Meaningful football

The last time the Browns played a meaningful game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Butch Davis was in his second season as the head coach, Kelly Holcomb was the quarterback and the game was played in Pittsburgh.

The year was 2003. The date: January 5. The scene: One of the National Football League’s two AFC wild-card games. The sweet aroma of the postseason. History records it as the only playoff game the resurrected Browns ever played.

The Browns held leads of 24-7 early in the third quarter and 33-21 late in the fourth quarter before the Steelers rallied to win, 36-33, in the game’s final minute.

And now the Browns, who began the 2019 season losing six of their first eight games, finally play their long-time rivals in a meaningful game Sunday in Pittsburgh after all those frustrating seasons of godforsaken football that has rendered their constituency longing for anything that resembles hope.

Playing football in Pittsburgh has been a way-too-long exercise in futility for the current iteration of this franchise. The last time they emerged victorious in the Steel City was Oct. 5 in 2003. They lug a 15-game losing streak there  into Sunday’s game.

The Steelers are one of the NFL’s toughest teams at home under the stewardship of Mike Tomlin, who is 81-29 on home turf since 2007. He has never lost to the Browns in Three Rivers Stadium.

The litany of losing there extends deeper into the past with only the one victory in the last 20 visits and just two in the last 28. No wonder coach Freddie Kitchens cautions calling this a rivalry is incorrect.

“It takes two to have a rivalry,” he said earlier this week. “So we’ve got to do our part. That’s not going to sit well with some people, but to me, you’ve got to win your share to make it a rivalry.”

Kitchens, whose club handled the Steelers, 21-7, a couple of weeks ago, will try to do something this franchise has not done against the Steelers for more than three decades. The last time the Browns swept a season series against the Steelers was in 1988 when they were the original Browns and Bernie Kosar was the quarterback.

They were so dominant back then, they swept three straight season series against Pittsburgh in the Mark Malone-Bubby Brister era. Since 1999, though, the Steelers have swept a dozen season series against Cleveland. That’s the kind of dominance that caused Kitchens to throw up the caution flag.

Tomlin, whose job of preventing the Browns from not only a season sweep but avoiding falling into a second-place tie with them in the AFC North with a loss, is coaching at a distinct disadvantage.

He no longer has quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (injured), running back Le’Veon Bell (now with the New York Jets) and wide receiver Antonio Brown (self destructed) to rely on when in trouble. JuJu Smith-Schuster, his best wide receiver is out, as is James Conner, his best running back.

The defense that harassed Mason Rudolph, who replaced Roethlisberger, into four interceptions a couple of weeks ago, will face Devlin Hodges, an undrafted free agent who came off the bench and rallied the Steelers past winless Cincinnati last week after Rudolph was benched. Benny Snell Jr. and Jaylen Samuels shoulder the run game.

It will be interesting to see how the Browns, whose confidence appears to be growing with every victory, respond to the importance of this game. Their three-game wining streak shows they are learning how to win games, which is a vital part of the process.

This franchise has played football in self-destruct mode for so long, all teams have to do is wait around patiently and eventually the Browns will do something that shatters any chance of winning a game.

But there have been signs lately indicate that might be changing. Entering the red zone this season has proved more dangerous for the Browns than the opposition, During the winning streak, however, the Browns have entered the zone 12 times and Baker Mayfield has thrown seven touchdown passes.

He has also thrown only one interception in the last four games after throwing 12 in the first seven, and has been sacked just six times in that span after being decked 21 times in the first seven.

The Pittsburgh defense, which thrives on sacks (38) and takeaways (28), has played only two games this season where it did not cause at least one turnover – the opener against New England and the Browns game two weeks ago, both losses.

As was the case in the first game, the key to keeping the Steelers’ defense relatively quiet rests with the offensive line, which kept Mayfield clean in the first game. He was sacked just once. Offensive right tackle Chris Hubbard received plenty of help from a tight end against outstanding Pittsburgh outside linebacker T. J.  Watt.

Speaking of tight ends, indications are David Njoku, injured in the second game of the season, is ready to return. His absence is one of the reasons Mayfield has had problems this season. If he returns, that opens up things for wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.

It will also be interesting to see how tightly the officials call this one, considering the first game ended in a brawl in the final seconds when Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Rudolph tangled.

It cost 33 players nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in fines. Garrett’s ultimate suspension will keep him inactive until next season. But the Browns got some good news when defensive end Olivier Vernon was cleared to play against the Steelers.

One more important factor: The Steelers will be without All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey, an active participant in that brawl serving the final part of his two-game suspension. Losing the anchor of that offensive line is a huge break for the Browns.

