With coach Kevin Stefanski, Browns prove they're still bought in | Nate Ulrich

CLEVELAND — From Myles Garrett's perspective, the Browns fighting like they did Saturday in a 13-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens “was never in doubt.”

Perhaps the All-Pro defensive end never really questioned whether his team would collectively check out after its playoff hopes had been dashed last week in Cincinnati, but the truth is actions speak louder than words, so the Browns needed to prove they would put forth the requisite effort on a cold, snowy night at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Circumstances were ripe for throwing in the towel.

The Ravens (9-5) entered the game neck and neck with the Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) in the race for the AFC North title.

The Browns (6-8) are all but mathematically eliminated from qualifying for the postseason, a position solidified with their 23-10 loss to the Bengals on Dec. 11.

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In other words, the Ravens had much more at stake than the Browns in a game televised nationally on NFL Network.

But the Browns showed no signs of quitting as a whole, and it's reflective of the players buying into coach Kevin Stefanski and his assistants.

It doesn't mean the coaching staff will be untouchable next month after the season ends with a Jan. 8 finale in Pittsburgh.

It does mean Stefanski has not lost the locker room — a positive sign for his job security.

Long term, he'll still need to convince ownership and Deshaun Watson he is the right head coach for the $230 million quarterback, but the team playing like this down the stretch would be a reason to retain him for a fourth season.

The Browns have three games left: home against the New Orleans Saints (4-9), at the Washington Commanders (7-5-1) and at the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8).

After the way the way they played against the Ravens, albeit with two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Lamar Jackson inactive while recovering from a knee injury, it would be stunning if the Browns were to mail it in the rest of the way.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer have overseen problematic units this season. Progress made in recent weeks may be viewed by team brass as too little, too late.

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Stefanski is in charge of everything, and the Browns regressing since 2020, when he led them as a rookie head coach to a record of 11-5 and into the playoffs for the first time since 2002, certainly falls on his shoulders.

The Browns went 8-9 last season. With 9-8 the best they can do this season, they're a disappointment again under the 2020 NFL Coach of the Year.

On the other hand, Stefanski managed the offense well during Watson's 11-game NFL suspension stemming from more than two dozen women accusing the quarterback of sexual misconduct or sexual assault during massage appointments when he played for the Houston Texans.

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Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett committed some costly crunch-time turnovers, but played well enough overall for the Browns to yield a better record of 4-7 sans Watson if the defense and special teams had delivered on a more consistent basis.

Now the Browns are well positioned to finish 5-1 or 4-2 with Watson in the lineup this season.

None of it would be set up this way if the Browns had folded this weekend.

“I don't think there's ever been a question of our buy-in,” Browns All-Pro left guard Joel Bitonio told the Beacon Journal. “I think the guys have played hard this year. If you watch the film, it's not a lack of effort. Guys have played hard. Guys are bought in. Coach told us [about the playoff picture]. We know where we're at. We look at the thing. We know it's a tough hill for us to climb.

“But we also understand we have something to prove. We have Deshaun back. We want to build our offense, build our team. Our defense has played really well the last few weeks. [We want to] finish the season with some complementary football, not for anybody else, but just our team to understand like, 'Hey, we have a pretty dang good team here.'”

It's doubtful Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam will ever publicly reveal whether Stefanski reached a crucial juncture this season.

It's also not difficult to envision a loss to the Ravens, quarterbacked by backup Tyler Huntley, in Watson's home debut snowballing into a legitimate issue for Stefanski at season's end.

Watson's numbers weren't elite against the Ravens, but he continued to progress after his first two starts — a 27-14 win at Houston and the loss in Cincinnati — occurred on the road. In wintry conditions, he went 18-of-28 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown without an interception for a rating of 91.5. He took three sacks but rushed six times for 22 yards in his first turnover-free outing with the Browns.

The Cleveland defense surrendered 198 yards on 28 carries (7.1 average), yet it didn't allow the Ravens to reach the end zone. Huntley went 17-of-30 passing for 138 yards with an interception for a rating of 54.6.

In the third quarter, cornerback Denzel Ward intercepted a Huntley pass and safety John Johnson III forced wide receiver Demarcus Robinson to fumble and recovered it. Watson's 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones with 2:10 left in the third quarter ensured the Browns would score off one of the takeaways — Ward's interception.

Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott blocked Justin Tucker's 50-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter with a little boost from the opposing line, and Garrett registered 1½ sacks (rookie D-tackle Perrion Winfrey assisted on one of them) during Baltimore's final possession, which ended with the Ravens' third turnover on downs.

By the way, Garrett (sprained shoulder suffered when he flipped his car) and wide receiver Amari Cooper (core muscle injury) are among the Browns players pushing through injuries despite playoff chances barely floating above nonexistent.

Another testament to demonstrating toughness: The Browns restored their running game with 143 yards on 33 attempts (4.3 average). Running backs Nick Chubb (21 carries for 99 yards, 4.7 average) and Kareem Hunt (four carries for 24 yards, 6 average) were efficient against a stout Baltimore defense, which entered the divisional showdown ranked second in the league against the run (81.2 yards allowed per game.)

“Things haven't always gone our way,” Elliott said, “but this was definitely an opportunity for us to just show that resiliency.”

It was gut-check time, and the Browns passed the test.

No, it wasn't pretty. And it wasn't against former NFL MVP Jackson.

But it was potentially vital for Stefanski.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns still bought in with coach Kevin Stefanski