CLEVELAND -- Over and over, both late Monday night and then Tuesday, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski refused to admit to any moral victory.
Sure, his team went toe-to-toe with the defending AFC North champions and the reigning MVP. But ultimately, Stefanski noted, the Browns lost to Baltimore, 47-42 -- game of the year or not.
“Can I say no moral victories again? Are you allowing me to do that?” Stefanski answered Tuesday, slightly irritated, when pressed again.
Stefanski might be right in guarding his team from accepting solace in Monday’s result. But the reality is, Cleveland’s gutty performance against the Ravens further underscored its upward trajectory. And even in a loss, the Browns sent a message to the rest of the league: they’re positioned to be a force -- during the final weeks of this season and beyond.
“I’m confident in this team,” said quarterback Baker Mayfield. “The guys around me and what we’re doing.”
Mayfield’s recent resurgence is a big reason why the Browns should feel so confident.
Mayfield wasn’t perfect Monday night. But he was, once again, spectacular. After throwing the ill-advised interception to set up the Ravens with a 34-20 lead, Mayfield caught fire. On Cleveland’s final three drives in the fourth quarter, he completed 11-of-14 passes, including two touchdown passes, with a five-yard touchdown scramble.
The sample size of Mayfield playing this way isn’t so small anymore, either. In fact, since Week 7 (Oct. 25), he has posted the fourth-best QBR in the NFL, trailing only Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady -- all former MVPs, as well.
“Baker is obviously playing at a high level,” Stefanski said. “He doesn’t lack confidence, and I say that in a good way. That’s who he's always been, which is great. His comfort level is certainly growing.”
Cleveland’s comfort facing off against the best in the AFC is growing, as well.
QB Baker Mayfield decides to take it in himselfpic.twitter.com/34e7ebO
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) Dec. 15, 2020
In Week 1, the same Ravens embarrassed the Browns, 38-6. The Pittsburgh Steelers did the same to the Browns five weeks later. But ever since, Cleveland has played like one of the AFC's best itself. Last weekend, the Browns jumped to a 38-7 halftime lead over another playoff-bound team, the Tennessee Titans. Then Monday, the Browns never wilted against another, even when QB Lamar Jackson and Baltimore took control of the game late in the second quarter.
“Our guys understand that we are always going to compete, and that is something that we’ve really built our foundation on,” Stefanski said. “We’ve been behind in a bunch of ballgames this year, but the guys ... understand that it’s a 60-minute game and sometimes more. They will push through. Really, the main focus (Monday) night was just, find a way to win, and ultimately, we came up short.”
The Browns, with so many young players on both sides of the ball, are still learning how to win games like the one Monday night. But they also proved that they are legit, and nobody’s easy out. And that as good as they were against Baltimore, their best ball still lies ahead.