The second game against a division rival is never easy to win, especially on the road and extra especially because it’s Pittsburgh. But talent will be the deciding factor in this one. One team is loaded on offense from a skill standpoint; the other isn’t even close. 

Nick Chubb racks up his sixth 100-yard game of the season – he had 92 yards in the first Pittsburgh game – and Mayfield throws two more scoring passes, while the defense smothers the struggling Steelers offense. It will be close for a while, but the series sweep finally belongs to the Browns this season. Make it:  

Browns 20, Steelers 13

A little time off 

No Leftovers and Thoughts this week. Family wins the week, as it should. Check in this weekend for prediction. 

Riddle . . .  meet enigma

For a brief moment there in the third quarter of the Browns’ 41-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins Sunday, it looked suspiciously like they were in the embryonic stages of squandering a seemingly insurmountable lead.

The really bad Dolphins looked really good for the entire third quarter and a 28-3 halftime lead the Browns crafted looked imperiled. All of a sudden, the Dolphins behind Cro-Magnon quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick crept to within 28-17.

Unease began to grip Browns Nation, even as they felt sanguine following the first 30 minutes, that the current winning streak might not reach three games. A here-we-go-again feeling nagged because they have seen this act before.

Until then, just about everything worked against a Miami defense that looked more like the Browns of 2016 and 2017, who combined for a grand total of one victory with a defense that was awful at best.

The Browns had scored touchdowns on four of their five possessions in the first half

and seemed to shift into cruise control against arguably the worst team in the National Football League.

They looked almost jaunty as Baker Mayfield fashioned his first three-touchdown game of the season – he now has thrown seven scoring passes in the Browns’ three-game win streak – with two to Jarvis Landry and the other to Odell Beckham Jr.

The first of Joe Schobert’s two picks – he now has four in the last two games – set up the fourth first-half score, Kareem Hunt scooting six yards around right end to culminate a nine-pay, 73-yard march with a minute left in the half

The injury- and suspension-riddled Cleveland defense had all the right answers against Fitzpatrick in the first 30 minutes and almost pitched a first-half shutout before the visitors broke through with a second left in the half on a Jason Sanders field goal.

That is the way it should have worked the entire game. Only it did not in the third quarter when Fitzpatrick, the ultimate NFL journeyman celebrating his 37^th birthday, narrowed the margin to 11 points on successive possessions.

He took advantage of a Mayfield pick – his first in four games – and a field-goal miss by Austin Seibert – he made two in the fourth quarter to make up for it – to give the Dolphins hope, throwing a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Mike Gesicki and scrambling eight yards for the other.

It tipped the momentum scale toward the Dolphins. But lack of talent trumped hope and the Browns regained the momentum in the final 15 minutes as the defense, playing with only one healthy regular on the defensive line, said enough and found a second gear to slam the door on the wizened Fitzpatrick.

They regained the temporarily lost momentum and managed in spite of some strange play calling by coach Freddie Kitchens. Strategy seems to have evaded the head coach’s thought process. He should not be calling plays.

Instead of pounding the football with the best running tandem in the NFL in Nick Chubb, who racked up his fifth 100-yard game of the season with 106 well-earned yards, and Hunt, who gained 27 more on eight carries, Kitchens puzzlingly chose to throw the ball.

It’s nice to mix in passing with the run game every once in a while, but when you jump out to a 28-0 lead in the first half, common sense has to kick in somewhere along the line and say no, stick to the ground game.

Mayfield, who completed 24 of 34 passes for 327 yards and the three scores, was hot – he threw 12 straight completions at one point – and seemed extremely confident. But the situation dictated running the ball and bleeding the clock. Will the man ever learn?

Kitchens and Mayfield were lucky in the fourth quarter after Schobert’s second pick in Miami territory when Mayfield’s second interception of the afternoon was nullified by a personal foul penalty on Miami. Chubb scored two plays later to push the score to 41-17.

While it’s easy to get excited about a three-game winning streak – all at home – and staying alive in the race for the postseason, you have to take into consideration the Dolphins are a terrible team and the Browns should have won.

And while it’s also easy to fool one’s self with the giddiness that pervades Browns Nation at this point, reality says don’t lose sight of the fact this defense still allowed the awful Dolphins to rally to within striking distance of the lead before normalcy returned.

No question 5-6 sounds a lot better than the disappointing and demoralizing 2-6 of a few weeks ago when all hope for the 2019 season seemed lost. If you have any designs on the playoffs in the NFL, winning in November and December is not only essential, it is mandatory, especially when you start 2-6.

Sunday’s big victory was expected, the large margin of the final notwithstanding. Mandatory begins with the next five games, all in December, and that’s when fans will find out what this team is really made of.

This victory proves only one thing. The Browns have learned how to beat bad teams badly, scoring a season high in points after averaging only 18 points a game in the previous four games.

