Browns Shock Steelers, Post First Road Playoff Win Since 1969

Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Cleveland Browns traveled to Pittsburgh without their head coach, their offensive line coach, and several players. Pittsburgh has been a house of horror for the Browns for the better part of the past 50 years, and there was little reason to believe that this would change during Sunday night's Wild Card playoff game--but the Browns' defense recovered a botched snap and scored on the first play from scrimmage en route to the Browns taking a 28-0 first quarter lead as the Browns tied the NFL playoff record for points in a first quarter. The Browns withstood Pittsburgh's second half rally to prevail 48-37. 

That is the third most points the Browns have scored in a playoff game, trailing only their 49-7 win over Buffalo in the 1948 All-America Football Conference (AAFC) Championship Game, and their 56-10 win over Detroit in the 1954 NFL Championship Game. 

Baker Mayfield earned a win in his first playoff start, completing 23 of 34 passes for 263 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Ben Roethlisberger set an NFL single-game record (including regular season and playoff games) with 47 completions (in 68 attempts, a playoff single-game record) and he amassed 501 passing yards (second most in playoff history, trailing only a 505 yard performance by Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII) plus four touchdowns but he also had four interceptions. Mayfield's passer rating was a sizzling 115.5, while Roethlisberger's was 85.5. The Steelers ran more offensive plays than the Browns (84-65) and gained more yards (553-390), but the Steelers also had five turnovers while the Browns had no turnovers.

The Browns' last playoff win was a victory over New England in January 1995. Bill Belichick coached in that game--but for the Browns, not for the Patriots! The Browns' last road playoff win came in Dallas in 1969. Since that game, the Browns had lost eight consecutive road playoff games, with the two most recent losses--"recent" being a relative term here, since those "recent" losses happened in 2003 and 1995--both inflicted by the Steelers.  

The last time the Browns posted a plus-.500 regular season record was 2007, when Cleveland briefly became "Believeland" in the wake of strong performances by the Cavaliers, Indians, and Browns, but the "Believeland" joy did not last long: LeBron James soon quit during the playoffs before fleeing Cleveland for Miami (though he later returned to Cleveland and led the Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA title), the Indians did not win another division title for nine years, and the clock struck midnight after the 2007 season as the Cinderella Browns resumed being the sad-sack Browns. 

Just four years ago, the Browns narrowly averted posting an 0-16 season before finishing 1-15--and then they went 0-16 in the next season, forever placing themselves on the short list of worst teams ever. The NFL is built to produce parity, and Bill Walsh explained many years ago that a properly run franchise can go from the basement to the penthouse in three years. Thus, it is inexcusable that the Browns were so terrible for so long, but it is a good sign that the current regime has built a strong playoff squad so soon after the Browns' winless season.

These are not the same old sorry Browns, contrary to JuJu Smith-Schuster's attempt to revive (more or less) what the 49ers once said about the "same old" Rams--of course, the 49ers had the good sense to wait to make that comment until after the outcome was certain to be in their favor, while Smith-Schuster opened his mouth prior to Sunday's playoff game to write a check that his team could not cash. 

The Browns will deservedly be heavy underdogs next week when they travel to Kansas City to battle the defending Super Bowl champions but--regardless of the outcome of that game--these Browns should be a playoff team for the next several years. Mayfield seems to have that hard to define but easy to see "it" factor; he not only has the physical tools to get the job done--including a powerful arm and excellent mobility--but he has emerged as a fiery and determined leader for this young team. In addition, this season the running back duo Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt powered the Browns' most prolific rushing attack since the Leroy Kelly era, Jarvis Landry is the veteran leader of a very good receiving corps, Myles Garrett has emerged as an elite pass rusher, and the offensive line is not only talented but deep (as demonstrated in the Pittsburgh win after a combination of COVID-19 protocols plus in-game injuries decimated the unit to the point that Mayfield was playing behind at least one player who he had not even met until just before the game started!). "Believeland" was a mirage that briefly appeared during a two decade desert exile, but the Browns' victory over the Steelers is real, and there is good reason to believe that it is the start of something big for the team's long-suffering fans.

