Cleveland overcomes playoff jinx and COVID
So much for the weight of history. Or practicing. Or having your head coach on the sideline. Or an emotional leader on the field.
The Cleveland Browns overcame all of it. The burden of carrying the mantle of a franchise that’s long been a punchline. A schedule ravaged by a COVID-19 outbreak. A rival that for years has treated them like a harmless little brother.
All of that’s over. For now. And maybe for good.
The Browns dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in the wild-card round Sunday night, picking up the franchise’s first postseason victory in more than a quartercentury and earning a trip to Kansas City next Sunday to face the defending Super Bowl champions.
“We believe in the people in the room no matter what’s going on,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “We knew that everybody was counting us out. There was no extra pressure or anything. No one believed in us besides us.”
Playing with first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski, Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio and top cornerback Denzel
Ward back in Cleveland after all tested positive for COVID-19, Cleveland (12-5) raced to the biggest first half by a road team in NFL playoff history, then held on.
Mayfield threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns, including a screen pass that Nick Chubb turned into a 40-yard score that halted Pittsburgh’s momentum after the Steelers pulled within 12. Kareem Hunt added 48 yards and two TDs on the ground while Cleveland’s defense forced five turnovers to hand the Steelers (12-5) a staggering loss.
The victory was the Browns’ first postseason triumph of any kind since beating New England on New Year’s Day 1995— three months before Mayfield was born— and their first playoff win on the road since Dec. 28, 1969.
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Cowboys: Former
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Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn is the leading candidate to become defensive coordinator in Dallas.
The team has also interviewed Falcons defensive passing game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., Carolina defensive passing game coordinator
Jason Simmons and Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards.
Eagles: Philadelphia fired coach Doug Pederson, less than three years after he led them to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title. Pederson was 42-37-1 in five seasons. He led the Eagles to two division titles and three playoff appearances before going 4-11-1 in 2020.
“We are all very disappointed with the way our season went and eager to turn things around, not just for next season but also for the future of the franchise,” team owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. Pederson’s loyalty to his coaching staff and frustration with the front office’s interference was a major issue, according to a person familiar with the decision.