CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from Dec. 14, 2020.
By any reasonable measure, the Cleveland Browns' 47-42 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night was a heartbreaking one.
Yet despite the disappointment that often accompanies any defeat -- let alone one that saw your opponent kick a game-winning field goal with just two seconds left -- there were plenty of positives to be found in Cleveland's latest loss.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, however, wasn't in the mood to talk about them.
“I do not want to go down the moral victories [path]," Stefanski said after the game. "We lost. We got beat. Proud of the guys and how they battled -- I really am -- but I just look at all the mistakes that we made, and we have to correct them. For us to reflect on Week 1 to Week 13, I do not think we are really in that mind frame."
That may be the case for the Browns, themselves. But for outside observers, it was tough not to see signs of growth in Cleveland's Week 13 defeat.
After losing to the Ravens by a score of 38-6 in Week 1, the Browns not only went down to the wire with Baltimore on Monday, but were actually leading the contest with less than two minutes left. While a 55-yard Justin Tucker field goal ultimately proved to be the difference-maker, the Ravens might not have even been in that position if quarterback Lamar Jackson wasn't able to re-enter the game and successfully convert a fourth-and-five with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Brown on Baltimore's prior drive.
While Cleveland is obviously still dealing with issues on defense, its ability to bounce back on offense spoke volumes about its improvement since the start of the season. After trailing the Ravens by two scores through most of the second half, quarterback Baker Mayfield accounted for three fourth-quarter touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) to bring back the Browns before Baltimore ultimately had the last laugh.
"We are a very different team than we were in the beginning [of the season]," Mayfield said. "We have improved in a lot of ways, but we just have to find a way to win. These division games, they mean a lot so we just have to figure out a way to win. They are a good team. We just have to be better."
And while Stefanski may not admit it, compared to how his team played in Week 1, there's now reason to believe the Browns are capable of accomplishing just that.