They still remain a riddle wrapped up in an enigma. The mystery of this team continues.

Three in a row?

If there is any question as to whether the Browns will win their third straight home game against the pitiful Miami Dolphins Sunday, you haven’t been paying attention. The only question is by how much.

This is the feel-good portion of the 2019 schedule where the Browns kick it into desperation gear as they furiously attempt to make up for their 2-6 record in the first half of the season with dreams of the postseason prancing in the air.

The Dolphins are really quite bad. Don’t let their 2-8 record fool you. They are worse than the winless Cincinnati Bengals, who appear twice on the Cleveland schedule in the final month. You’ll see that when the two teams clash late next month in the battle for the No 1 pick in the college draft.

The once-proud Dolphins sport statistics that make the Browns of the last two decades look decent. They have no running game to speak of and a 36-year-old Harvard-educated journeyman quarterback playing with his eighth team in his 15^th National Football League campaign.

They throw the football on two of every three snaps mainly because their running game is so bad, they pretty much have to go upstairs in order to move the chains.

The Cleveland pass rush, or what’s left of it with the suspensions of Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi and third straight absence of Olivier Vernon due to a knee injury, should have no problem against an offensive line that has allowed 46 sacks. Look for more blitzing from defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

The seemingly indefatigable Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is 5-1 against the Browns over the years and completes 63% of his passes this season, works behind that line and has absorbed 24 of those sacks, 18 in the last four games. He’ll operate at a distinct disadvantage against the Browns.

He lost his best running back (Kenyan Drake) to a trade several weeks ago; his best wide receiver, rookie Preston Williams, a couple of weeks ago to a torn ACL; and Mark Walton, who replaced Drake at running back until being cut after his arrest recently for criminal assault against his pregnant girlfriend.

Kalen Ballage and his 122 yards is the lone running threat, while wideouts DeVante Parker, Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson pose the greatest threat to a Cleveland secondary operating with Juston Burris replacing Morgan Burnett (done for the season with an Achilles tear) at strong safety.

Browns fans now get a chance to see if defensive end Chad Thomas, an abysmal failure as a rookie last season, can make up for it while filling in for Garrett the rest of the season. He has logged three sacks in limited opportunities, including one in each of the last two games.

Chris Smith and newcomer Bryan Cox Jr. figure to split time at the other end while Devaroe Lawrence and Eli Ankou fill in for Ogunjobi alongside Sheldon Richardson, the lone healthy veteran along the defensive line.

The Miami defense, which coughed up 163 points in the first four games (while the offense scored only 26), has actually improved, allowing a mere142 points in the last six outings. They permitted only 30 points in knocking off the New York Jets and Indianapolis back-to-back.

This is not a team with which the Browns should encounter any problems, injuries on the defense notwithstanding. Unless, that is, linebacker Joe Schobert, the glue of the defense, is unable to go due to a groin injury.

The offensive side of the football, however, is healthy and showing signs of coming around. The club announced Friday that tight end David Njoku, out since week two, will be ready to go by the following Sunday in the rematch in Pittsburgh,

Baker Mayfield, who has gone three straight games without an interception, seems to have found the formula to extend plays and put more pressure on opposing defenses. He is also beginning to involve Odell Beckham Jr. more in the offense.

And now with Kareem Hunt proving his worth on a weekly basis, coach Freddie Kitchens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken can take advantage of his talent at a number of places on the field.

The Browns offense, which has scored more than 23 points a game only twice and 19 or fewer points in six games this season, should thrive against a Miami defense that permits nearly 400 yards a game, 148 on the ground, and allows opposing quarterbacks to complete 64% of their passes,

All signs point toward the Browns’ third straight victory at home in a relative breeze. Anything less, even in victory, would be a huge disappointment. Playing down to your opponent’s talent level is a disturbing sign and that is what the Browns must avoid.

They do, but not in the first half when the Dolphins play them to a virtual standstill. The offense once again stumbles in the red zone after Nick Chubb’s strong running gets them there and Austin Seibert tacks on three more field goals. In the second half, Mayfield locks in and connects for a pair of scores while the defense shuts down the Miami attack to wind up an unbeaten homestand. Make it:

Browns 23, Dolphins 10

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Mid-week thoughts

It sure looks as though the Myles Garrett-Mason Rudolph unscheduled get together on a football field will not die. Yet.

That said, a few more personal thoughts regarding the unfortunate incident that took place just about a week ago and captured the attention of not only the National Football League universe, but the ever expanding wide world of social media.

Garrett and Rudolph were the major parties in the dustup that wound up with Garrett ultimately bashing the quarterback’s helmet on his bare noggin in the waning seconds of last Thursday night’s nationally televised game between the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The NFL almost immediately suspended Garrett for the rest of the season (six games) and the postseason (if the Browns qualify). Rudolph was merely fined $35,000 for his involvement.

