Rematch in Pittsburgh is set as Browns make playoffs and beat Steelers for 11th win

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

Instant takeaways from the Browns’ 24-22 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers …

1. Whew: The Browns ended the NFL’s longest playoff drought of 18 years and survived a tumultuous final eight days of the regular season by slipping by the Steelers JV team, 24-22. They earned a rematch next weekend in Heinz Field against the Steelers varsity in what will be the third-ever post-season meeting in the rivalry that dates to 1950. With nothing to gain, the Steelers kept quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and eight other regulars in Pittsburgh to rest for the playoffs. It didn’t tarnish the Browns’ achievement of their expansion era franchise-high 11th win and first post-season appearance since 2002. The AFC first-round playoff game in Pittsburgh was set up by Buffalo’s resounding defeat of the Miami Dolphins, which secured the Steelers the No. 3 seed and the Browns the No. 6 seed.

2. Are you kidding me?: Kevin Stefanski opened the door for the Steelers to nearly tie the game at the end. With 3:37 to go and a 24-16 lead, Stefanski went for it on fourth-and-7 from the Steelers 35. Baker Mayfield’s pass for Rashard Higgins was incomplete. Mason Rudolph then continued an assault on the Browns’ depleted secondary, connecting for 47 yards with Diontae Johnson, who beat emergency cornerback Robert Jackson. Rudolph hit JuJu Schuster from 2 yards for the touchdown. But Rudolph’s pass on the two-point try sailed high for Chase Claypool. The Browns barely recovered Pittsburgh’s onside kick when the ball wedged between the legs of reserve tight end Stephen Carlson and he covered it under a pile. Mayfield then made a clutch third-down conversion on a 3-yard run with under a minute to go.

3. Wake up call: For the most part, the game lacked the intensity of a win-or-get-in affair. A 10-0 Browns lead was cut to 10-9 and then 17-9. The Browns then woke up their Covid-limited home crowd with a takeaway on defense near the end of the third quarter. Rudolph threw early to beat the blitz of Jacob Phillips and Ronnie Harrison and cornerback M.J. Stewart stepped in front of JuJu Smith-Schuster for the INT. Stewart returned it 30 yards to the Steelers’ 20. Three plays later, KhaDarel Hodge made the offensive play of the day, pulling in a Baker Mayfield pass behind him with his left hand while on the ground, on third-and-8. Jarvis Landry scored on the next play with a 3-yard run on a jet sweep.

4. Easy does it: Neither team looked interested in extending themselves offensively early on. The Steelers had the excuse of no Big Ben. The Browns didn’t have one. But Nick Chubb went over 100 yards and Mayfield survived surprising pressure minus T.J. Watt with no turnovers. Rudolph’s quick-passing game kept Myles Garrett off him and set up a few stretch pass plays against the Browns’ depleted secondary, but his one mistake did him in. Rudolph did tack on a touchdown in the fourth quarter after his interception. He threw up a 50-50 ball on fourth down from the Browns’ 28. Chase Claypool wrestled it away from Terrance Mitchell in the end zone for the touchdown and cut the Browns lead to 24-16.

5. Irreplacable Tretter: Because the Browns were without offensive line coach Bill Callahan and Scott Peters, his assistant, because of Covid protocols, center JC Tretter took on a player-coach role during the game. When the offensive line gathered on the bench to review their work, Tretter sat with the Microsoft Surface to lead the discussion of what was working and what wasn't. The Browns were very thin behind their starters as veteran tackle Kendall Lamm was inactive. It was important not to lose anybody. There was one anxious moment when left tackle Jedrick Wills limped back to the huddle early in the game, but he was OK. The Browns had three false-start penalties between guards Joel Bitonio (two) and Wyatt Teller.

6. Ouch: On the Browns’ last possession of the first half, Donovan Peoples-Jones soared high for a Mayfield pass in the middle of the field. Safety Sean Davis belted him in the middle of the back with his helmet. Peoples-Jones sufference a concussion and did not return.

7. Mr. Dobbs: The Steelers were pretty simple on offense without Roethlisberger, center Maurkice Pouncey and tight end Eric Ebron. Mike Tomlin inserted No. 3 QB Josh Dobbs for a few plays in the first half. Two shovel passes to Ray-Ray McCloud motioning on a jet sweep netted losses of 3 and 1 yards. However, Dobbs was used on both Pittsburgh scoring drives in the half. He ran for 13 yards on a QB option on the first one. The play before, Rudolph connected for 41 yards to Diontae Johnson over emergency starting cornerback Robert Jackson. Dobbs also had a 7-yard run on a keeper on the Steelers' last drive of the first half. Rudolph’s 22-yard completion to JuJu Smith Schuster was a key third-down conversion. Practice squad kicker Matthew Wright finished both drives with field goals of 29 and 46 yards.

8. Confidence booster: A beauty throw of 42 yards from Mayfield to Rashard Higgins only netted three points. The Browns ran five plays inside the 10 without success. But it served to set up a little confidence booster for Cody Parkey. Parkey, who had four misses in his previous three games, steered clear of the posts on a 23-yard field goal into the Dawg Pound, and a 10-0 Browns lead.

9. Thousand club: Chubb, who had rushed for 28 and 50 yards in the previous two games, broke a 47-yard touchdown run on his third carry. It included a beautiful juke of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick at the right sideline at the 25-yard line. Chubb surpassed 1,000 yards on the run. Chubb is the first Browns back to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Jamal Lewis in 2007-08.

10. Wait ‘til next year: NFL future schedules are set in advance, but the 2021 season still could be affected by the addition of a 17th game. If a 17th game is added to the Browns’ schedule, it would be an NFC team from a designated division that finished in the same place in the standings as the Browns. Aside from that game, the 2021 schedule format had the AFC North teams playing those in the AFC West and NFC North. Tentative matchups for the Browns at home were Denver, the Raiders, Chicago, Detroit and the team in AFC South that finished in same position as Browns. On the road would be Green Bay, Minnesota, Kansas City, the Chargers, and the team in AFC East that finished same as the Browns. The site of the 17th game (home, away or neutral) won’t be known for some time.

11. Pre-game notes: Because of positive Covid tests late in the week to Denzel Ward and Kevin Johnson, Robert Jackson received his first NFL start at cornerback. Other starting lineup changes for the Browns: Jacob Phillips at middle linebacker, Mack Wilson at weak outside linebacker, and Sheldrick Redwine at free safety. Biggest name of the inactives was backup offensive tackle Kendall Lamm.