CLEVELAND — Carlos Hyde played a major role in helping lift the Browns to their first win in almost two years on Thursday night.
But the veteran running back couldn't stay long to celebrate a 21-17 triumph over the Jets, a game that ended a winless streak dating back to Christmas Eve 2016.
He had more important matters to attend to.
Hyde, who combined for 103 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, bolted out of FirstEnergy Stadium as he awaited the birth of his son.
"The baby still was not had, so she's at six centimeters," head coach Hue Jackson said, laughing. "I know exactly what it was."
Hyde spent the hours leading up to the game at his wife's side before parting ways for a roughly four-hour tilt against New York, in which he bruised and battered the Jets defense by the end of night.
"He was coming in and we were on the phone talking, and I'm like 'OK you got to get here, get warmed up. You know there's no baby yet, there's no way the baby is coming,'" Jackson said.
"I was told he was going to ask me could he leave when the baby was coming and I said 'I hope he doesn't ask me that, because I probably am going to say no and I'm kind of glad that it worked out the way it did, because he finished the game."
Hyde, the former Ohio State star who signed with the Browns in free agency after four years with the 49ers, seemed to gain more steam as the game unfolded. He played a pivotal role on an offense that finally found its footing after halftime.
"(He) ran extremely hard, made some tough runs," Jackson said. "Again, he's everything we thought he would be. He has handled himself well, too, and he's going to continue to grow and get better."
The baby's name, according to ESPN's Dianna Russini, will be Carlos Jr.