Upon further review, the league apparently did not take into consideration Rudolph initially and unsuccessfully tried to pry off Garrett’s helmet and then perpetuated the original dustup by continuing to charge the Cleveland defensive end, who was being held in check by a pair of Pittsburgh offensive linemen.

If he stays down on the ground and does not rush at Garrett, the fight is over. Period.  He is not beaned on his head with his helmet. Everybody goes his own way, the officials step in and restore order and that would be that.

Instead, Rudolph, no shrinking violet at 6-5, 235 pounds, loses control and unwisely charges Garrett. And all he got was a fine? He is extremely fortunate the NFL did not suspend him at least one game for his careless actions. Charging Garrett not only extended the fight, it lit a match that sent it into dangerous territory.

As a result, other players from both sides entered the fray and were fined and suspended for their participation. If Rudolph stays put, those subsequent miscreants (Maurkice Pouncey of the Steelers and Larry Ogunjobi of the Browns) are not appealing their suspensions.

Pouncey, being hailed as the ultimate teammate for punching and kicking Garrett in retaliation would have been much better off being a peacemaker upon his arrival. Same with Ogunjobi, who cowardly pushed Rudolph from behind as the brawl escalated, knocking him to the ground,

Steelers offensive linemen David DeCastro and Matt Feiler acted as peacemakers and were correctly not fined or suspended. Peacemaking has its rewards.

And all that, the league determined, warranted Rudolph just a $35,000 fine? At best, that fine should have been tripled and at worst a one-game suspension for prolonging a fight should have been meted out.

The whole situation began after Rudolph, who had thrown four interceptions in the game and was no doubt frustrated by then and lost control, had objected to a tackle by Garrett after he had released a pass. It exploded when he tried to separate himself from Garrett, who had landed on top of him and was slow in getting up.

The young Steelers quarterback admitted the other day that his temper got the better of him. “As for my involvement last week,” he said, “there is no acceptable excuse. I’ve got to do a better job of keeping my composure in those situations.”

Garrett’s blanket apology last week to all involved in what has been dubbed Helmetgate seemed sincere. He realized the gravity of his actions and had trouble dealing with the fact he reacted in such a egregious manner.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, speaking retrospectively Tuesday, admitted culpability. “None of us want those incidents to transpire,” said the coach, who chose to remain silent about the incident immediately after the game. “It did. We were a part of it. We accept responsibility for our actions within it.”

*       *       *

Looked more closely at the game a third time. It sure looked as though a few members of the Browns’ secondary had more than a little mayhem in mind when it came to covering Steelers wide receivers.

Cornerback Greedy Williams and strong safety Morgan Burnett bracketed Pittsburgh wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster and squished him with 9:14 left in the second quarter, taking him quite literally out of the game. He immediately went into concussion protocol and did not return.

Pittsburgh rookie wide receiver Diontae Johnson was the next victim, leaving the game for good with 8:11 left in the third quarter after being ear holed by Browns free safety Damarious Randall, who was instantly ejected for the vicious hit. Johnson left the field, blood trickling down from his ear, and did not return.

It’s difficult to determine for certain that such violent acts on a football field are deliberate. But when it happens twice in a game and seems to target one particular position, one has to wonder.

Perhaps it’s only a coincidence that Smith-Schuster and Johnson are the club’s leading and third-leading receivers this season, combining for more 900 yards and six touchdowns.

*       *       *

The highly undisciplined Browns tacked on eight more penalties and 121 more yards against the Steelers. They have committed the third-most net penalties (87 with 19 declined – second most – and six offsetting) and lead the league in total flags with 112, four more than the Arizona Cardinals in one less game (10).

They are the runaway winner in total yards with 822 in 10 games, 43 better (worse?) than the Oakland Raiders.

Coach Freddie Kitchens insists he does not coach penalties. Great line. But he sure has a tough time convincing fans that is, indeed, the case. The statistics strongly suggest otherwise.

Impeaching the Browns?

To those who thought the Myles Garrett-Mason Rudolph helmet brawl Thursday night on national television would soon fade, guess again. The temperature is rising rapidly.

Garrett’s conking Rudolph’s bare head with his own helmet was a topic not just in the sports world, but the world of news as well. It isn’t every day you see one player drill another with a weapon designed to protect the head rather than attack it.

The footage not only went viral almost immediately, it has remained scorching throughout the weekend as one of the hot topics on talk radio around the nation. It reached the big time Saturday night.

It captured the attention of the vast stable of writers at NBC Television staple Saturday Night Live and became part of the 45-year-old program’s famous Cold Open with Garrett (cast member Kenan Thompson) making a surprise appearance.

