Cleveland Browns: 5 reasons 2020 season is a success, playoffs or not

No matter what happens Sunday, this Cleveland Browns season was a success

The Cleveland Browns have a de facto playoff game this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as a win will get them into the postseason for the first time since 2002, while a loss all but eliminates them. While a loss to a Mason Rudolph-led Steelers team to end the season would be a terrible disappointment, it would not change the fact that this season has been the most encouraging for the team since the return in 1999.

That sentiment was echoed by ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, and he’s absolutely right. Losing out on a playoff berth with back-to-back losses to the New York Jets and the Steelers backups would be extremely painful, not to mention downright embarrassing.

But if you had told Browns fans at the start of the year that this team would win 10 games and be playing for a playoff spot in Week 17, 99 percent would have immediately signed up for that. There are plenty of reasons why this season has been a resounding success, regardless of the final outcome.

5. Kevin Stefanski

Chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta and the rest of the analytics (squirrel!) team wanted to hire Stefanski last offseason, after he had served as offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings for just three games. Instead, general manager John Dorsey went with the other unproven play-caller in Freddie Kitchens, and that most certainly did not work out.

Stefanski’s 2019 went quite well, as he helped Kirk Cousins have perhaps the best season of his NFL career as the Vikings made the playoffs. He didn’t receive much head coaching interest outside of the Browns, who chose him over more popular candidates like Josh McDaniels. There was plenty of hesitation about letting the analytics nerds have their pick, but they were right about Sean McDermott vs. Hue Jackson, and appear to have been right about Stefanski as well.

A Coach of the Year award is in order for Stefanski, as he’ll finish either 10-6 or 11-5 with a Wild Card berth in his first season. Considering everything that he’s had to overcome both before and during the season, and the number of good teams present in the AFC, that’s quite the accomplishment.

Many thought that Stefanski calling the plays would lead to a repeat of last season’s debacle, but he’s been one of the league’s best play-callers, and his decision-making during games has been fantastic as well. He wins nearly all of his challenges and his level-headed demeanor has been a welcome addition to the sideline. He looks to be the leader this team has been seeking for over 20 years.