One for the Ages and a Sixth for the Trophy Case: Pittsburgh Outlasts Arizona in a Classic Super Bowl

In one of the most dramatic Super Bowls ever, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23, claiming their second title in four years and sixth Super Bowl win overall, breaking the record that the franchise shared with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. Santonio Holmes caught the game winning touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger with just :35 remaining, balletically tapping both of his feet inbounds while reaching full extension to snare the ball as it sailed just over the outreached hands of three defensive players. Just moments earlier, it seemed as though the Cardinals had the game won after Kurt Warner completed a 64 yard touchdown bomb to Larry Fitzgerald. Warner finished with 31 completions in 43 attempts for 377 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, compiling the second most yards in Super Bowl history; he now owns the top three single game yardage performances in Super Bowl history but is only 1-2 in those contests, with those two defeats coming in the final seconds by a combined seven points.

Roethlisberger completed 21 of 30 passes for 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He only had two yards on four rushing attempts but his ability to move around in the pocket and buy time proved to be critical throughout the game, particularly on the game-winning drive. Holmes led both teams with nine receptions for 131 yards and was awarded the Super Bowl MVP but ESPN's Steve Young insisted that Roethlisberger should have won the MVP, declaring, "The Steelers are beat--dead beat--unless Ben Roethlisberger makes about seven or eight improvisational plays at the end of that game on that critical drive and he was the MVP in my mind because of what he did right there. It was like what Dr. Seuss said--he grew three sizes right in front of my eyes...He made play after play after play and without that they are beat." Holmes made some huge plays but I have to agree with Young, who I consider to be the best football analyst on TV; if Roethlisberger does not scramble around, elude the pass rush and then make some tremendous throws, Holmes would have never even had the opportunity to make those plays. The Steelers franchise is justifiably renowned for their punishing running game and hard hitting defense, so it is somewhat ironic that three of their six Super Bowl MVPs have been wide receivers (Lynn Swann and Hines Ward are the other two).

The Cardinals got off to a very slow start and were fortunate to only be trailing 10-0 early in the second quarter; the Steelers seemed to have scored a touchdown on a short run by Roethlisberger to cap off the opening drive of the game but the Cardinals challenged the call and the officials ruled that Roethlisberger had been stopped just shy of the goal line. Pittsburgh Coach Mike Tomlin elected to kick the chip shot field goal instead of going for it on fourth and one, a conservative call but certainly an understandable choice. The Cardinals only managed one first down on their first possession before having to punt the ball and this time the Steelers drove 69 yards for a touchdown. Warner finally got Arizona on the board by engineering a nine play, 83 yard touchdown drive to cut the lead to 10-7. After Roethlisberger threw an interception deep in his own territory late in the first half, the Cardinals were poised to at least tie the game and possibly take the lead. Instead, on first and goal from the one yard line Warner was intercepted by Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison. Holmes' late TD catch will forever be remembered as the signature moment of this game but the biggest play overall was undoubtedly Harrison's 100 yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired in the first half; that was a 14 point swing in a game that was not decided until the final seconds. With all of the talk about what constitutes a Hall of Fame career, that play is a tribute to why Pittsburgh assistant coach Dick LeBeau should be inducted: LeBeau designed the zone blitz that the Steelers have perfected and it was a classic zone blitz call that fooled Warner, as Harrison faked like he was going to rush the passer before dropping back into coverage.

The Cardinals did not score in the third quarter but held the Steelers to three points, meaning that Arizona would need to make the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history to win the game. After the teams traded punts, the Cardinals went to a no huddle offense for the first time in the game and put together an eight play, 87 yard touchdown drive in just 3:57, passing on every down, including a one yard jump ball to Fitzgerald for the score. The teams again traded punts but the Cardinals were able to pin the Steelers in at the one yard line, which led to a safety after the Steelers were called for a holding penalty in the end zone, making the score 20-16 Pittsburgh.

After the free kick, Arizona took over at the 36 yard line. Warner threw an incomplete pass on first down but on second down he hit Fitzgerald on a short slant over the middle and, much like Jerry Rice used to do, Fitzgerald outran everyone to the endzone. The Steelers held Fitzgerald in check for most of the game but he finished with seven receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinals now led 23-20 with just 2:37 remaining. That set up the heroics by Roethlisberger and Holmes, who had four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown on the final drive.

Prior to this game there was talk about how a victory could put the final touches on Warner's Hall of Fame resume, although I think that the two regular season MVPs, one Super Bowl MVP and top five career passer rating that Warner already had make a pretty compelling case on his behalf; Warner certainly played well--though the big first half interception was costly--and he put together what could have been the game-winning drive but--as Young stated so strongly--Roethlisberger is really the player who added to his legacy. Roethlisberger is now the second youngest quarterback to win two Super Bowls and, considering that he has a young coach and a strong defense, it is entirely possible that he could match Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana's record of four Super Bowl victories.