Mocking the House’s Impeachment hearings in Washington, the open began with a scrolling introduction.

“Some complained the hearings were lacking in pizzazz, dull and not The Masked Singer,” intoned the voiceover. “ So to make sure people are paying attention, we present the hearings in a way that underscores how scandalous the revelations really are. This is Days of Our Impeachment.”

The cast included actors portraying Congressmen Adam Schiff, Jim Jordan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, career diplomat Bill Taylor, attorney Rudy Giuliani, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, attorney Michael Avenatti and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland.   

Garrett (Thompson) made his entrance well into the eight-minute parody wearing a Browns #95 sweater and wielding a Pittsburgh Steelers in his right hand.

“Enough,” he bellowed. “ I have seen enough. I am tired of being falsely accused. You see, what happened was I saw another player who had lost his helmet and I thought, ‘Oh, he should be wearing a helmet.’ So I attempted to put it back on his head.”

Interrupted Schiff (Alex Moffat), “Mr. Garrett, you are not on trial here.”

“Oh I know,” said Garrett. “President Trump has pardoned me, too, for war crimes. He said I could bring a helmet to Afghanistan and just go nuts.” And he disappeared.

“Not so fast,” interrupted Giuliani (Kate McKinnon), who said something stupid. Garrett quickly reappeared, took one look at Giuliani and said, “Omigod, it’s a vampire” and then struck him with the helmet.

Giuliani popped back up and the group then segued into the iconic opening, shouting,  “Live from New York it’s Saturday night.”

Yep, the Browns made SNL, but in a way they never imagined. The dysfunction and embarrassment live on. If you haven’t already seen it, it’s on YouTube.

Monday (really Thursday) leftovers

Myles Garrett is a lucky young man. He is lucky he wasn’t banned for life Friday after striking Mason Rudolph on the skull with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback’s own helmet with eight seconds left in the Browns’ 21-7 victory Thursday night.

The National Football League Friday suspended the defensive end for the rest of the regular season (six games) and playoffs should the Browns be fortunate enough to qualify for the postseason.

The egregious act had no precedent in the NFL, so the league decided to set one with one other condition to allow Garrett back into the league in the future. He will have to meet with the office of Commissioner Roger Goodell before possibly being reinstated in 2020.

The length of the suspension is the longest in the history of the 100-year-old league for a single incident on the field. According to ESPN, Garrett will appeal the punishment.

There is some question among those who reside in Browns Nation whether the punishment fits the crime, citing Rudolph’s actions with regard to where his right foot was during the initial scrum.

The video replay – and I watched it many times in super slow motion – showed Rudolph’s right foot, while he’s lying on the ground, attempting to shove Garrett away with the foot in Garrett’s groin area. It was not a kick, as some claim, and he did not aim for that area.

Garrett’s defenders also point to another groin attempt once Rudolph was back on his feet and charging Garrett. Not even close. His right leg landed harmlessly well away from the groin.

The fact Garrett did not drop Rudolph’s helmet immediately once he pried it off shows possible intent. He eventually used it as a weapon. He had to know once he began to swing it like a club that any connection with Rudolph could possibly cause serious damage.

No one knows for certain why he did not drop the helmet and retaliate with a less powerful weapon like his hands. He is extremely fortunate he did not do more damage to Rudolph’s skull than he did.

It was wrong in so many ways and added to the bad-boy reputation the former No. 1 overall draft choice has developed. He has already been fined (before this incident) $50,000 for punching an opponent earlier this season and numerous flags for roughing the passer.

All he had to do once the brawl escalated to a dangerous level was drop the helmet. That simple. Drop the damn bonnet. If he does that, all else that followed would have earned him a hefty fine and maybe a suspended game of two.

But no. The undisciplined nature that has pervaded Berea this season embraced its next victim and this one will pay the ultimate price.

Fans will remember the 21-7 victory over the Steelers Thursday night. That will fade soon enough. But Myles Garrett and the helmet mash-up will become folklore in the great Browns-Steelers rivalry, but not for the right reasons.

After profusely apologizing after the game, Garrett tried to put the incident in perspective. “A win’s a win,” he told reporters. “I don’t think it’s overshadowed by what happens in eight seconds.

“Played a hell of a game on defense, offense came out firing and we held it down from there. What we did on the field of play for the rest of that game, for the first 59 minutes, that shouldn’t go unnoticed.”

Of course it shouldn’t. But what followed shouldn’t go unnoticed, either, because it overshadowed the final score.

*       *       *

This was supposed to be the season all the dysfunction would disappear and an honest-to-goodness competitive football team with little or no drama would replace two decades of embarrassing football in Berea.

