CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – In a year filled with so much pain, leave it to the Browns of all teams to finally bring their fans some long overdue and much needed joy in 2020.
Sunday night, in front of a national television audience, the Browns put on a clinic and took the Giants to the woodshed to stay atop the AFC Wild Card race and secure their 10th win of the season.
The game wasn’t even as close as the 20-6 final score might indicate, but it was a monumental moment for a franchise that has struggled for over two decades to field a consistent winner.
“It is very exciting, but I am looking forward to 11,” receiver Jarvis Landry, who caught 7 passes for 61 yards and a touchdown, said after the game.
The historical magnitude of what this team has accomplished this season in the face of no offseason program, a first-year head coach and global pandemic can’t be overstated enough.
The Browns hit double digits in the win column for just the eighth time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 – 1972, 1980, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2007 and now 2020 – and 16th time since the franchise joined the NFL in 1950.
Credit Kevin Stefanski, who has his team focused – one day, one week at a time.
“Getting the one win a week is hard,” Stefanski said. “We understand that. Our focus will forever remain right there. Proud of the guys how they battled tonight, but we have to come back and do it next week. It is just the nature of this beast.”
The job is not finished, hence no time to bask in the glow of an historical milestone.
It took 13 years to get back to 10 victories and match the most wins in the expansion era, which can be beaten with a win over the now 1-13 Jets next week.
“It is something that until I got into the league my rookie year that I did not realize how hard it was to win in the league,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “It is something to be proud of, but the best part is everybody in there is like ‘Yeah, 10 wins, but we are on to the next one.’ A notch on the belt and then move on because we are not done yet.”
Unlike 2007, the Browns are in the driver's seat with two weeks remaining.
“We control our own destiny,” Mayfield said. “Singular focus. It does not matter what else happens. As long as we take care of our business, we will be where we want to be.”
The 2018 No. 1 pick picked the perfect time to play his best football.
Sunday night, Mayfield lit the Giants secondary, which was without their top corner, up like a Christmas tree for 297 yards while completing 84% of his passes with a pair of touchdowns in the win.
Over his last four games Mayfield has thrown for 1,232 yards with 10 touchdowns and 1 interception.
The pressure was on the Browns at the Meadowlands too.
The Ravens, Dolphins, Titans and Colts all won, meaning a loss to New York and Cleveland would be on the outside looking in entering Week 16. The Giants could’ve leapfrogged the Washington Football Team in the NFC East with a victory.
The Browns swore they weren’t scoreboard watching.
“We do not think about that,” cornerback Denzel Ward, who grew up in northeast Ohio, said.
“We just focus on us. We have to take care of our job and our assignment. Everything else will take care of itself at the end of the season. We are not really too worried about what other people are doing, but just focus on going in and getting a win ourselves.”
The win kept them a full game in front of both Miami and Baltimore and they own tiebreakers over the 10-4 Titans and Colts after sweeping the AFC South.
“Every game matters. We are still trying to get in, and nobody is going to lay down,” defensive end Myles Garret said. “You saw that with the Jets today by getting one over on the Rams. There is nobody in the NFL who is going to lay down and let you take something from them. We have to be desperate out there and play with desire. That is what it is all about – discipline and desire.”
Garrett, selected No. 1 overall in 2017 following a 1-15 finish the prior season, suffered through 0-16 his rookie year.
Four years later, the Browns need to go 1-0 one more time to make the playoffs for the first time in 18 years.