CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns clinched a spot in the playoffs Thursday night with their 37-20 win against the New York Jets. Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski, was excited about the win.

What You Need To Know

  • The Cleveland Browns defeated the New York Jets and clinched a spot in the playoffs 

  • The Browns have faced adversity all season, mostly with injuries 

  • The last time the Browns made the playoffs was in 2020, but this time is different

“Pretty special night for this organization, pretty special night for the fans out there,” he said.

This will be the second time that Stefanski is taking the Browns to the playoffs, the last time was in 2020. Stefanski had to sit out of the first round of the playoffs in 2020 since he had COVID, so this time will be different.

“Last time we did it there weren’t that many out there. This is a special city, they love their Brownies as I’m reminded often so to be able for them to savor in this and enjoy this I think it’s a big deal,” he said.

The road to the playoffs for this team has been anything but easy. Star running back Nick Chubb and starting quarterback Deshaun Watson both suffered season-ending injuries and Stefanski said he’s proud of his team for battling through a bunch of adversity this season.

Another popular storyline this season has been Browns quarterback Joe Flacco who joined the Browns in Week 12 and became the starter in Week 13. Flacco expressed what clinching a playoff spot meant for him.

“To get it done in front of the home crowd, to actually get ourselves into that next step of the season definitely made it extra special,” he said.

Stefanski said that Flacco has “something left in the tank” and Flacco credited a lot of the success to the team, despite what they went through with injuries.

“I could feel these guys had a lot of energy and still had a lot of belief. I think at that point they had already dealt with a pretty good amount this year and they had gotten through it so that builds that kind of character and energy around those guys,” he said.

When Stefanski was asked if he had any nerves entering week one of the playoffs, despite not coaching in the Wildcard Round in 2020, his answer was a simple “no.” The Browns close out the regular season with a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 7.