After a trying season that saw them lose hope at times, the Cleveland Browns can now breathe a sigh of relief for a brief moment. Following a clunch stop to the Pittsburgh Steelers' late-game heroics, the Browns were awarded a playoff berth.

The Steelers were in striking distance of tying up the intense bout with a two-point conversion on Sunday, but the Browns' defense simply wouldn't have it.

The Browns haven't reached the playoffs since 2002, which makes Sunday's accomplishment that much more sentimental.

Baker Mayfield made sure to leave nothing in the tank in a win-or-go-home scenario against the Steelers. He completed 63 percent of his passes for one touchdown on Sunday. While he quickly became a scapegoat at the start of the season, he's turned in some tremendous performances that have made him the franchise hero as of late. The 25-year-old has thrown for over 3,300 yards coming into Sunday against the Steelers.

Prior to Sunday, the Browns had started to take form coming into their last batch of games. They rode a four-game winning streak starting with the Houston Texans in Week 10 before finally dropping to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14. The Browns were actually thought to be counted out for the season through Mayfield's struggles. Losing Odell Beckham Jr. certainly didn't aid in getting them out of the turmoil they were in at the start of the season.

The Browns will also officially play the Steelers again next week during Wild Card Weekend—a cherry on top of their 18-year broken streak, where they last played their division rival in the playoffs then.