They're going to Kansas City

It began with a simple shotgun snap by an All Pro center that would have sailed far over the head of Manute Bol had he been alive. And then it got worse. Way, way worse. For the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

After 15 minutes of football Sunday night, the Browns made up for decades of abject misery against their division rivals with a scoring flurry that hasn't been witnessed by Browns Nation in such an important game since can't remember when. It was exciting and surreal at the same time to watch unfold in front of a national television audience. 

When it was over, the Browns had three takeaways, a 28-0 lead they never lost and a loyal fan base wondering whether perhaps the two teams had switched uniforms. With a minor scare or two along the way, the cushion enabled them to coast to a 48-37 victory in a National Football League division wild-card game.

It was the first post-season victory for the franchise since the original Browns knocked off the New England Patriots in the 1994 wild-card round under Bill Belichick. Their only other victory (33-13) at Heinz Field was Oct. 5, 2003.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski, confined at home back in Cleveland due to COVID-19, watched the game on television and had to be absolutely elated at the way his club performed. Overall, his offense was opportunistic, the defense even more-so with five takeaways and a discipline level that produced just three penalties. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer had the easiest job of the evening as acting head coach.

Their reward is a visit to Kansas City next Sunday to take on arguably the best team in the league, the 14-2 Chiefs, in a conference semifinal two steps from the Super Bowl. Two gigantic steps to be certain, but not many Browns fans realistically thought this Steelers stunner would happen, either.

Steelers Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey started the dreamy first quarter by air-mailing the first snap of the game from shotgun formation at the Pittsburgh 22 over quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's head so far, it was recovered in the end zone by Cleveland safety Karl Joseph. Just like that, 7-0 Browns.

Slot cornerback M.J. Stewart picked off Roethlisberger on the next possession. Fifty-eight seconds later, Baker Mayfield connected with Jarvis Landry on the first of his three touchdown passes, a 40-yard catch and run for a 14-0 lead. 

After forcing a punt, the Browns mostly used the infantry route to travel 68 yards in three minutes, Kareem Hunt dragging Pittsburgh linebacker Robert Spillane into the end zone from 11 yards out. That made it 21-0. But not for long.

Safety Sheldrick Redwine intercepted Roethlisberger four plays later and returned it to the Steelers' 15.  Hunt's second touchdown, an eight-yard burst, made it 28-0 with two minutes left in the first quarter, causing shock in the NBC-TV booth.

"This is almost like 18 years of frustration," said venerable play-by-play man Al Michaels, somewhat disbelievingly. "It's like a volcano right now." A few minutes later, he added, "Cleveland fans, you're not dreaming this." If it was, those fans would be saying, "Don't wake me up."

It was a nightmarish, Murphy's Law (Anything that can go wrong will go wrong) first quarter for the stunned Steelers. Sort of the way it has been for the Browns the last two decades. 

What made the final score so shocking was the Browns' inability to best prepare for their archrivals because of a COVID-19 breakout that played havoc with not only the roster, but the practice schedule. They had only one day to practice to prep for the game. 

(When informed of that fact, my bride said, "I encourage them not to practice then.")

What Browns Nation witnessed was an offense that kept mistakes at a minimum (no turnovers), blocked furiously for running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt and protected their quarterback zealously. The Steelers, who led the NFL in sacks this season and had dropped Mayfield eight times in two earlier games, shot blanks all everning.

Chubb and Hunt combined for 31 touches, 206 total yards and three touchdowns, two by Hunt on the ground and a well-executed screen pass early in the fourth quarter against a Pittsburgh blitz, Chubb blazing 40 yards for the score after the Steelers had crept to within 35-23 with momentum. It was like a dagger.

The offense had correct answers most of the evening. The only blip was the entire third quarter, a three-possession effort that produced just 27 total yards on 13 plays and three Jamie Gillan punts.

Making the evening even more miraculous was the heroic (pardon the hyperbole) performance of the offensive line, which operated at times with 40% backups. All-Pro right tackle Jack Conklin yanked a hamstring blocking with 9:08 left in the first half and was replaced by Kendall Lamm, who played well after a rough start.

The dreaded COVID-19 kept left guard Joel Bitonio back in Cleveland. Michael Dunn played well in his absence until he was injured with 9:37 left in regulation. That's when Blake Hance, signed four days ago off the New York Jets' practice squad, entered and played without incident.

After the game, Mayfield was asked about the musical chairs along the offensive line and seemed to be amused at the situation. "I had to introduce myself to the guy (Hance) in the dressing room before the game," he noted. 

Center JC Tretter, left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and right guard Wyatt Teller were stalwarts throughout the 65-snap evening, keeping their quarterback clean.

The defense, meanwhile, played a staggering 84 snaps and what might be called a gutsy game, utilizing mostly soft coverage in the second half, almost inviting the Steelers to catch up. Roethlisberger was more than willing to accommodate in the second half after the Browns built a 35-10 halftime lead.

The willingness to let Steelers receivers frolic in the zones' soft spots was schemed primarily to prevent Roethlisberger going over the top for easy scores. The large lead in some way protected them from letting the Steelers get close enough to threaten it.

The Steelers played catchup the entire game. It basically forced Big Ben, who boasted a 23-2-1 career record against the Browns, to throw a career-high 68 passes (he completed 47) for 501 yards and four picks, 38 of those passes and 324 of those yards coming in the second half as he strafed relentlessly. All, as it turned, out, in vain.

For the last 19 years, the Browns have entered Heinz Field to play a football game against the Steelers, boasting just the one victory. That occurred in the regular season.  This one, however, meant more, a whole lot more for this erstwhile woebegone franchise. This one will be remembered for a very long time. 

It left the 38-year-old Roethlisberger teary-eyed at the end. That alone should make Browns Nation feel good for at least the next few days.