The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Browns 2020 regular-season recap
A game-by-game look back at the Browns’ 11-5 record during the regular season:
Sept. 13, Ravens 38, Browns 6: Lamar Jackson looked like the reigning MVP, and Cleveland looked like the same old Browns as the host Ravens romped to an easy win in the season opener. Jackson (20 of 25 passing) threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns and spoiled the debut of Browns rookie coach Kevin Stefanski. The Browns haven’t won a season opener since 2004, and mistakes against Baltimore added to the woeful streak. Baker Mayfield (21 of 39, 189 yards) threw an interception on the opening series as Cleveland turned it over three times. Austin Seibert missed two field goals and an unsuccessful fake punt added to the rough afternoon of football. “Very disappointed, obviously,” said Stefanski. “Credit goes to the Ravens. They outcoached us, outplayed us.”
Sept. 17, Browns 35, Bengals 30: A week after its offense was stuck in mud, the Browns broke out by lighting up the scoreboard on a Thursday night. Mayfield threw for two touchdowns and Nick Chubb ran for 124 yards and two TDs as Stefanski earned his first win as an NFL head coach. Mayfield’s biggest play of the night was a 43-yard TD pass to Odell Beckham Jr., who had four catches for 74 yards. Kareem Hunt also had a big game with 86 rushing yards and a TD, plus a TD catch. “They’re two talented backs that compliment each other and push each other,” said Stefanski of the Chubb/ Hunt tandem. Bengals rookie QB Joe Burrow threw for 316 yards and three TDs, and a later score pulled the Bengals with 35-30, but a failed onside kick clinched the win for Cleveland.
Sept. 27, Browns 34, Washington 20:
This win was notable in that the Browns went over .500 in a season for the first time in six seasons thanks to all their star players contributing. “We gotta start changing history and our legacies right now,” said defensive end Myles Garrett, who had a key strip sack to secure the win. Mayfield threw for two TDs, and Chubb ran for two more. The Browns built a 17-7 halftime lead, but behind QB Dwayne Haskins, Washington scored 13 points in the third quarter for a 20-17 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Cleveland then ran off 17 straight points. It started with Mayfield-to-Harrison Bryant 3-yard TD pass and catch and Chubb’s 20-yard run made it 31-20, and the Browns never looked back.
Oct. 4, Browns 49, Cowboys 38:
The Browns improved to 3-1 with a wild second quarter that built them a 31-14 lead en route to a shoutout win. Beckham Jr. (five catches, 81 yards) scored three touchdowns, including a 37-yard catch from Jarvis Landry and a 50-yard end-around that secured the victory after a wild rally by the Cowboys. Cleveland ran for 307 yards, and got a game-high
Oct. 11, Browns 32, Colts 23: A key early season AFC showdown was a back-andforth affair in the first half until early in the third quarter when Ronnie Harrison Jr. returned an interception for Phillip Rivers 47 yards for a TD. Up 27-10, the Brown appeared well on their way to a fourth straight win but the Colts scored 10 straight to again make it a game. In the fourth quarter, a safety when Rivers was called for intentional grounding the end zone and a Cody Parkey field goal clinched the win. Mayfield threw for 247 yards and two TDs, Hunt (filling in for an injured Chubb) ran for 72 yards and Landry had four catches for 88 yards.
Oct. 18, Steelers 38, Browns 7:
It was again shades of the season opener as an AFC North showdown was all Steelers, who stayed undefeated. Minkah Fitzpatrick’s 33-yard interception return for a TD in the the first quarter began the rout. It was 24-0 in the second quarter before Mayfield threw a TD to Rashard Higgins, but that was it for the offense on this day. James Conner ran for a 101 yards and a TD. Mayfield threw for just 119 yards and was picked off twice.
Oct. 25, Browns 37, Bengals 34:
Coming off a rough performance against the Steelers the week prior, Mayfield again started slow against the host Bengals as he was 0 for 5 passing and an interception. Then, things started to click for the Browns third-year QB as he completed his next 22 passes for 297 yards and five TDs. The final score was in dramatic fashion as he threw a 24-yard TD to Donovan Peoples-Jones with 11 seconds remaining to secure the team’s fifth vic
Browns running back Kareem Hunt scores a 22-yard touchdown during the team’s 47-42 loss to the Ravens Dec. 14 on “Monday Night Football.” tory of the season. The BenChubb’s 9-yard run made gals had taken a 34-30 lead 10-0. Pharaoh Brown’s TD with 1:06 remaining on a reception from Deshaun Burrow-to-Giovanni Bernard Watson made it 10-7, but 3-yard TD pass and catch. Houston couldn’t get the Bryant caught two TDs from equalizer. Chubb finished Mayfield, and David Njoku with 126 yards on 19 carries, and Hunt (18 carries, 76 and Hunt also surpassed the yards) also caught TDs. Hig100-yard mark with 104 on gins was the game’s leading 19 attempts. At 6-3, Clevereceiver with six catches for land was in the thick of the 110 yards. The victory was playoff hunt. costly as Beckham Jr. was lost for the season with a knee injury.
Nov. 1, Raiders 16, Browns 6:
Swirling winds and cold weather turned this game into a field-goal fest as the Browns limped into the midway point of the season at 5-3. Mayfield (122 yards) and Raiders QB Derek Carr (111 yards) barely surpassed 100 yards through the air but Carr’s 4-yard TD to Hunter Renfrow early in the fourth quarter broke a 6-6 tie. Daniel Carlson’s 24-yard field goal with 4:24 remaining all but sealed the victory for Las Vegas, who controlled time of possession with running back Josh Jacbos (31 carries, 129 yards). The Raiders held the ball for 37:43, compared to the Browns’ 22:17.
