Cleveland Browns' Kevin Stefanksi Wins Coach Of The Year

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns' Kevin Stefanski has been named Coach of the Year by Sporting News and the Pro Football Writers of America.

Under the first-year head coach, the Browns went 11-5 and made the playoffs for the first time in 18 years. The team then beat their rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a Wild Card round duel, earning Cleveland its first NFL playoff victory since 1994.

The Browns' postseason run ended in a dramatic game against defending Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite several chances to seal the upset, the Browns fell just short, losing 22-17. Stefanski acknowledged the loss while celebrating the achievements of his team on Monday.

"We did some things we set out to do, but ultimately, we came up short and there is a very real sense of disappointment there among our players and coaches right now. We can definitely look back and see some things that we accomplished and be proud of that," the coach said on the Browns website.

The Browns congratulated Stefanski in a Twitter post on Thursday.