3 reasons Browns coach Kevin Stefanski isn’t on the hot seat
By John Suchan
No. 2: Overall and divisional record
Kevin Stefanski started his career in Cleveland by getting his team to finish 11-5 and won the NFL Coach of the Year Award after they also won a playoff game. That entire 2020 campaign was just the polar opposite of everything Browns fans had been used to watching over the previous 20 years.
It turned Stefanski into an instant hero and everyone was looking forward to the future. But now the coach has an overall 22-19 record because of a poor 2021 season and a rough beginning to this season. However, that record compared to former Browns coaches is one of the better marks to this point in a career.
Another reason he’s probably safe this season is that the Browns have a 2-1 mark against divisional opponents. That would include a win against the Cincinnati Bengals last week as well as a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3.
Speaking of the Steelers, Stefanski has led his team to wins over Pittsburgh three times now in his tenure as coach. He’s the first coach the Browns have had since 1999 that has beaten the Steelers three times and he’s the first to do it since Bill Belichick did it back in the mid-1990s.
Beating the Steelers is always a very big deal if you want to continue to be the Cleveland head coach. Stefanski has done that and it surely hasn’t gone unnoticed by ownership.
Despite the current regular season record, the Browns are still in the hunt because of the AFC North’s struggles as a whole. If Stefanski can continue to beat those foes, then his time in Cleveland will be lengthy.