New coach. New philosophy. New culture. New hopes. Just about new everything.  And then this.

The dysfunction never left. The culture and philosophy remain the same. The new coach probably won’t win a popularity contest due mainly to his inept coaching. And those new hopes are just that – hopes. The more things change, it has been said, the more they stay the same.

So it’s not surprising this undisciplined football team has wound up once again as the butt of jokes and retakes the lead as the NFL’s most embarrassing franchise with players who are cut for habitual tardiness and unwisely post angry, threatening tweets.

The secondary Thursday night was guilty on at least three occasions of helmet-to-helmet hits that knocked Steelers out of the game. If that’s the way members of that unit are being taught to hit, something is wrong. Terrible discipline.

In his apology to the team Friday, Garrett said he lost his cool and called his monumental display Thursday night “a moment of weakness.”  In other words, a lack of discipline. Just another reason the Browns are 4-6 today.

*       *       *

Sudden thought: Wonder how those who get defensive about the Garrett-Rudolph dustup would feel if the quarterback was, say, Baker Mayfield and the offending party was, say, Cameron Heyward of the Steelers.

I can’t help but think the extremely zealous fans of this team are very sensitive to any criticism of their players. The uproar would most likely be deafening. When the on-the-other-hand argument kicks in, though, greater understanding enters the picture.

*       *       *

Mayfield decried the Garrett-Rudolph incident.  “I didn’t see why it started, but it’s inexcusable,”  he told FOX’s Erin Andrews after the game. “I don’t care rivalry or not, we can’t do that. . . . . We can’t continue to hurt our team.

“That’s the kind if history of what’s been going on here lately. Hurting yourself. That’s just endangering the other team (Pittsburgh). It’s inexcusable. He (Garrett) knows that. I hope he does now. It’s tough, man. We’ll see.”

He then candidly assessed the offense’s performance against the Steelers. “We still didn’t play good enough at all,” he said. “We came out and had a great first drive and then kind of fluttered out a little bit. . . We’ll look at the film. We’ve got to get better than that. Offensively, it’s still not even close to being good enough.”

Finally . . .  With Olivier Vernon still nursing a sore knee and Garrett unavailable the rest of the season, it looks as though the Browns will finally see what Chad Thomas can do on a full-time basis at defensive end if Vernon can’t make the Miami game Sunday. The third-round draft pick in 2018 had three solo tackles, a sack and a quarterback hit against the Steelers. Chris Smith and newcomer Bryan Cox Jr. will most likely split reps on the other side. . . . With Morgan Burnett out with an Achilles problem, Juston Burris will fill in. at strong safety. He acquitted himself well against the Steelers with five tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss. . . . KhaDarel Hodge is the newest receiver in Mayfield’s arsenal. Their 41-yartd connection was part of a 77-yard drive that wound as a touchdown to give the Browns a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter. . . . Nick Chubb reached the 1,000-yard mark this season with a hard-earned 27-carry, 92-yard evening. He now has 1,011 yards with six games left, many against teams with weak run defenses.  . . After making his first 14 field goals this season, Austin Seibert was uncharacteristically wide right twice from 45 and 50 yards.

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.

It won’t be close

It wasn’t that long ago when Browns fans, deep into misery and in the midst of a four-game losing streak, pointed to the second half of the season as possible salvation with regard to the postseason.

Included in that so-called soft second half of the schedule was a pair of games with the Pittsburgh Steelers just a couple of weeks apart in November.

At the time, the Steelers experienced some misery of their own, losing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the season with an elbow injury and finishing on the wrong side of the score in four of their first five games.

These were not the Pittsburgh Steelers Browns Nation had come to know and hate. They actually looked vulnerable and Cleveland fans anxiously waited for payback time against their bitter rivals who have bedeviled them for the better part of three decades.

But while the Browns continued piling up losses until finally stealing a game from Buffalo a few days ago, the Steelers quietly rediscovered the formula that has landed them on the right side of the score in the last four games.

They are not the powerhouse offensive team with Mason Rudolph in charge of the huddle, but they don’t need to be. That’s because the defense has been spectacular.

In the last seven games, they have recorded 28 sacks, forced 12 fumbles, picked off 14 passes and registered 60 quarterback hits. In the last six outings, they created 24 takeaways and currently own a +13 turnover ratio. (The Browns are at -8.)

That’s the kind of defense the Browns will face Thursday night at home and in front of a national television audience when the Steelers invade. It is intimidating and swallows teams prone to making mistakes, i.e. the Cleveland Browns.

It can be argued, though, that the Browns have not turned the ball over in two straight games after piling up 18 in the first seven. It can also be argued Baker Mayfield is fortunate he didn’t have at least two interceptions in those games.

