Sometimes Change And/Or Considering It, Is Good In Sports

Earlier this week, the Cleveland Browns made news when coach Kevin Stefanski announced he let go three members of his offensive coaching staff: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt, running backs coach Stump Mitchell, and TE coach T.C. McCartney.

Browns’ fans, being among the most rational people on earth, had plenty to say, mostly because it is how things have been in Berea for most of the expansion era, they felt it was a sign of disarray in the hierarchy.

And of course, some blamed Paul DePodesta, because since he rarely appears or speaks to the media, he has because something like the Wizard of Oz.

First, we would think if Stefanski and the organization let these coaches go, they probably have a pretty good idea of who they are going after to replace them. We have always said, anyone is replaceable if you go and get someone better.

Second, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to keep bringing different voices into a group, coaching staff, or a sports organization. Diverse opinions should not only be tolerated but embraced. Of course, within reason.

Like if someone keeps telling you Yu Chang is a potential Hall of Fame baseball player, you might want to check credentials.

All three coaches have been here since Stefanski was named head coach four years ago, and coaches are no different than anyone else, they get stuck in their ways, not completely open to new ideas. We are sure everyone works with people like that.

And the Browns didn’t win the Super Bowl, so there is definitely room for improvement in all aspects of the team. We think Stefanski had to be encouraged to make some changes to his staff last season, when he let go of Joe Woods and Mike Priefer. Perhaps he saw how that worked out and these changes might have the same benefit.

Among the other teams in town, we would love for the Guardians to have some different ideas in their organization. At times, they have weird attachments to players, and maybe having a new manager solves some of that.

We think Terry Francona was a great manager, but often said his weakness was the fine line between patience and stubbornness.

We would love to be in an organizational meeting for the Guards, just to hear if anyone says, “Myles Straw is one of the worst hitters in baseball” or “Yes, Gabriel Arias hits the ball hard, but he rarely hits it”.

For the Cavs, we would like to know the reasoning for ignoring height in a sport where most of the great players in the game had size advantages (think LeBron: if you are as quick, you aren’t as big, and vice-versa), or what everyone sees in Dean Wade.

We think the worst thing that can occur is when everyone is on the same page, and no one thinks outside the box. And again, that doesn’t mean arguing about something everyday. Just being able to see things from a different “perspective”.

That might be exactly what happened in Berea this week. This isn’t the same dysfunctional organization that we came to know from 1999 to when the complete rebuild started about 10 years ago.

It’s just a sign that they want to take the next step in their goal of winning a title.

Stefanski Said It Best: Bad Day To Have A Bad Day

All of the problems the Cleveland Browns had this year showed up again in yesterday’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans.

Yes, the Browns had the NFL’s best defense statistically, but there was a big difference in the way they played at home and away from Cleveland Browns Stadium.

At home, they were simply dominant, but the five worst games the defense had in terms of points allowed came on the road. Indianapolis scored 38, Los Angeles put up 36, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Denver were next.

The defense didn’t give up all 45 points Saturday, two pick sixes added 14 points, but they allowed 31, and there were big plays aplenty. The Texans ran just 44 plays, as Houston scored on offensive plays of 76 and 37 yards, and got some big chunk plays as well as they rolled up 356 total yards, which is 8.1 per play. That’s a huge number.

And the Browns’ defense didn’t get any turnovers nor any sacks. Bet no one thought that would happen. Houston stayed away from Denzel Ward and controlled Myles Garrett, picking on Greg Newsome, who struggled trying to keep up with Nico Collins.

Another issue that reared its head was not taking care of the football. The Browns amazingly made the playoffs despite leading the NFL in turning the ball over, and two interceptions for touchdowns basically ended the game.

Cleveland was trailing 24-14 at the half, but was driving in the third quarter, when QB Joe Flacco apparently trying to throw the ball away, was picked off by Steven Nelson, who returned it 82 yards for a TD.

Then on the next possession, on a 4th down play, Flacco was intercepted again by Christian Harris, who went 36 yards the other way, and suddenly a game within reach was over for all intends and purposes.

The Browns couldn’t run the ball, something that has been a problem since Nick Chubb got hurt in week two. They gained just 56 yards on 20 attempts and their longest two runs were a 14-yard run by Kareem Hunt in garbage time and an 8-yard scramble by Flacco.

