CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It wasn't easy.
Never is.
But the Cleveland Browns are headed back to the playoffs after hanging on for dear life to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-22 Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The two teams will meet again on Wild Card Weekend at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Nick Chubb ran 14 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. Baker Mayfield completed 17 of 27 passes for 196 yards and a score while adding 6 carries for 44 yards on the ground in the win, Cleveland's 11th of the season.
Mason Rudolph threw for 315 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception in place of Ben Roethlisberger, who watched from home along with seven other teammates.
Mason Rudolph threw for 315 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception in place of Ben Roethlisberger, who watched from home along with seven other teammates.
Chubb opened the scoring with a 47-yard run up the far sideline for a 7-0 lead that capped a 6-play, 85-yard drive with 9:29 left in the first quarter. Chubb, who cracked 1,000 yards to become the first Browns back since Jamal Lewis to do so in consecutive seasons, carried three times on the drive for 61 yards.
Chubb's 12 rushing touchdowns this season are the most by a Brown since Leroy Kelly had 16 in 1968. He also joined Kelly and Jim Brown as the only backs to rush for at least 12 TDs in a season.
Cody Parkey kicked a 23-yard field goal to extend to a 10-0 lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the second quarter after Mayfield failed to connect with tight end David Njoku twice in the end zone. Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick broke up his throw on first down and Njoku made a great catch on the back line on third down but ran out of room to get his feet in bounds.
Matthew Wright's 29-yard field goal with 4:10 left in the half got the Steelers on the board and made it a 10-3 game. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn pressure Rudolph into an incompletion on third down but a 41-yard strike to receiver Diontae Johnson helped to set up the kick.
Wright hit from 46 with 1:07 left in the half to trim Cleveland's lead to 4, 10-6, after Olivier Vernon picked up his ninth sack of the season that set up a third-and-13 before the kick. He made a 46 yarder with 8:29 left in the third to pull Pittsburgh within 1, 10-9.
Cleveland's opening possession of the second half derailed when Joel Bitonio got called for his second false start of the afternoon on fourth-and-inches from their own 44 forcing Stefanski to punt instead.
Austin Hooper caught a 2-yard score from Mayfield to extend to a 17-9 lead with 3:48 left in the third quarter after he leaked out to the left and was wide open. A couple of players earlier, Mayfield picked up 28 yards on a run to the left which moved Cleveland deep into Steelers territory.
Mayfield joined Peyton Manning (1998-00) and Andrew Luck (2012-14) as the only players in NFL history to record at least 3,500 passing yards with at least 20 touchdown passes in each of their first three seasons.
With linebacker Jacob Phillips bearing down, Rudolph's throw to JuJu Smith-Schuster was intercepted by cornerback M.J. Stewart near midfield and returned 30 yards to the 20 late in the third quarter.
It took four plays to turn it into points as Jarvis Landry went 3 yards on an end around to the left on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 24-9 advantage. Prior to the score, KhaDare Hodge converted a third-and-8 with a 15-yard reception to the 3.
The Steelers converted a pair of fourth downs on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that followed, including a 28-yard touchdown from Rudolph to Chase Claypool on fourth-and-10 to pull Pittsburgh within 24-16 with 10:07 to play in regulation.
Cleveland lost defensive end Olivier Vernon to a left ankle injury that saw him unable to put pressure on it as he was helped off the field to the medical tent before being carted to the locker room.
The Steelers took over at their own 35 with 3:37 remaining after Mayfield was sacked by defensive end Stephon Tuitt. Stefanski elected not to try a 53-yard field goal and Mayfield's pass to Higgins fell incomplete on fourth-and-7.
Rudolph unloaded a bomb to Johnson for 47 yards to set up first-and-goal at the 10 for Pittsburgh. On third-and-goa from the 2, Rudolph found Smith-Schuster for a touchdown.
Rudolph's throw to Chase Claypool on the 2-point conversion fell incomplete and the Browns recovered the onside kick to begin the celebration.