Since shipping their No. 1 draft choice next year to the Miami Dolphins for him after just two games, free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has been nothing short of outstanding in his first seven games as a Steeler. He has become a game changer.

He has accounted for eight turnovers – five picks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in addition to his 34 tackles (24 solo).  He makes things happen mainly because he seems to have special radar for where the football is headed. He is the kind of playmaker who can pick up an entire defense.

Fitzpatrick has scored more touchdowns (a pick six and a fumble return) this season with the Steelers than Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who is stuck on one – the 89-yard catch and run in the week two victory overt the New York Jets.

The Browns do not have anyone on the roster on defense who can lay claim to that description. They’ve got a lot of moderately talented players on that side of the ball who aren’t remotely close to being labeled a playmaker or game changer.

The biggest challenge on offense will be for coach Freddie Kitchens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken to produce a game plan with plenty of quick developing plays to offset the terrific Steelers pass rush.

At the risk of being repetitious, it is incumbent – no, make that mandatory – for the Browns’ very offensive offensive line to play its best game of the season on pass protection.

Offensive right tackle Chris Hubbard, in particular, will be in for an adventurous evening against Steelers linebacker T. J. Watt, who has 9½ of those 33 sacks and is one of the most relentless pass rushers in the National Football League.

Now that Kareem Hunt has joined Nick Chubb in the Cleveland backfield, traditional thinking suggests their mere presence back there might force the Steelers to alter their approach and be more mindful of them because both are breakaway runners.

Rudolph, who replaced Roethlisberger at quarterback, has settled in nicely, managing the game rather than trying to control it himself. He correctly relies, instead, on letting the defense dictate the tone of the games with their ultra aggressive approach.

He has thrown for 1,330 yards and 11 touchdowns with only four interceptions in his 203 throws. His main targets are wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and rookie Diontae Johnson, running back James Conner and tight end Vance McDonald.

Rudolph managed to keep the offense on track despite the two-game absence of Conner due to shoulder issues. And wouldn’t you know it . . . he is healthy just in time for the Browns’ game.

The Cleveland defense remembers him well from last season after he helped Steelers fans forget about Le’Veon Bell, who chose to sit out the entire 2018 campaign.

Conner torched that defense for 281 yards on the ground, 123 more through the air and scored four touchdowns in a victory and tie. He touched the football 65 times in those games and totaled 404 yards.

And he is back behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL now that Ramon Foster has returned to left guard after exiting concussion protocol. That unit will try to extended Myles Garrett’s sackless streak to three games.

The struggling 3-6 Browns are surprising 2½-point favorites basically because of home field, against the surging 5-4 Steelers. What makes it surprising is not only the Browns’ record against the Steelers since the 1999 resurrection  (6-34-1),  but how poorly they have played on Thursday night over the years.

They are 3-8 overall and have lost all three games against the Steelers in the short week. But they did their last Thursday night game last season when Mayfield made his NFL debut off the bench and lea the Browns over the Jets.

That won’t happen Thursday night. Mayfield’s two-game streak of not throwing an interception ends with at least two picks. He will be sacked at least three times. And Conner runs roughshod once more against an overwhelmed Cleveland defense, ending the club’s one-game winning streak embarrassingly. Make it:

Steelers 34, Browns 13

Monday leftovers

If Kareem Hunt’s debut with the Browns against the Buffalo Bills Sunday is any indication, the club’s struggling offense has taken a significant step in the right direction.

The extraordinarily talented running back looked as if he has been playing all season rather than coming off an eight-game, league-enforced suspension and nearly a year removed from his last appearance.

Everyone who follows the National Football League knows what to expect from Hunt, whose statistics in his first almost two full seasons in the league suggest good times lie ahead.

He ran hard – four carries (not enough) for 30 yards – and caught seven passes for another 44 yards as the offensive coaching staff wasted no time incorporating him into the game plan.

What surprised a lot of fans, however, was his expertise while blocking for fellow running back Nick Chubb and various wide receivers downfield after making a catch. Didn’t expect that at all.

“Blocking is a mind-set,” he told reporters following the game. “It’s a mentality and you can’t let the other person beat you. If the person does beat me, I’m going to tell them I’ll be back the next play.” That’s the kind of player coaches love.

He not only stuck his nose in, he executed blocks as though he had been doing it all the while when he was in Kansas City. They were crisp, timely and, most important, within the rules.

Blocking is one aspect of the game certain to gain him more reps. Coaches love players who are unselfish and more than willing to contribute to the entire cause. Based on the victory over the Bills, he fits in quite nicely.

That he had 38 snaps in his first game back and looked fresh at the end of the game is a testament to his preparation for the game. Stamina and rust, normally associated with players who sit for long periods of time, were not a factor.

