The Cleveland Browns ended the NFL’s longest playoff drought on Sunday with a 24-22 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns improved to an 11-5 record with this victory, clinching the postseason spot for the first time since 2002.

The Browns entered the Steelers’ game as an overwhelming favorite thanks to the fact that Pittsburgh rested some of their starters, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Cleveland’s job, however, turned out to be much harder than expected.

The Browns put up a good show in the first three quarters and had a 9-24 lead early in the fourth. Still, the Steelers didn’t have any intention to give up.

Led by backup Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions to cut into the Browns’ lead. After the second TD, they opted for a 2-point conversion to make it level, but Rudolph couldn’t find anyone open in the endzone.

The Steelers tried to get the ball back with an onside kick but failed to recover it, which gave Cleveland a chance to put an end to the game with a first down. And that came soon enough with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield taking the ball past the marker and giving his team an enormous win.

“I’m really just happy for our fans,” said Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski. “They deserve this. And we’re happy to deliver this to them.”

“We’re not satisfied,” Mayfield added. “We expected to be here. We worked extremely hard to get here, and we’re excited to have the chance to be in the playoffs.”

The Browns will play the Steelers again on Sunday, this time in the first round of the playoffs. Curiously, the Browns’ last postseason appearance also came against Pittsburgh, with the Steelers getting the 36-33 win.

The post Browns Make the Playoffs For First time Since 2002 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It took 12 years for it to happen, but Cleveland Browns finally won’t have a losing NFL season on their hands.

In a tightly contested match against the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns managed to get a 27-24 win and improve to an 8-3 record. In the worst-case scenario, Cleveland will finish the season at least at 8-8, which would still be better than anything they’ve done since 2007.

The Browns finished the 2007 campaign with a 10-6 record but failed to make the playoff thanks to being on the losing end of a tie-breaker with the Pittsburgh Steelers that year. Since then, the Browns never won more than seven games in a single season.

After snapping the second-largest losing seasons streak in NFL history, the Browns now also want to end the longest active playoff drought in the league. Cleveland last made the postseason in 2002.

“We still haven’t played our best ball yet, and I truly believe that,” said quarterback Baker Mayfield, who finished the game against Jaguars by completing 65.5 percent of his passes while throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

Browns have a good chance of making the playoffs this season, considering the extended postseason format in 2020. They are set for several challenging games, notably against Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, but also get two breaks by playing winless NY Jets and not-so-good New York Giants by the end of the season.

The post Browns Beat the Jags, Secure First Non-Losing Season in 12 Years appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cleveland Browns finally have more wins than losses in a season. Browns got a 34-20 win over Washington Football Team on Sunday, improving to 2-1 in 2020 and first winning record since 2014.

The last time Browns were above .500 was in Week 15 of the 2014 NFL season, when they had a 7-6 record. They ended up losing the next three games and spent the next 90 consecutive weeks without a winning record. Unsurprisingly, this is by far the most in the history of the NFL.

However, it didn’t look like the streak will end entering the fourth quarter of the game against Washington. Cleveland was trailing 20-17 to start the final period, having looked unable to put points on the board up to that point.

Luckily for the Browns, their offense clicked when it mattered the most while the defense also played a big role in the turnaround. Quarterback Baker Mayfield first threw a three-yard touchdown to tight end Harrison Bryant, and then linebacker B. J. Goodson intercepted Dwayne Haskins to give his team the ball back 35 yards from Washington’s endzone.

Mayfield found Odell Beckham Jr. for 15 yards gain on the 2nd & 10, setting up the 20-yards TD run from Nick Chubb on the following play. 

“First and foremost, this is a football town,” – said Mayfield after the game. “They deserve to have a great franchise and a great team, but we are worried about right now. Like I said before the season started, it is about building that culture, bringing the right guys in, and pushing this thing in the right direction, which is what we have been doing and we are trying to do. We have to build on this momentum and keep going one game at a time.”

