Thank you, Cleveland?

A Ravens fan sat on a stool at the 29th Street Tavern in Remington, his elbows on the bar, his hands holding a meaty burger. He swallowed, then paused as Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders uncorked an ambitious spiral.

A receiver reeled in the football and tumbled into the end zone. Somehow, the Browns were opening a double-digit lead against the Steelers, and the Ravens’ playoff hopes flickered back alive.

“Wowww!” the fan said. Then he finished his burger.

Wowww! was right. For three hours on Sunday, Ravens fans found themselves cheering for a team they hated (the Browns) to beat a team they detested (the Steelers) so a team that gives them ulcers (the Ravens) could have a chance to stumble into the playoffs.

Now it’s official.

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Browns upset Steelers 13-6 to keep Ravens in playoff picture

Dec 28, 2025

Thanks to a 13-6 Browns victory, the Ravens’ path to a Super Bowl is still technically possible.

It was just the latest twist in an up-and-down season that has felt like being strapped in a roller-coaster car against your will.

At the 29th Street Tavern — one of Baltimore’s top sellers of Natty Boh — there were about a dozen spectators at any given point in the first half, including one Patriots fan and one depressed Dolphins fan. The rest were temporary Browns fans.

“They are loving this in Baltimore,” CBS announcer Jim Nantz declared as the lowly Browns went up 10-0.

“Of course we’re loving this,” bartender Josh Leitzel replied. Then he turned to his customers and spoke for the entirety of Ravens fandom. “It’s tough to say who I hate more, the Browns or the Steelers.”

Until the middle of the second quarter, Sanders looked flawless. Then came his first interception.

“F---!” yelled a woman by the window.

Two Ravens fans, Hank and Elias, watched from the bar with mild amusement.

“I’m kind of enjoying the novelty of it, honestly,” Hank said of cheering the Browns.

“It’s still against the Steelers,” Elias said. “I’m used to rooting against the Steelers.”

Then Sanders fired a ball right into the hands of a Steelers defender who bobbled and dropped what certainly would have been an interception returned for a touchdown.

Elias shook his head.

He seemed to have the sad realization that the Ravens’ season hinged on the ability of a third-string rookie quarterback to stop throwing interceptions.

Half a mile away at Charles Village Pub — also one of Baltimore’s top sellers of Natty Boh — the Ravens fans were less embarrassed about their newfound embrace of the Browns. By the second half, the rooting against Pittsburgh had morphed into full-throated cheering for Cleveland.

“C’mon, Cleveland,” a man at the bar repeated like a mantra.

“Are you actually a Cleveland fan?” the woman next to him asked.

“Cut me open, I bleed purple.”

Early in the fourth quarter, the patrons erupted as Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got sacked on third down. They yelled even louder when kicker Chris Boswell pushed a 54-yard attempt wide right.

Then Sanders threw his second interception.

“You suck!” a man in a booth yelled.

The teams traded a few punts, and the Browns clung to a 10-6 lead. With three minutes left, the Browns faced third down and a yard to go in their own territory. CBS broadcaster Tony Romo sensed the mood turning.

“Baltimore — you can feel the nervous energy coming from that town,” he said.

Inside Charles Village Pub, these lifelong Browns fans of about three hours quickly began doubting the play calling of their new leader, coach Kevin Stefanski.

After a series of punts, turnovers and a Browns field goal, Rodgers and the Steelers got the ball back with less than two minutes left. Despite a day of mediocrity, the future Hall of Famer orchestrated what looked like another legendary comeback.

“Take a deep breath, Baltimore,” Nantz told CBS viewers.

But on fourth-and-goal Rodgers threw an incomplete pass to a tightly defended Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone. No yellow flags came out. The Browns had won.

The pub erupted as if Ravens running back Derrick Henry had just scored another touchdown (he rushed for four at Lambeau Field on Saturday night).

The Ravens now control their destiny. They will make the playoffs as long as they beat the Steelers next Sunday in Pittsburgh.

After all, how hard can it be? The Browns just did it.