The Cleveland Browns made plenty of headlines, both on and off the field, in 2018.
From an 0-16 parade and the “Cleansing in Lake Erie” to the breaking of several dubious streaks and rise of quarterback Baker Mayfield and running back Nick Chubb, as well as the unprecedented midseason upheaval of the coaching staff with the firing of Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley with eight games remaining on the schedule, there were plenty of headline-making moments for the Browns.
Here is a look at WKYC’s top five Browns stories from 2018:
5. Listen: Jim Donovan calls 92-yard touchdown run from Nick Chubb
Chubb had to wait for his time to be the main ball carrier for the Browns, but he made a statement with just one run in a dominant 28-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on November 11.
Chubb broke free for a 92-yard rushing touchdown and registered 176 yards and the one score on 20 carries, an average of 8.8 yards per attempt. Additionally, Chubb caught three passes for 33 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown reception.
Read the story and listen to the call here.
4. Josh Gordon stepped away from team days after child support order in heated case
Josh Gordon was a talented wide receiver for the Browns, but after going through a complete offseason program for only the second time in his career, he was three weeks late to training camp while handling some off-the-field issues.
Those issues centered on a heated child support case.
Read the story here.
3. Complete List of Bud Light Victory Fridges
The offer of free beer was a hit for Bud Light, as they had “Victory Fridges,” with an electronically controlled lock that would be released when the Browns broke their long losing streak, were installed at locations around the city.
In order to be ready for what turned out to be the Browns’ 21-17 win over the New York Jets in Week 3, fans wanted to know every location of the free beer.
Watch the story here.
2. Bud Light installing 'Victory Fridges,' will give away free beer when Cleveland Browns win
Bud Light made a bet with a Philadelphia Eagles player to provide free beer around “The City of Brotherly Love” should the beloved football team pull off the improbable and win a Super Bowl while their franchise quarterback was out of commission because of a blown-out knee.
After making good on that bet when the Eagles upset the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, Bud Light made a promise to provide free beer to Browns fans when the team broke their long losing streak.
Read the story here.
1. Baker Mayfield calls for more fan support after win over Panthers
The Browns sent most of the 59,392 fans inside FirstEnergy Stadium home happy on December 9 with a 26-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers, a team still with plenty to play for in terms of playoff implications.
With the win over the Panthers, the Browns improved to 5-7-1 and kept alive their playoff hopes in the AFC, and rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield let it be known that he wants to see more fan support when the team returns to Cleveland for the home finale against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 23.
“We are building on it, and we are becoming a team that is prideful of playing at home and protecting our territory,” Mayfield said. “We would love to have more fan support.
“Today was cold, I get it, but having more people, especially at our last home game coming up, we would love to have more people in the stands cheering for us because we feed off of the energy. You can tell. It is very obvious. I do not have to say it how our defense feeds off of the energy in the stadium and being able to start fast and get that going and put teams in a bind and put pressure on them.”
Read the full story here.
