Some good things were set to happen to the long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan base. But it was hard to imagine so many good things happening in the first 30 minutes of their Sunday playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brown went into the locker room by a 35-10 lead after the Steelers kicked a field goal at 49 yards just as the second quarter ended. Shortly before that, Austin Hopper scored a narrow Cleveland goal in a seven-yard pass from the quarterback Baker Mayfield, but the major fireworks came in the first quarter that Brown placed the franchise and Playoff records after an NFL merger By sprinting to a 28-0 lead.
The Cleveland was effective in attack, particularly on the ground, as sprinters Nick Chubb and Cream Hunt combined to carry the ball 12 times to 97 yards and two touchdowns. Mayfield wasn’t flabby either, completing 10 of 15 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Brown’s case has been largely supported by a plethora of Steelers’ errors, most notably three objections by Quarterback Ben Rothlesberger. Pittsburgh’s sloppy tone is set on The first melee play, When a high hit sends the ball over Roethlisberger’s header and eventually into the finish zone, where it is recovered for Brown’s landing.
In terms of completed passes for his teammates, Roethlisberger 20 of 30 went for 177 yards and rated 42.6 in the first half. It was Pittsburgh’s only relegation Recorded by running backwards by James ConnerBut he only gained 32 yards in 10 karts.
This is Brown’s squad, so it’s too early to assume the lead is safe, but if it holds up, Cleveland will claim their first qualifying victory since 1995. They are also looking to win at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh for the first time since the 2003 season after the Browns’ last appearance in the playoff game. Finally, the Browns haven’t won a playoff game outside of Cleveland since 1969, so the team has all sorts of opportunities here to shake off the shackles of past disappointments.