The post Cleveland Browns Have a Winning Record for the First Time Since 2014 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Cleveland Browns ended the NFL’s longest playoff drought on Sunday with a 24-22 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns improved to an 11-5 record with this victory, clinching the postseason spot for the first time since 2002.

The Browns entered the Steelers’ game as an overwhelming favorite thanks to the fact that Pittsburgh rested some of their starters, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Cleveland’s job, however, turned out to be much harder than expected.

The Browns put up a good show in the first three quarters and had a 9-24 lead early in the fourth. Still, the Steelers didn’t have any intention to give up.

Led by backup Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions to cut into the Browns’ lead. After the second TD, they opted for a 2-point conversion to make it level, but Rudolph couldn’t find anyone open in the endzone.

The Steelers tried to get the ball back with an onside kick but failed to recover it, which gave Cleveland a chance to put an end to the game with a first down. And that came soon enough with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield taking the ball past the marker and giving his team an enormous win.

“I’m really just happy for our fans,” said Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski. “They deserve this. And we’re happy to deliver this to them.”

“We’re not satisfied,” Mayfield added. “We expected to be here. We worked extremely hard to get here, and we’re excited to have the chance to be in the playoffs.”

The Browns will play the Steelers again on Sunday, this time in the first round of the playoffs. Curiously, the Browns’ last postseason appearance also came against Pittsburgh, with the Steelers getting the 36-33 win.

The post Browns Make the Playoffs For First time Since 2002 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It took 12 years for it to happen, but Cleveland Browns finally won’t have a losing NFL season on their hands.

In a tightly contested match against the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns managed to get a 27-24 win and improve to an 8-3 record. In the worst-case scenario, Cleveland will finish the season at least at 8-8, which would still be better than anything they’ve done since 2007.

The Browns finished the 2007 campaign with a 10-6 record but failed to make the playoff thanks to being on the losing end of a tie-breaker with the Pittsburgh Steelers that year. Since then, the Browns never won more than seven games in a single season.

After snapping the second-largest losing seasons streak in NFL history, the Browns now also want to end the longest active playoff drought in the league. Cleveland last made the postseason in 2002.

“We still haven’t played our best ball yet, and I truly believe that,” said quarterback Baker Mayfield, who finished the game against Jaguars by completing 65.5 percent of his passes while throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

Browns have a good chance of making the playoffs this season, considering the extended postseason format in 2020. They are set for several challenging games, notably against Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, but also get two breaks by playing winless NY Jets and not-so-good New York Giants by the end of the season.

The post Browns Beat the Jags, Secure First Non-Losing Season in 12 Years appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cleveland Browns finally have more wins than losses in a season. Browns got a 34-20 win over Washington Football Team on Sunday, improving to 2-1 in 2020 and first winning record since 2014.

The last time Browns were above .500 was in Week 15 of the 2014 NFL season, when they had a 7-6 record. They ended up losing the next three games and spent the next 90 consecutive weeks without a winning record. Unsurprisingly, this is by far the most in the history of the NFL.

However, it didn’t look like the streak will end entering the fourth quarter of the game against Washington. Cleveland was trailing 20-17 to start the final period, having looked unable to put points on the board up to that point.

Luckily for the Browns, their offense clicked when it mattered the most while the defense also played a big role in the turnaround. Quarterback Baker Mayfield first threw a three-yard touchdown to tight end Harrison Bryant, and then linebacker B. J. Goodson intercepted Dwayne Haskins to give his team the ball back 35 yards from Washington’s endzone.

Mayfield found Odell Beckham Jr. for 15 yards gain on the 2nd & 10, setting up the 20-yards TD run from Nick Chubb on the following play. 

“First and foremost, this is a football town,” – said Mayfield after the game. “They deserve to have a great franchise and a great team, but we are worried about right now. Like I said before the season started, it is about building that culture, bringing the right guys in, and pushing this thing in the right direction, which is what we have been doing and we are trying to do. We have to build on this momentum and keep going one game at a time.”

The post Cleveland Browns Have a Winning Record for the First Time Since 2014 appeared first on SportzBonanza.