His only belch was mishandling a short shovel pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield on the final drive that eventually wound up as the game-winning touchdown. It was originally ruled a fumble returned for a touchdown, but replay correctly overturned it and ruled it an incomplete pass.

Hunt’s performance sends a message to Freddie Kitchens and his staff that what they saw against Buffalo is a mere microcosm of the immediate future. And right now, the Cleveland offense needs a boost. Hunt’s versatility alone will warrant much more of No. 27.

The question is whether Kitchens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken can take full advantage of what Hunt can deliver. Up to now, that offense has struggled in a Jekyll/Hyde sort of way.

There are times when it looks almost unstoppable, such as the opening drive in the Bills’ victory. Six plays, 75 yards in less than three minutes. It unfolded as though it was scripted. Probably was.

The next eight possessions, which produced mistake after mistake, resulted in two Austin Seibert field goals. Then when all looked lost, along came the final possession that resulted in the winning touchdown on a Mayfield-Rashard Higgins connection.

It’s that scattershot offense that needs to become more consistent. With more touches by Hunt, that is entirely possible. He becomes dangerous now for more than just running and catching a football.

Hunt and Chubb lining up together in the backfield can’t be too far from becoming a reality. The possibilities of the damage they can inflict on opposing defenses is stuff that should bring smiles to those who reside in Browns Nation.

*       *       *

Jarvis Landry is not a shrinking violet. Not even close. In fact, if it’s on his mind, it generally escapes and comes at you loudly, quite clearly and genuinely with help from his vocal chords.

Sometimes, his emotions get the better of him. Take, for example, what he did after scoring the Browns’ first touchdown against the Bills. After making a spectacular grab of the 17-yard toss against Levi Johnson, he stopped and glared at the Buffalo cornerback.

Didn’t appear to say anything. Just glared. And that drew a flag for taunting. “I’m that type of player,” he said after the game. ”I wasn’t . . . cursing him out. I wasn’t doing any of that. I was just looking at him. At that point, what do you do?”

Here is the correct answer to that. You do a little celebratory dance maybe or toss the football to the nearest official. and enjoy the moment with teammates. Do what the legendary Paul Brown said many, many years ago. “Act like you’ve been there before.”

The 15-yard penalty took Seibert back to the Cleveland 36-yard line, where his 48-yard extra-point  attempt missed. The glare almost proved costly.

A normal-distance point-after would have eventually given the Browns a four-point – instead of three-point – lead after scoring in the fourth quarter, forcing the Bills to score a touchdown to retake the lead.

The lost point gave the Browns a 19-16 lead and made it statistically possible for the Bills to force the game into overtime with a field goal. Fortunately, Stephen Hauschka cooperated and missed a 53-yarder.

So will Landry think long and hard about repeating his mistake? Nah. “I’d do the exact same thing,” he said. “Absolutely.”

*       *       *

Kitchens engaged in some strange play calling at the beginning of the third quarter. Nursing a 9-7 lead, the coach dialed up a first-down a pass on the first play on the second half. It called for a three-step drop from the Cleveland 8.

If a pass play like that is called that deep in your territory, it requires getting rid of the football quickly. Like as soon as the quarterback sets his plant foot. Otherwise, it courts trouble.

Mayfield took those three steps back, had about half a second to locate a receiver and deliver. He couldn’t pull the trigger and was swallowed in the end zone by blitzing linebacker Tremaine Edwards for a safety.

The Browns had run for 110 yards on the ground in the first half and the first play of the second half from the 8 was a pass? Yes, it’s easy to second-guess in retrospect, but why not stick with Chubb, who had a terrific first half?

Even if he had fumbled into the end zone and Buffalo got at least a safety out of it, I still would have elected to start the possession, especially since it was so close to the goal line, with a run.

*       *       *

Finally . . . Mayfield threw at least one touchdown pass in each of his 13 starts last season. In nine of those starts, he threw at least two scoring passes and had a trio of three-touchdown games. His two-touchdown game against the Bills was his first multiple touchdown game this season. . . . The second-half schedule is looking a little tougher than originally thought. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Thursday night’s opponent, have won four in a row after a 1-4 start; the Miami Dolphins have won two in a row after starting 0-7; and the Arizona Cardinals are a deceiving 3-6-1. The hapless and winless Cincinnati Bengals are still the hapless Bengals in the AFC North cellar. Not going to be so easy after all. . . .  Landry’s nine-reception afternoon Sunday was a season high. He’s on pace for an 80-catch, 1,151-yard season. Odell Beckham Jr., meanwhile, is on pace for 78 grabs and 1,124 yards. Barring a sensational second half of the season, this will be his worst season ever for touchdown catches with only one in the first nine games.