The Monday Night Football instant classic between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens will be remembered for many reasons. One is the heart and resilience shown by Baker Mayfield.

He didn't win the game for the Browns, but Mayfield won a lot of respect in the most spectacular NFL game of the 2020 season.

Down 34-20 to the battle-tested Ravens, Mayfield and the Browns didn't wilt in the Monday night spotlight. They aren't a finished product, but the Browns showed how much they have grown under first-year coach Kevin Stefanski.

Instead of fading away, the Browns scored the next 15 points for a 35-34 lead midway through the fourth quarter. This Mayfield scramble tied the game before a Cody Parkey extra point put Cleveland in front by one:

It is worth mentioning that the Browns and Mayfield came within an eyelash of moving to 10-3 this season despite lacking Odell Beckham Jr., who is out for the remainder of the year with an injury. This 2020 Cleveland team has shrugged off hardships and mentally turned the page in ways previous squads (under Freddie Kitchens and Hue Jackson) were completely unable to do.

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In the middle of the third quarter, as the Ravens surged ahead by two touchdowns and Mayfield flinched, it was easy to think the Browns weren't ready for the primetime spotlight. Again, Cleveland didn't get the dubya over Baltimore, but this team's fightback was a statement in itself — it isn't the final statement this team wanted to make, but it is nevertheless a profoundly positive message. It bodes well for the road ahead, and for the desires of long-starved Cleveland fans who want to live long enough to see a Super Bowl appearance in Northeastern Ohio.

The Browns don't have it made, but they continue to encounter the kinds of experiences and situations which can enable a young team to compete for championships a few years down the line.