Cleveland Browns: Win over Steelers was Kevin Stefanski’s masterpiece
By Sam Penix
![Browns coach Kevin Stefanski talks with Nick Chubb, left, Kareem Hunt, and Baker Mayfield during a game against Washington on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won the game 34-20. [Phil Masturzo/Beacon Journal]Browns16 2](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fhttps-3A-2F-2Fdawgpounddaily-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F15290401-850x560-020cb18ed709fe1eb71aedaec4cbdb738aada112137865c02f6fca34bb707f49.jpg "Browns coach Kevin Stefanski talks with Nick Chubb, left, Kareem Hunt, and Baker Mayfield during a game against Washington on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won the game 34-20. [Phil Masturzo/Beacon Journal]Browns16 2")
The hero we deserve and the one we need right now
With all the infighting and narcissism within the organization in 2019, it was going to be a tall task to right the ship in 2020. Then COVID-19 hit and robbed the team of its offseason, training camp, and preseason.
There was not a worse situation that a rookie head coach could have stepped into, and it showed in Week 1 as the Browns were obliterated by the Baltimore Ravens. The same thing happened in Week 6 as Cleveland was pounded by the Steelers. But if there’s one thing Stefanski has proven in his first season as a head coach, it’s that he learns.
In his rematch with Baltimore, the Browns came back multiple times in the fourth quarter, despite having multiple chances to fall apart during that game. If not for the putrid defense, and a powered-up Lamar Jackson back from the bathroom, the Browns win that game. Against Pittsburgh in Week 17, Stefanski appeared to hold back quite a bit as the Steelers sat key players. That was a risky decision, but Cleveland got the win.
And of course, the Wild Card round was just a masterful display of competency from the Browns side, while Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin was thoroughly outclassed. Priefer, Van Pelt, and the rest of Cleveland’s staff deserve plenty of credit for executing the gameplan on Sunday Night. But the real MVP is Stefanski. That win would not have been possible without the work he puts in and the leadership he provides. He’s been everything this team needed and more.
Next. Writer predicts Odell Beckham Jr. trade to Patriots. dark
In a rookie season full of well-coached games, this playoff victory was Kevin Stefanski’s magnum opus, and he wasn’t even there.