Week 18: Wild Card Playoff - Browns @ Steelers

This seems like Deja Vu all all over again.

Jan 5, 2003. Browns were up 27-14 in the 4th quarter. I can remember TV shots of Steelers' players congratulating Browns' players on the field. And then . . . DC Foge Fazio went into his "prevent defense". The only thing Fazio's prevent defense did was prevent the Browns from advancing in the playoffs. The Steelers went on outscore us 21-6 and walk away with a 3 point win. Fazio was canned shortly thereafter.

Watcha got ???

 

Glad for you guys. Now let’s get it on. Really nice to have the Sunday night game. The only bad thing is one of our fan bases will be disappointed after this weekend.

 

Not this fan. The 2020 Browns have already exceeded my expectations. 11-5-0 and in the playoffs.

Anything beyond that is gravy !!!

And . . . that's a good thing because Steelers fans don't handle disappointment very well.

 

I feel good.........but not great about the chances of a Steeler's victory. The Browns will be fired up in a big way and that can work for or against them.

We'll see but, I'm super happy for the Browns and their fans.

 

To make it worse, the Browns dropped a couple of INTs that would've sealed it.

 

The Pit of Despair
Time to slay the dragon and rise or take a bow and set a tee time.

I'm hoping for another epic battle, and a Brown victory, but I'll get over a loss if it is well fought.... this year.

Next year, it won't be enough. It's time Cleveland shed the baggage and play in Pitt like anywhere else

 

This is going to be a fun game barring player loss to Covid or some such shit, but the team with the ball last may win this one. Im expecting a very close, hard fought football game with lots of scoring.

'Defense wins championships', is usually true, but outscoring your opponent goes along way also.

Good luck to all involved in this great rivalry!

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id...coach-kevin-stefanski-tests-positive-covid-19


Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, two additional members of the coaching staff and two players have tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be available for the AFC wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night if the game remains as scheduled.

In making the announcement Tuesday, the Browns said special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer will serve as the acting head coach. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is expected to call the offensive plays in place of Stefanski, a source told ESPN.

Wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge and Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio were the players to test positive, a source told ESPN, while the other coaches to test positive were defensive backs coach Jeff Howard and tight ends coach Drew Petzing.

 

The Browns chances of winning this game are getting slimmer and slimmer. Bitonio will be a big loss.

 

• Red Right 88
• The Drive
• The Fumble
• The Lockdown

 

Duff.........it is going to be tough but I think the Browns can win this game.

Adversity makes Everyone better.

 

Thanks VanVol. Glad someone has a positive take on the Browns.......other than @SAS (speaking of which, where is he again?)

Unfortunately, we've been through 22 seasons of "adversity" since they came back in 1999. I just think the Steelers are too good a team to let this one get away. Every piece the Browns are missing is a huge hole when it comes to the Steelers. I'm not saying an upset can't happen and that miracles don't occur......it's just that I've come to expect the opposite as a Browns fan (see Lyman's post from 2 post earlier in this thread)

 

I was thinking.... how would the Steelers explain losing to Cleveland if we were to pull the upset?

 

You're talking like the Steelers are 15-1 and the Browns snuck in at 7-9. They're perfectly capable of winning.

 

Fixt it for Ya.

 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports there were no new positives for the Browns in Tuesday's round of COVID-19 testing.
The Browns didn't have any high risk close contacts after coach Kevin Stefanski and two players tested positive. They'll do a virtual walkthrough Wednesday but should return to their practice facility later this week. Special Teams coordinator Mike Priefer will act as the head coach for Sunday night's Wild Card matchup with the Steelers. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is expected to call plays.

 

Gid, I agree 100%: the Browns could win this game, but if they do it's a huge upset. Ya know that whole 0 and 17 thing - missing their HC - missing their Pro Bowl guard - with a shrimpy QB who doesn't handle pressure well - and unable to hold actual practice for 2 weeks.

Yeah. I think Pittsburgh would have some splainin to do

 

All of that makes this a huge "heart" game for the Browns. It is the opportunity of a lifetime for Baker to etch his name in the Cleveland hall of fame. Anybody remember Joe Namath?

 

Shadow banned?







Browns can (and will) win this game if they have the right matchups. I don't feel great about our reserve linemen blocking Cam Hayward now, but we have more talent across the board at almost every position than the Steelers do. Those scores above illustrate just how poorly they're capable of playing. The offense in the Week 17 match-up was ultra-vanilla. Could be that Stefanski was playing it "close to the vest" when it came to the overall gameplan with them, knowing full well there was a very good shot they'd be meeting up again in a week's time.

"But it was our backups", we've heard from Steelers fans, completely ignoring they were going against our sixth and seventh-string cornerbacks in an already putrid secondary.

What we didn't see in the Week 17 game was a heavy dose of running the football. I have to think that was by design. Pittsburgh is a great defense against the pass. They're solid at defending the run, but with Chubb and Hunt in our backfield, the balance of power could not be clearer in how to win this matchup. I'm optimistic that our emergency play-caller sticks with the bread and butter (running game) in favor of some downfield passing. That said, Mayfield finished the season as the NFL's top-rated downfield passer, so...

Browns 17 Steelers 14 in an instant classic.

 

I'm thinking Hunt will be critical in this game. Yes he can split carries, but I gotta believe he's going to be heavily integrated into the pass game with our reciever's so thin. It would help slow down the pass rush, and allow Baker to get rid of the ball quickly too, so we don't put any additional pressure on "what's his name at left guard".

It would also keep them from being able to completely crowd the line and look for Chubb, so he gets some room to work. Putting both of them on the field at the same time changes how the D sets up.

I am pumped.