Ugly ending to a feel-good victory

Many Browns fans will remember Thursday night’s stunning 21-7 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers as one of the most satisfying victories in recent history.

The national television audience on FOX and the NFL Network, however, will remember it for something entirely and horrifyingly different.

Browns fans will remember it for a defense that created four turnovers, a relentless pass rush against an excellent Pittsburgh offensive line and an offense that was perfect on three trips into the red zone.

But the national audience also saw Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, normally a mild mannered sort, completely lose it with eight seconds left in regulation when he viciously spun Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph to the ground well after he had completed a pass.

The incident exploded into a melee that took the officials several minutes to gain control of with five ejections handed out, including Garrett, whose actions are almost certain to earn him a stiff fine and more than likely a lengthy suspension.

After Garrett swung Rudolph to the ground, the quarterback tried to get back up, but Garrett held him down. Rudolph then unsuccessfully tried to tear Garrett’s helmet off from behind as teammates Matt Feiler and David DeCastro tried to cordon off Garrett.  

As the two offensive linemen were pulling Garrett off Rudolph, the Cleveland end tore the quarterback’s helmet clean off. Rudolph immediately leaped up and attempted to attack Garrett, who was still in the grasp of the two Steelers.

As Rudolph got closer, Garrett, who was still holding the quarterback’s helmet by the facemask in his right hand, swung the helmet like a weapon and deliberately landed a blow on top of Rudolph’s head. Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pounce soon arrived and began throwing punches at Garrett.

I've been watching the National Football League for a long time and don’t remember ever seeing anything like this. What took place Thursday night blew up social media, resulting in immediate condemnation of Garrett’s actions by fellow players and ex-players.

Retired Steelers linebacker James Harrison, whose NFL reputation was built on extremely aggressive, borderline dirty football, labeled it in a tweet as “assault in the least . . . 6 months in jail on the street . . . now add the weapon and that’s at least a year right?”

After the game, Rudolph assured everyone he was ‘fine” and called the act “cowardly” and ”bush league.” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens pronounced himself “embarrassed.”

The extremely ugly ending spoiled what most optimistic Browns fans will look at as another step toward redemption in a season that has seen this team play disappointingly bad football. After racking up a 2-6 record that featured four consecutive losses, the Browns have now won two in a row with the Miami Dolphins on deck.

The latest victory was much more impressive than the one the Browns eked out several days ago against Buffalo. Just about everything clicked on defense against the Steelers as Joe Schobert played arguably the best game of his young career.

The middle linebacker had 10 tackles, defensed four passes, recorded a sack and picked off two of the club’s four interceptions. He did everything but cater the halftime meal. He was the ultimate ubiquitous defender throughout the game. It seemed as though his name was called on every play.

The offense was as good as it needed to be, but surprised with three touchdowns in the red-zone in as many trips to the area on the field that has thrown up the stop sign with monotonous regularity this season.

This one was also a game of attrition, the Steelers losing several key members of their offense, leaving Rudolph with backups in skilled positions for the most part. But the Steelers’ excellent offensive line was healthy and absorbed a beating from the suddenly aggressive Cleveland front seven.

Running back James Conner, who abused the Browns unmercifully last season, left early with a recurrence of a shoulder problem that idled him for two games, and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster left with a concussion in the second quarter after a collision with three Browns.

The Browns, meanwhile, were forced to play with backup safeties in the second half after strong safety Morgan Burnett, who had a terrific game against his old teammates in the first half, left with an Achilles injury and free safety Damarious Randall was ejected for striking a defenseless player with his helmet.

In knocking off Pittsburgh for the first time since October 2014, the Browns never trailed. Baker Mayfield broke the red-zone hex with a one-yard sneak in the first quarter on the Browns’ initial possession of the game.

Mayfield, who has now gone three straight games without throwing an interception,  moved his offense 65 yards in just five plays, connecting with Kareem Hunt for 20 yards and Odell Beckham Jr. for 43 yards along the way to set up the initial score.

The Browns made it 14-0 with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter, hooking up with Jarvis Landry on a pretty little misdirection one-yard toss. There wasn’t a Steeler within 10 yards of him when he made the catch. Passes of 41 yards to KhaDarel Hodge and 25 yards to Landry set up the score.

The Steelers, with plenty of help from a Cleveland defense that pitched its initial first-half shutout of the season, made it interesting, halving the score with a five-play, 87-yard march, Jaylen Samuels scoring on a three-yard checkdown pass from Rudolph with 5:39 left in the third quarter. The Cleveland defense contributed 58 of those yards on four penalties during the drive.

Mayfield, who threw for 193 yards, racked up his second straight two-touchdown game, hitting rookie tight end Stephen Carlson from eight yards three plays after Schobert picked off his second pass of the evening with 6:22 left in regulation.

All in all, it was a very satisfying victory and sent a message around the league that the Browns are not dead yet and the resuscitator has been put away for the time being. The only blemish, of course, was Garrett’s meltdown at the end of the game.

That, more than anything, could have a deleterious effect on a defense that has been spotty all season and a significant impact on the immediate future of a team conceivably on the precipice of something big.