Nov. 15, Browns 10, Texans 7:
It was another day for bad weather at FirstEnergy Stadium, but — unlike the previous week vs. the Raiders — the Browns did enough to get the victory. Parkey’s 41-yard field goal in the first quarter was the game’s only score until the fourth quarter, when
Nov. 22, Browns 22, Eagles 17:
The defense provided a big boost as Sione Takitaki’s 50-yard interception return for a TD opened the scoring. The Browns built a 12-7 lead after three quarters thanks to a Olivier Vernon safety, but the Eagles kept it close. A Jake Elliott field goal early in the fourth made it 12-10 before Hunt’s 5-yard and a Parkey field goal essentially put the game away at 22-10 with a little less than four minutes remaining. Chubb — on his way to a 1,000yard season despite missing four games — had another 100-yard game with 114 on 20 carries. Mayfield threw for 204 yards.
Nov. 29, Browns 27, Jaguars 25:
It was a game of survival as Cleveland overcame a Jaguars comeback but held on for a third straight win. It was the first time the Browns were 8-3 since the 1994 season. For the first time in three games, the weather wasn’t a concern and the visiting Browns took advantage in Florida. Mayfield threw for 258 yard and two TDs, and
Landry finished with eight receptions for 143 yards and his first TD reception of the season. Chubb had 144 yards and a TD. James Robinson’s 4-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter made it 27-25, but the Jaguars’ 2-point try was unsuccessful.
Dec. 6, Browns 41, Titans 35:
It was showdown time in Nashville on this afternoon, and the Browns passed the test in a big way. Each team entered the game at 8-3 and with many questioning how legit Cleveland was, Stefanski and Co. showed just how legit by racing to a 38-7 halftime lead. Mayfield (25 of 33 for 334 yards) threw four TD passes in the first half to Landry, Kendall Lamm, Peoples-Jones (a 75-yard strike) and Higgins, who led the way with six receptions for 95 yards. The Titans scored two touchdowns in the final 1:23 to make the score closer than final score reflected. NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry was held in check with 60 yards on 15 attempts.
Dec. 14, Ravens 47, Browns 42:
A “Monday Night Football” audience watched an instant classic but the end result was one of frustration for Browns fan. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s return from the locker room late in the fourth quarter and his subsequent TD pass on fourth down saved Baltimore in a wild, back-and-forth game on the lakefront. The Browns trailed by 14 two times in the second half but a furious comeback in the fourth quarter but them ahead, 35-34, with 6 minutes remaining. A Higgins’ 21yard TD from Mayfield and two-point conversion made it 34-28 early in the fourth. Then Mayfield (28 of 47 for 343 yards) scrambled from 5 yards out to give Cleveland a 35-34 advantage. The Ravens responded with 1:51 remaining when Jackson returned from the locker room and threw a 44-yard TD on fourth down to Marquise Brown. The Browns weren’t done as they drove 75 yards in four plays to tie the game at 42 with 47 seconds remaining. The Ravens had more than enough time as Jackson did just enough to position Justin Tucker for a 55-yard field goal, which he connected with 2 seconds on the clock.
Dec. 20, Browns 20, Giants 6: At 9-4, the Browns could not afford a loss on “Monday Night Football,” and they answered with a decisive, ho-hum victory. Keys to the victory were two 95-yard drives by Cleveland. The first was just before halftime when Landry scored on a 2-yard pass from Mayfield, who finished 27 of 32 for 297 yards and two TD passes. It was a 10play drive. The second was 14-play drive that took more than 8 minutes and was finished on a Chubb 1-yard run. The defense held Giants QB Colt McCoy and the offense to 288 yards.
Dec. 27, Jets 23, Browns 16:
A frustrating week for the Browns started rough when seven players — including Landry and three other wide receivers — were out because of COVID-19 issues. When Sunday arrived, the frustration simmered over in a loss that put a dent in Cleveland’s playoff hopes. Still, the Browns had a chance late in the fourth quarter but a Mayfield fumble deep in Jets territory ended the chance of a comeback win. Trailing, 23-16, Mayfield fumbled on a 4th-and-1 sneak inside the 20, and the Jets (1-13 entering the game) ran out the clock. The shorthanded Browns trailed, 20-3, in the third quarter but short TD runs by Chubb and Hunt trimmed that lead to 20-16 in the fourth quarter. Another Mayfield fumble and recovery by New York allowed it to kick a field goal to push the lead back to seven. A victory would have clinched a playoff spot but the loss wasn’t the end. All the Browns needed in the regular-season finale was to beat the Steelers, and they were in the postseason.
Jan. 3, Browns 24, Steelers 22:
The Browns clinched their first playoff spot since 2002, as Pittsburgh rested QB Ben Roethlisberger and other starters, but it still hung around. Cleveland started fast as Chubb ran 47 yards for a TD on its first drive of the game, but the Browns couldn’t shake the Steelers until early in the fourth. A Hooper TD reception and a 3-yard end-round TD by Landry made it 24-9 with 14:57 remaining. QB Mason Rudolph and the rest of the Steelers didn’t go quietly. A Chas Claypool 28-yard TD catch pulled them to within 24-16, and then with 1:23 remaining, JuJu Smith-Schuster caught a 2-yard TD from Rudolph but the Browns held on the two-point conversion. The victory wasn’t clinched until Mayfield’s third-down run picked up a first down, and a celebration ensued. At 11-5, Cleveland earned an AFC wild-card playoff spot and ended the NFL’s longest postseason drought at 18 years. “I am really just happy for our fans,” said Stefanski. “They deserve this. They have been waiting for this, and we are happy to deliver that for them.”