CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have never lacked for support from their fans, even when the team struggled to win games consistently in the recent past and has not qualified for the AFC Playoffs in an NFL-worst 16 consecutive seasons.
People have taken notice of that loyalty from the fans, which is why the Browns have advanced to the “Final Four” of the Fox Sports: NFL Twitter Tournament.
Based on the Browns’ Twitter followers, they earned the No. 6 seed in their part of the bracket and promptly pulled upsets over the Houston Texans (No. 3) and Denver Broncos (No. 2) to face off against the No. 1 ranked Philadelphia Eagles.
The Browns advanced past the Eagles to the “Final Four” by getting 55 percent of the 217,074 votes cast in the Twitter poll.
Like the Browns, the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills advanced in the tournament with the final spot being battled for between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.
Unlike past years, Browns fans have plenty of reason to be optimistic heading into the 2019 season.
At 2-5-1 following a 33-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 28 and in the middle of an unprecedented midseason coaching staff upheaval following the dismissals of Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley, the 2018 Browns looked to be anything but a team capable of the greatest year-to-year turnaround in franchise history.
But a 5-3 record over the second half of the season and a three-game winning streak in December secured the Browns’ greatest year-to-year turnaround in team history, as they finished plus-7.5 in victories over 2017’s winless campaign.
Also, there is the matter of having the starting quarterback figured out after 20 years of searching for the next “franchise” signal-caller.
No rookie in the near 100-year history of the NFL has thrown more touchdowns passes than Mayfield.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Mayfield broke the rookie record with his 27th touchdown throw of the season with 3:24 remaining in the fourth quarter of a 26-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North Division clash at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on December 30.
After taking over the first-team offense in the second quarter of a Week 3 win over the New York Jets, Mayfield completed 310 of his 486 attempts (63.8 percent) for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.
Under the direction of new Browns coach Freddie Kitchens, who was the interim offensive coordinator for the second half of the 2018 season, Mayfield completed 180 of his 263 attempts (68.4 percent) for 2,254 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions.