleveland Browns: 3 takeaways from another sad day in Pittsburgh

By Thomas Moore

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 31: Duke Johnson #29 of the Cleveland Browns kneels in the end zone after 2 yard touchdown run in the second quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 31: Duke Johnson #29 of the Cleveland Browns kneels in the end zone after 2 yard touchdown run in the second quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Browns closed out just the second 0-16 season in NFL history on Sunday. Here are three takeaways from a historic day.

The Cleveland Browns pulled off the seemingly impossible on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

By dropping a 28-24 decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns join the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams in NFL history to finish a season at 0-16.

But when it comes to a two-year run of futility, the Browns stand alone as they are now 1-31 under head coach Hue Jackson.

The loss means the Perfect Season Parade is on for Jan. 6 at FirstEnergy Stadium, which should be almost as fun as when owner Jimmy Haslam officially announces that Jackson will return for a third season as head coach.

At this point, there isn’t much to be said about the season, so let’s close out the final takeaways with a few positive notes.

Duke Johnson’s record year

Running back Duke Johnson hauled in six passes for 75 yards, giving him 74 receptions for the season. Johnson is just the ninth player in franchise history to catch 70 or more passes in a season, and the only running back to do so.

Johnson finished the year with 1,041 combined rushing and receiving yards, joining running back Isaiah Crowell, who had, 1,035 combined yards from scrimmage, to give the Browns a rather productive backfield.

Myles Garrett closes out rookie year on a high note

It was a rough year for defensive end Myles Garrett, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.

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Garrett’s debut was delayed four weeks by a high ankle sprain, and he missed another game with a concussion, but with his sack of Pittsburgh quarterback Landry Jones on Sunday, Garrett finished the season with eight sacks in just 11 games.

That may not sound like much to those fans who continue to claim that Garrett is “just a guy,” but consider for a moment that Bruce Smith (Buffalo Bills) had 6.5 sacks as a rookie, Michael Strahan (New York Giants) had one sack as a rookie, Richard Dent (Chicago Bears) had three sacks as a rookie and Howie Long (Oakland Raiders) had zero sacks as a rookie.

And all four of those players ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In other words, calm down, Garrett will be just fine.

The Browns will own the 2018 NFL Draft

The Browns secured the No. 1 overall selection in the upcoming draft last week when they lost to the Chicago Bears, and they claimed the No. 4 overall selection today thanks to the Indianapolis Colts taking down the Houston Texans.

Cleveland will have five picks in the first two rounds of the draft, including four among the first 36 or so selections, which is a nice way to advance the rebuild if general manager John Dorsey uses them correctly.

Next: Browns fall to 0-16 in a nightmare season

It took 10 years, but the Colts finally made some amends for tanking the final game of the 2007 season and costing the Browns a playoff spot.

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