The Cleveland Browns picked a dominaitn victory over the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 17. It was a special win for Cleveland, who clinched only their third playoff victory since returning to the NFL in 1999.
“Pretty special night for this organization,” Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Pretty special night for the fans out there.”
The first two instances in which the Browns made the postseason were in 2002 and 2020. However, the atmosphere in Cleveland was much different this time around as COVID-19 restrictions were in place the last time they clinched a playoff spot at home.
NFL News & Rumors: Joe Flacco, Kevin Stefanski, David Njoku, Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns Updates
This time, no such restrictions were in place and the fans took full advantage. They showed up early and stayed late to celebrate their team making the postseason. It was quite a memorable scene, as tight end David Njoku shared some raw emotion after the game.
“This meant the world, man,” said Njoku, who finished with a game-high 134 receiving yards on six catches. “This team is resilient as f—, excuse my language. … There was so much adversity this year. But we overcame it. I’m so proud of these guys. But we’re not finished.”
Some of that adversity was injuries to numerous key players. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, running back Nick Chubb, offensive tackle Jack Conklin, to name a few, left the offense in shambles.
Joe Flacco, who has started the last five games for the Browns, was on his couch, teamless, six weeks ago. He was the fourth, and hopefully final, quarterback the team has used a starter this season. Now, he is leading them into the playoffs on the back of a four-game winning streak.
“This is obviously a very unique situation for me, so a lot of different emotions are going through my head,” said Flacco, who is the first quarterback in NFL history to put up at least 250 passing yards and multiple passing touchdowns in each of his first five games with a new franchise. “The city has been so unbelievable. … You can just tell they love football, and it’s special going out there and playing for them.”
NFL News & Rumors: Joe Flacco, Kevin Stefanski, David Njoku, Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns Updates
Not only did the Browns qualify for the postseason, but they snapped a wild streak in the process. Thursday night’s victory was their 11th of the season, a number their AFC North rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers will not be able to reach.
That means for the first time since coming back to the NFL, the Brown are going to finish with a better record than the Steelers. It is a streak that has lasted for 30 seasons in which Pittsburgh had an equal or better record than Cleveland. That was the longest streak in the NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL by an divisional foe since the inception of divisions in each sport.
Thursday was a memorable night for the Browns franchise. But, as running back Kareem Hunt stated, the job is far from done as making the playoffs isn’t the team’s only goal.
“It’s sweet going to the playoffs. But now we’re trying to not just make it to the playoffs — we’re trying to go the whole way.”
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
