Cleveland Browns instant reactions to first playoff win since 1994

Momentum swung in the second and third

The second quarter wasn’t bad by any means, but Cleveland was outscored 13-0 in the third and all the momentum was on the side of the Steelers. They cut the lead to 35-23 and had forced a couple of three-and-outs. The biggest reason for this was the fact that the Browns lost Jack Conklin.

With their right tackle out, Kendall Lamm had issues with T.J. Watt who was blowing up their running game. But then, they finally caught a break when the Steelers elected to punt despite facing a fourth-and-one from their own 46. Cleveland was struggling to stop them, but this was the break the road team needed.

After trying to force them offsides, the Steelers were hit with a delay of game and backed up five yards. They then punted it for a touchback and the Browns responded with their biggest drive of the game.

Defining drive

With the Steelers possessing all the momentum, Baker Mayfield and the offense were in danger of another three-and-out following the Steelers punt. Facing a third-and-two, Mayfield had an empty backfield and hit Jarvis Landry for 17-yards. He then found him for 14 yards on the next play and finished the drive with a 40-yard screen pass to Nick Chubb.

That score made it 42-23, which put pressure on the Steelers once again. While they did score, they failed to convert on the two-point conversion, and Baker and Jarvis continued to pour it on as they kept connecting on the following drive to help kill the clock.

Baker proved himself again

There will always be those who question Baker Mayfield but with everything going against him in this game, the third-year quarterback did everything he had to in order to get his team the win. With back-up linemen in front of him and no head coach, Mayfield kept delivering accurate passes and avoided the big mistakes that Ben Roethlisberger could not avoid.

He finished with a stat line of 21-of-34 for 263 yards with three touchdowns and no picks while again dispelling the narrative that he’s not a franchise guy. He hit seven different receivers with Landry leading the way with 92 yards and a touchdown on five catches.

It was a huge game for him and it seems unlikely anyone can find a reason to bash him for this performance.