Super Bowl XLIII Preview

Super Bowl XLIII matches a Pittsburgh Steelers franchise with perhaps the NFL's top Super Bowl pedigree (six appearances, five wins, first team to win four Super Bowls) against an Arizona Cardinals franchise that has migrated from Chicago to St. Louis to Arizona but has not captured an NFL championship since 1947. If History and Tradition could put on jerseys and shoulder pads they clearly would be wearing Steelers black and gold but I keep thinking of the old cliche about "throwing out the numbers when these two teams meet"--not because the Steelers and Cardinals play each other that often but because a lot of the names and numbers that are mentioned regarding this matchup are out of date or just irrelevant.

As Rick Pitino might say, Jack Lambert is not walking through that door; Terry Bradshaw is not walking through that door. The Steelers' glorious Super Bowl history will not mean a thing once the game begins--nor will Arizona's mediocre regular season record or the embarrassing losses that the Cardinals suffered down the stretch; those setbacks feel like they happened even longer ago than when Lambert and Bradshaw were winning Super Bowls.

Super Bowl XLIII will be decided based on some intriguing player and coaching matchups. I think that the most important matchup will be Arizona's offense versus Pittsburgh's defense; one of those two units will set the tone for this game. The first inclination may be to assume that Pittsburgh's league-leading defense has the edge but Arizona poses some problems that the Steelers did not have to deal with in their playoff wins over San Diego and Baltimore. Everyone is talking about Larry Fitzgerald and rightfully so: he has already set an NFL postseason record with 419 receiving yards, gaining at least 100 yards in each of Arizona's three playoff victories. Kurt Warner was outstanding in the regular season and he has been even better in the playoffs. He and Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger each have already won a Super Bowl ring but while Roethlisberger went along for the ride when Pittsburgh won Super Bowl XL, Warner ranks first and second on the single game Super Bowl passing yardage list, throwing for 414 yards in St. Louis' 23-16 win versus Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV and compiling 365 yards in St. Louis' 20-17 loss versus New England in Super Bowl XXXVI. The most surprising statistic is that Edgerrin James leads all postseason rushers this season with 203 yards. James provides some much needed balance to Arizona's offensive attack and if he can crank out 75-80 yards on 18-20 carries then the Steelers are going to have their hands full dealing with him while also trying to not get burned by Warner and Arizona's dynamic passing game.

Pittsburgh's offense did not look very potent after Hines Ward was knocked out of the AFC Championship Game with a knee injury. No matter what anyone says, the kind of ligament damage that he suffered requires at least 4-6 weeks to heal, so he will not even be close to 100% in the Super Bowl. Could he still have a big impact? Sure; Jerry Rice had a tremendous performance in Super Bowl XXIX despite playing with a separated shoulder. However, the likelihood is that Ward will be hindered and this may enable Arizona to get away with single covering him, freeing up a defender to play against Pittsburgh's running game. In the days before last year's Super Bowl, Tom Brady was hobbling around in a walking boot while proclaiming that he would be fine during the game--but he was uncharacteristically unable to sidestep the pass rush as the perfect Patriots' season went down the tubes, so Ward can say whatever he wants but his injury may very well have cost the Steelers a potential championship.

The coaching matchup is very interesting. Arizona Coach Ken Whisenhunt and his offensive line coach Russ Grimm were assistant coaches on Bill Cowher's staff when the Steelers won Super Bowl XL. When Cowher retired they were both passed over in favor of Mike Tomlin, who has done a wonderful job as the Steelers Coach. If anyone knows not only what Roethlisberger is thinking but also how to attack Dick LeBeau's defense, it would be Whisenhunt and Grimm, two guys who worked with Roethlisberger on a daily basis while practicing against LeBeau's defense. I think that Jon Gruden's familiarity with the tendencies of his old Oakland team played a big role in Tampa Bay's triumph over the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII; Whisenhunt and Grimm may very well pull off a similar number against their old team.

This is truly a difficult game to handicap. I expect it to be close and I certainly could make a case that Pittsburgh will shut down Arizona's running game, harass Warner into some costly interceptions and win a low scoring game--but if Arizona does not turn the ball over and provide Pittsburgh with easy points then it will be difficult for the Steelers to score enough to win this game. Maybe this is just wishful thinking from an admitted Cleveland Browns fan but after considering all of the matchups, I think that Arizona will win Super Bowl XLIII, 30-24.