Cleveland Browns
Record: 11-5
3rd in AFC North, 3-3 division record
Playoffs! #6 seed, eliminated in AFC Divisional Round.
After years of futility, the quarterback and coaching carousels, 0-16, the comparisons to living in Hell by Jon Bois, it finally happened. 2020 was the year Hell came to earth, and with it a twisted brand of home field advantage. It was a year filled with pestilence, division, oppression and war, but as luck would have it the Four Horsemen traipsing across the globe proved to be the perfect backdrop for the Browns to succeed. The jokes about the Browns needing the end of the world to get good, came horribly true.
Just gonna take a second to say: gotta give thanks to /u/ehhhhhhhhhhmacarena for giving me the opportunity to write this up, and u/Tgerno for helping to edit this behemoth. I’ll admit to being a relatively new Browns fan: after growing weary of the constant success I decided to defect from New England’s decadence. The Browns had a lot in common with the pre-2004 Red Sox: a rich history, an underdog mentality, and the rivalries that can only come from being in a division with two other Browns teams and the Steelers. The only thing that could have been better was my timing: I started following them in earnest in 2017. The road since then has had many lows and highs, and it’s always been fascinating. Alright, fifty coats of waxed poetic should be enough. Let’s dive into how the Cleveland Browns finally made it to the postseason.
Statistics and Awards
| 2020 | Offense (14th) | Defense (21st) |
|---|---|---|
| Points, reg. season (scored/allowed) | 408 (14th) | 419 (21st) |
| Points Per Game, reg. season (scored/allowed) | 26.3 (13th) | 26.6 (22nd) |
| Passing Yards (gained/allowed) | 3539 (24th) | 3962 (22nd) |
| Rushing Yards (gained/allowed) | 2374 (3rd) | 1773 (9th) |
| Turnovers (giveaways/takeaways) | 16 (4th) | 21 (18th) |
| 3rd Down conv. % | 44.84% (8th) | 44.74% (25th) |
| 4th Down conv. % | 40.74% (27th) | 84.38% (32nd) |
| First Down Splits (Rush/Pass/Penalty) | 133/195/27 (355 total, 15th) | 116/214/22 (352 total, 18th) |
| Red Zone Scoring % | 73.33% (4th) | 61.43% (16th) |
| Punts per play | .05 (8th) | .04 (30th) |
Scorigamis: two (vs. Baltimore, Wild Card @ Pittsburgh)
Awards:
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AFC Defensive Player of the Week: Myles Garrett, Week 4.
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AFC Offensive Player of the Week: Baker Mayfield, Week 7.
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AFC Defensive Player of the Month: Myles Garrett, October.
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AFC Defensive Player of the Week: Olivier Vernon, Week 11.
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Kevin Stefanski, Coach of the Year.
Pro Bowlers: LG Joel Bitonio, RB Nick Chubb, DE Myles Garrett
All-Pro: RT Jack Conklin, DE Myles Garrett, LG Joel Bitonio (second team), RG Wyatt Teller, (second team)
PFWA All-Rookie Team: LT Jedrick Wills, TE Harrison Bryant
Season Recap, Weeks 13-Postseason
Conclusion
Let this season be a lesson to you all: no one keeps the Cleveland Browns out of the playoffs eighteen years in a row. This upcoming year looks bright, with the defense getting healthy, new acquisitions and Stefanski looking to evolve the offense. However, there are plenty of challenges ahead. Baltimore will still be the same pain in the ass, and the Bengals will be terrifying if Mike Brown ever decides to open his wallet. Baker’s also gonna need to get paid, as will Ward, Teller, Chubb, Hunt, Hollywood and Njoku, while dealing with OBJ’s and Landry’s cap hits. That part is a good change of pace, though: it was routine for Cleveland’s draft picks to either sign elsewhere in free agency, get traded or flame out of the league altogether. Now there’s reasons for players to stick around and recruit free agents. There’s success to build on, and there’s actually some fucking hope.
However big that window is, here’s to hoping the Browns can make the most of it.
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