That’s not to say all of the Browns had bad games. On defense, we have to point out Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who was all over the field, with 8 tackles, several behind the line of scrimmage. He has been getting better and better each week.

David Njoku was a standout as usual, catching seven balls for 93 yards and he and Harrison Bryant were big factors in the first half. And David Bell had a strong game too, catching 8 passes, several in traffic.

As coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game, the Browns simply picked a bad day to have a bad day. After an early field goal, the Browns scored to take leads of 7-3 and 14-10, but defensively they just couldn’t stop Houston.

And as usual, the officiating didn’t help the Browns, a very questionable pass interference call on Ronnie Hickman (especially after a no call against Njoku earlier) gave Houston a first down on a third down play and would have forced a punt.

The Texans scored two plays later to make it 24-14. The NFL has an officiating problem that they care to ignore.

No question this will be a different team when training camp starts in July because of salary cap issues, but the core will remain, players like Garrett, Ward, Owusu-Koramoah, and of course, QB Deshaun Watson will be healthy.

Let’s hope the organization continues to build on this season and the attitude they adopted during this year, winning no matter what is thrown at them, continues in 2024.

It was a bitter loss because we thought this team had a chance to go deeper into the post-season. Still, it was a fun ride.

Meaningless Game Done, Meaningful Ones Start Again This Weekend For Browns

The Cleveland Browns concluded the exhibition portion of their schedule Sunday with a 31-14 defeat at the hands of Cincinnati. Technically, the game counted in the standings and the Browns end the 2023 season with an 11-6 mark, but the contest meant nothing to Kevin Stefanski’s crew and it was handled accordingly.

Heck, the Browns started a quarterback who wasn’t even on the roster for the previous game, signing Jeff Driskel from Arizona’s practice squad and putting him under center.

And yes, that should tell you how much Stefanski wants to see P.J. Walker play for the team.

The game itself was pretty much over by halftime as the Bengals led 24-0, but it seemed defensive coordinator lit into his unit during the break and that side of the ball performed much better in the second half, holding Cincy to seven points.

Alex Wright continued his fine play with another sack, and rookie Isaiah McGuire flashed as well with a sack. D’Anthony Bell had an interception on the Bengals’ first drive, continuing his fine play.

The offense sputtered much of the day until Driskel connected with David Bell for a pair of touchdown throws in the fourth quarter. Ironically, the last time the Browns were shutout was by the Bengals in 2014, which was Johnny Manziel’s first career start.

So, Driskel fared better than that.

Keep in mind, the Browns’ bye week was following the fourth game of the season, so they have had a long stretch without time off, and with all of the injuries the squad has suffered this season, there is no question in our mind that resting the veterans who are banged up was the correct call.

As for a loss of “momentum”, we aren’t worried about that. Stefanski’s mantra has been going 1-0 every week, and that won’t change now that the playoffs are starting.

Saturday, the Browns will travel to Houston to take on a team they defeated on Christmas Eve, 36-22, in a game that wasn’t that close. Cleveland had a 36-7 margin in the fourth quarter.

Of course, the Texans didn’t have the likely rookie of the year in QB C.J. Stroud. We did hear a former player turned analyst say over the weekend that the key term in discussing Stroud is “rookie”. He said the playoffs are a different game and it will be difficult for a quarterback, especially a first year one, in his first playoff game.

Stroud was impressive Saturday night in the win that clinched a playoff spot for Houston, but then again, the Colts’ defense is not the Browns’ defense.

The Browns were the stingiest unit in the league in allowing teams to move the football and allowed 44 less first downs than any other team in the NFL. And after a slow start in gaining turnovers, they finished tied for fifth in the league in that stat.

Yes, Stroud is good, and the Texans are a solid football team. The games where the Browns play the Jets or the Cardinals (sorry, Jonathan Gannon) are done. This is the playoffs, only the best teams are remaining.

The Browns are one of those teams. And Saturday, everyone will play. It should be exciting.

A Great Night On The Lakefront. Playoff Spot Clinched.

Before the 2023 NFL season, we speculated this was a make-or-break year for the Cleveland Browns. And that much of their success would depend on QB Deshaun Watson.

We felt if Watson was good, the Browns would win and Kevin Stefanski would be the coach next season, and if he didn’t play well, Cleveland would be 7-10 and likely looking for a new coach for 2024.

We batted .500, we guess.

