The Cleveland Browns capitalized on Pittsburgh Steelers mistakes early, and held on during a rally down the stretch, winning their wild-card game 48-37 on Sunday.
With the victory, Cleveland will advance to the divisional round where they will play the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland, appearing in its first playoff game in 18 years, jumped out to a daunting, early lead by becoming the first team in NFL post-season history to score 35 first-half points on the road.
The dominance started almost immediately. On the game’s initial play, a Steelers centre snapped the ball over the head of his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. A scramble for the ball ensued and Cleveland’s Karl Joseph recovered it in the end zone, giving the Browns a 7-0 lead just 14 seconds into the game.
Moments later, another Pittsburgh gaffe set up a second touchdown. Roethlisberger floated a high, short pass that was picked off by Cleveland’s M.J. Stewart Jr., and a mere three plays later, the Browns capitalized.
By the end of the first quarter, the Browns had built a 28-0 lead, the largest in a single quarter of play in a post-season game since the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, and would add another seven before halftime.
The Steelers rallied in the second half, including a big-time touchdown from Canadian Chase Claypool in the fourth quarter that trimmed the lead to 42-29, but Pittsburgh would get no closer.
