Week 17 instant reactions: Cleveland Browns end playoff drought

Big drive from Baker was the difference

When Pittsburgh pulled within a point at 10-9, it felt as though the Browns were heading in the wrong direction. They were struggling to move the ball and their defense — while not giving up touchdowns — couldn’t be expected to hold off the Steelers’ all game.

Needing to answer in the third quarter, Mayfield led the Browns on an eight-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass from Baker to Austin Hooper.

In all, Mayfield was 4-of-4 for 39 yards but also had a huge run on the drive as well. When rushed by the defense, Mayfield took off on a first-down play and ran for 28-yards to set the Browns up at the Pittsburgh 16. That was one of the biggest plays of the game and the touchdown at the end of the drive made it 17-9 Cleveland.

That same drive also had a play that went under the radar as Nick Chubb ran it two-yards to set up a third-and-five which ended up being a pass completion to David Njoku. While the two-yards might not seem like much, Chubb actually made three players miss him in the backfield as he turned a huge loss into a couple of yard gain, making it a third-and-manageable.

Had he gone backward and set them up on third and 10-or-more, Cleveland might have played the field position game there. Instead, they went for the touchdown to put the game away.

Wrapping things up

Cleveland finishes 11-5, which is a sensational record for rookie head coach Kevin Stefanski. He now has the most wins as a first-year coach for this historic franchise, topping Paul Brown and Blanton Collier who each had 10. On top of that, they ended the long playoff drought which in itself means this season has been a success — but this team can do more. The Browns have an offense that can play well in January as long as they remember their identity.

Far too often, Stefanski gets away from the running game and that can’t happen in the playoffs. Nick Chubb is the team’s MVP and they have to remember that.

Having said that,  the Browns defense can be a problem. They struggle to make stops and that could be a huge issue — making it even more important they remember to lean on No. 24 next week in the Wild Card Round.