Although Watson did okay in the six games he started, the best quarterback play Cleveland received this year came from veteran Joe Flacco, who is now the toast of the town.

Flacco, who famously was out of the league six weeks ago, has a 90.2 quarterback rating (Watson’s was 84.3) and has put up 143 points in his five starts, an average of 28.6 per contest. Overall, Cleveland averages 23.9 points per game.

However, there is no longer any conversation about who will be guiding the Browns next season. An 11-5 record, a second playoff spot in four years, and an overall record of 37-29 means Stefanski will likely get a contract extension, and could win the NFL’s coach of the year for a second time.

The Browns locked up their spot in the playoffs Thursday night with an incredible offensive display in the first half and beat the Jets 37-20. New York hadn’t allowed a 300-yard passing performance in 33 games coming into the contest, but Flacco threw for over 290 in the first half alone, connecting on three touchdown passes.

Think about this, it was accomplished without Amari Cooper, who missed the game with a heel issue.

And in the first quarter, David Njoku, who has blossomed into one of the best tight ends in the league, shredded the defense with his running ability after catches, having over 100 yards in the first quarter alone, and finishing with 134 for the game.

The former first round pick’s career high in receptions was 58, but now has 81 for 822 yards. He seems to have tremendous chemistry with Flacco.

And the running game returned for Cleveland too. The last time the Browns ran for over 100 yards was the loss to Denver, but they rushed for 127 with Jerome Ford rushing for 64 on 12 carries. Ford also caught two touchdown passes, including a 50-yarder off a Flacco scramble.

We praise Stefanski for holding things together despite all the injuries, but his partner, GM Andrew Berry should also get his props.

He signed Flacco, of course, and he and the scouting staff also found rookie free agent Ronnie Hickman, who intercepted a pass and took it to the house in the game. With the injuries to Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill, Hickman and another undrafted free agent, second year player D’Anthony Bell have stepped in and performed very well.

One thing that needs to be cleared up are the turnovers. The Browns had three more Thursday and have committed a league leading 35 on the year. They have had only one game, the win over Arizona, without giving the ball to the other team.

That is not usually the profile of a playoff team, and no doubt, once the playoffs start, holding on to the football will be of utmost importance.

After today’s Ravens-Dolphins game, the Browns will have a good idea of how to approach the season finale. A Baltimore win locks Cleveland into the #5 spot in the conference, so many of the players who are gutting out injuries can sit this one out.

If Miami wins, the Browns are still in play for winning the AFC North, which would mean a home playoff game. So, fans can watch Sunday’s games with a purpose.

It was a great night for Browns’ football Thursday. Let’s hope there a better ones to come.

Browns Impressive In Win #10.

The Cleveland Browns are now 10-5 on the season after Sunday’s 36-22 win over Houston in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.

The Browns’ defense played like it was a home game shutting out the Texans for the first three quarters, as the only Houston TD was the result of a kickoff return. The home team was held to just 250 yards, most of which came in the fourth quarter, when Cleveland took several starters out on both sides of the football.

Cleveland came out firing on offense, with Joe Flacco hitting Amari Cooper for a 53-yard strike on the first play of the game, a portent of things to come.

Cooper wound up setting a team record for receiving yards with 265 and grabbed two of Flacco’s touchdown throws. The veteran QB’s other favorite target, TE David Njoku, caught the other.

As for Flacco, it was another eye-popping performance, completing 27 of 42 throws for 368 yards, his third straight 300+ yard game. He did throw two interceptions, one on the last play of the first half, when on a different day, Kevin Stefanski would have opted for a field goal, but more on that later.

We continue to be amazed that with all of the injuries to quarterbacks around the league that no one thought to get Joe Flacco. True, he hasn’t been a starter since 2019 with Denver, but he knows how to play. He’s seen pretty much everything in his career.

It is probably the move to multi-dimensional quarterbacks that kept him at home this season, but it looks like Flacco and the Browns are a match made in heaven. And Stefanski is maximizing the talent that the veteran has.

As for the defense, it was the 7th time this year Cleveland has held an opponent to 250 yards or less, and as we said before, 157 of those came in the 4th quarter, which started with the Browns in the lead, 36-7.

Za’Darius Smith was the star with two sacks, but Myles Garrett had two tackles for loss as well, and the unit got interceptions from Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and a newcomer, veteran Duron Harmon.

