Seamus Walsh ‘24
With the Cleveland Browns falling short to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, January 17th, their season has ended. Having a historic season amid a global pandemic is no easy feat, in the spirit of reflection, a season recap is in order. The season began with Baker Mayfield experiencing a sophomore slump; with a rookie record 27 passing TD’s in his first season, 21 picks was a surprise. Another setback was defensive end Myles Garrett’s indefinite suspension for hitting Mason Rudolph with his helmet. The season ended as a disappointing 6-10. The Browns set their sights on the draft, they ended up acquiring T Jedrick Wills Jr., and signing lineman Jack Conklin. And of course, a revamped front office, with Kevin Stefanski taking the reins from Freddie Kitchens, and a new GM in Andrew Berry.But then Covid-19 struck, leaving the Browns without a preseason and very little training camp.
This may have been why, in the season opener, the Baltimore Ravens blew out the Browns, 38-6. The Browns had a short week, with a Thursday night home opener against #1 overall pick Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Fending off the persistent Bengals, the Browns cruised their way to a win. After a painless victory against the Washington Football Team, the Browns traveled to Dallas to take on the favored Cowboys, with Dak Prescott and former Buckeye Ezekiel Elliot. After an explosive offensive half, the Browns let up and allowed America’s Team to pull within 3. But a 50 yard TD run by Odell Beckham Jr., along with 2 other TD catches, secured the W. Myles Garret was awarded AFC Defensive Player of the Week with two sacks and a FF. Pro Bowl RB Nick Chubb succumbed to a knee injury. Regardless, the Browns moved to 4-1, their best start since 1994.
The Browns returned back to Cleveland to host the Indianapolis Colts. They pulled out in a 32-23 victory, The Browns were humbled in their next game, falling 38-7 to Ben Roethlisberger and Juju Smith-Schuster. Next to Cincinnati to rematch Joe Burrow. After a close fight, it came down to the final minute. With the Browns down 31-34, receivers made some clutch catches on the final drive, culminating with a spectacular, toe-tapping game-winning snag from Michigan rookie Dovovan Peoples-Jones with only 15 seconds remaining, giving the Browns their 5th win of the season. One stain on the amazing game was the injury to flashy receiver Odell Beckham Jr. He tore his ACL and was placed on the IR of the season. After the win against the Bengals, they hosted the Las Vegas Raiders. In a cloudy game, with rain and high winds of up to 35 mph, it was a low scoring affair. Hunter Renfrow of the Raiders had the lone touchdown catch, leading Las Vegas to a 16-6 win.
Now 5-3, the Browns had a bye week. Week 10 had very similar weather to Week 8, with blustery winds and severe precipitation, delaying the game. But the Browns persevered against Mother Nature and won a close game 10-7, the only score coming from a run courtesy of recovered Nick Chubb. The Browns hosted the Philadelphia Eagles, and an excellent defensive showing, including a pick-six by LB Sione Takitaki and three sacks and a safety from DE Olivier Vernon, led the Cleveland Browns to their 7th triumph of the season. The Browns headed south to take on the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars. They escaped with a 27-25 win. Week 13 the Browns squared off against the Tennessee Titans. Baker and the Browns exploded with 38 points in the first half, including a TD pass to lineman Kendall Lamm. This win the Browns secured their first winning season since 2007.
Next up was a Monday Night Football game at FirstEnergy Stadium, rematching the Ravens. With both teams looking like they were heading to the playoffs, people expected a good game. The Ravens had the lead 21-14 at halftime, and scored again after the break. Eventually the Browns were able to take the lead on two TDs by Mayfield. Lamar Jackson, Ravens QB, went to the locker room with an injury, but returned and threw a touchdown! Kareem Hunt punched it into the endzone, but Ravens kicker Justin Tucker sealed the game with a field goal, handing the Browns their 4th loss of the season. The Browns headed to the Big Apple, taking on both New York teams. After an easy win over the NY Giants, they faced the Jets. The Browns were huge favorites, and a win would almost guarantee a playoff spot. But in a shocking game that surprised every fan, the Browns lost! A would-be game winning drive was halted on a turnover on downs.
Heading into Week 17, the Browns controlled their destiny. With the 10-5 record, they had to win to earn a wild card spot. Their opponent was the Steelers, who already destroyed them earlier in the season. The Steelers already clinched, so they rested their starters. After the Browns went up 24-9, the Steelers made a late push but Baker was able to hold on and clinch the Browns first playoff berth since 2002, and their best record of 11-5, since 1994. In the playoffs,the Browns again faced the Steelers, this time playing with a full lineup. But tragedy struck for the Browns, with many inactives due to Covid, and most notably head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Regardless of this, the Browns erupted with 28 points in the first quarter! The team held off the Steelers, winning the game. An amazing victory and the first playoff win since 1994. They headed to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the #1 seed Kansas City Chiefs. After a good start for the Chiefs, the Browns mounted a comeback following an injury to Patrick Mahomes, but it just wasn’t enough. A critical first down by the Chiefs clinched their path to the AFC Championship, with the Browns falling short.
The Browns had an amazing season, arguably the best since their return to Cleveland in 1999. Thomas Keberdle ‘24, an avid Browns fan, had some thoughts about the season and the future of the Browns. “Surely a disappointing end in a winnable game thanks to the Mahomes injury, but it was a very successful season.”, says Keberdle, “Stefanski showed he was the right coach, Baker showed he is the QB of the future, and they played excellent in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.” The future is bright for the Cleveland Browns, and I would expect to see them in the playoffs of the next years to come. As most of Saint Ignatius is thinking, we salute and thank you Brownies for a miraculous season. Super Bowl LVI next year?