While there is plenty of hoopla surrounding Flacco, never forget this defense is the motor behind the success of the 2023 Cleveland Browns. We’ve been a fan since 1965 and it’s the best defense the Browns have ever had in that time.

Now, it wouldn’t be a Browns game without injuries, and this time it was the kicking game as both Dustin Hopkins and Corey Bojorquez suffered leg injuries, the former on the kickoff return for a touchdown.

Hopefully, neither will miss any time, but we are sure this week will involve trying out both kickers and punters. And with the years both of them have had, there will likely be a drop off in performance.

The Browns have a short week with a game against the Jets Thursday night, but the anticipation going into the contest because a win put Stefanski’s squad into the playoffs for the second time in four seasons.

They don’t need any other scenarios to happen. Win and in. We are sure it will be a wild night on the lakefront.

The coach also moved into a tie for 5th on the franchise wins list for coaches, tying Bill Belichick, who needed 80 games whereas Stefanski needed 65.

Next up is Marty Schottenheimer with 44.

Through all the injuries, this football team has remained unflappable and resilient. Hopefully, there is more to come.

Resilient Browns Stack Another Win.

When the Cleveland Browns won their opening game against Cincinnati this season with a dominant defensive performance, we had an inkling this year’s squad was different than the “same ‘ol Browns”.

Yes, the defense has had a few hiccups, but for the most part, they have maintained that standard of play all season, and that alone has kept the Browns in every game they have played this year.

Sunday was no exception as Cleveland overcame three turnovers to beat Chicago 20-17 and move their record to 9-5 on the season.

We will discuss the fourth quarter heroics of Joe Flacco and crew later, but the Bears’ two touchdowns were either set up or the result of turnovers. The swarming defense really allowed just three points on the day.

They held Chicago to 236 total yards, the sixth time this season an opponent has been held under 250 yards. The average NFL team in 2023 gains 331 yards in a game. Jim Schwartz’ unit had 11 tackles for losses, and three sacks as well as holding Justin Fields to under a 50% completion percentage.

And while Myles Garrett is unquestionably the defense’s best player, we have to send some kudos to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who has played at an unbelievable level over the last few weeks. He had two tackles for loss, two passes defended, and a sack this week. He has been the player that was advertised when drafted in the 2nd round out of Notre Dame.

The one criticism of the defense has been its play on the road. The top four games in yardage allowed against Cleveland have been on the road (Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Baltimore) and five of the top six have been away from the lakefront.

We will bet that is a point of emphasis for Schwartz all week heading into Houston on Christmas Eve.

As usual, it was hilarious following social media during the game and reading that the game was over when Chicago led 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

When the Browns are trailing in a game, we get to a point where we think Cleveland has to get the next score to stay in a game, and we were at that point when it was 17-7. Of course, the Bears never scored again.

Flacco had turnover issues, throwing three interceptions, because, well, that’s what the Browns do. They lead the NFL in turning it over. No sense, making it easy, right?

The veteran hit Marquise Goodwin for a 57-yard pass to set up a field goal and awaken the offense. Then, he threw a perfect pass to Amari Cooper who took it in for a touchdown to tie the game.

Then David Njoku took over. After Nick Chubb was injured in week two, we felt Njoku was the next best weapon the offense had after Cooper, and we are happy to say this has been born out. The tight end caught 10 balls for 104 yards and the first Cleveland touchdown.

He now has a career high of 69 catches for 704 yards, also a career best. And his best skill is running after a catch. The man is tough to bring down.

As we said, next week’s opponent, Houston is now tied atop the AFC South standings and the game is in Houston. The Browns’ defense hasn’t been a dominant on the road this season, so this is a big test.

On the other hand, it’s hard to bet against this football team that has already overcome so much this season. All we can say is it’s December football. It’s not supposed to be easy.

Browns Closing In On Extra Football.

For the people who complain about the play calling of Browns’ head coach Kevin Stefanski, last Sunday’s win over Jacksonville should dampen the criticism in this area.

On the opening drive, the Browns went with the big package on a 3rd and 1 from the Jaguars’ 34, and the latest Cleveland QB, veteran Joe Flacco, went play action and hit a wide-open David Njoku for a touchdown.

Then, in the fourth quarter on a 4th and 3, Stefanski went for it and called a short pass to David Bell on an all out blitz. Bell was wide open and basically trotted the 41 yards to the end zone to give the Browns a 28-14 lead.

So, when fans complain about a bad play call by the head coach, please remember he called those plays too.

Seriously though, this was a big win for the Browns, who go to 8-5 on the season. First, they ended a two-game losing streak. Second, this weekend also saw the other teams that came into the week at 7-5 lose, as Indianapolis, Houston, and Pittsburgh all dropped to 7-6, so Cleveland is now the fifth seed in the AFC.

The Browns’ defense got back to stopping the run, allowing just 58 yards rushing, the first time they held their opponent under 100 yards since the Arizona game (41). They also forced a season high four turnovers (tied with the Colts’ game), winning the turnover battle for just the third time this year, all resulting in victories.

While it is weird that the Cleveland defense seems dominant at home, and kind of pedestrian on the road, it is that unit that is the driving force of the team, particularly with all of the injuries at quarterback this season. And it was great to see them swarming to the ball on Sunday, even with injuries of their own.

The Browns also had four sacks, and surprisingly none by Myles Garrett, and they put pressure on Trevor Lawrence all game long.

Don’t minimize the special teams either. Corey Bojorquez had some booming punts, including a 72-yard effort from his own end zone which flipped the field for the defense. And we were a little anxious about trying a 55-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but Dustin Hopkins, who has made a league leading 31 kicks, banged it through to give the Browns a 10-point advantage.

The Cleveland running game hasn’t been as productive recently, with only one effort of more than 100 yards in the last four contests. On the other hand, the Browns did gain their most yards offensively since the win over Baltimore in week 10.

It was also their second-best effort in terms of yardage this year, with only the 408 yards gained in the week two loss to Pittsburgh having more. Really, although people want the Browns to run it, we really don’t care about the method of moving the football as long as it gets moved.

It would be nice to cut down on the turnovers though. Cleveland leads the league in losing the football with 27 and have had only one game without giving it up. They have had five games with at least three turnovers, and not surprisingly, they are 1-4 in those games.

So, when they turn it over two times or fewer, they are a robust 7-1. We know the coaching staff isn’t emphasizing giving the ball away, and for the most part, they aren’t coming on risky plays.

However, this has to change in making a run to the playoffs.

The next opponent, Chicago, is coming in after a big home win against the Lions. The Browns have to continue to take care of business at home. If they do, their season will not end in Cincinnati on the first Sunday of the new year.

One Big Turnover Spoils Browns LA Trip

The Joe Flacco experience looked good for the Browns for about three and a half quarters. He directed a touchdown drive on the first possession, and overall played well, completing 23 of 44 throws for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately, in the fourth quarter, he threw a critical interception on the first play of a drive where Cleveland could have taken the lead.

The Browns lost to the Los Angeles Rams 36-19 in a game that was very much in doubt midway through the fourth quarter and dropped to 7-5 on the season.

It might have been the most disappointing defensive effort of the season by Cleveland, allowing the second most total yards of the season as the Rams put up 399 yards (Indianapolis had 456), but unlike the Colts games, the defense had no sacks and no turnovers.

The defense simply had no answer for Puka Nacua and his speed. He accounted for 105 of the Rams’ 279 passing yards, 70 coming on a first quarter strike to put LA on top 10-7, and he also ran two jet sweeps to make up 34 of the Rams’ 120 yards on the ground.

He was the problem the defense had no answer for. Having the Browns’ fastest defensive back, Denzel Ward, on the field would have made a difference we think.

If Myles Garrett is the defensive unit’s best player, then Ward is a close second and having him out, and Garrett obviously limited due to his shoulder issue, it shouldn’t have been a surprise the defensive had perhaps its worst game of the year.

Cleveland also had trouble running the ball for the second straight week, although it wasn’t as notable as last week because Flacco was moving the football through the air. Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong started to get it going in the second half, but overall, they had just 87 yards rushing.

Now, we need to point out they only tried 23 running plays. We feel Kevin Stefanski has done a great job navigating yardage with four different quarterbacks, but perhaps the Browns need to lean on their ground attack more often.

Because Sunday’s contest will be one of the last games Cleveland will play in nice weather (Houston is on the road), perhaps the offensive staff will go back to establishing the running attack.

Back to Flacco. We have advocated playing Dorian Thompson-Robinson over P.J. Walker in recent weeks, but we would stay with the veteran going forward. Why? Because he gives you professional play at the position. We understand he’s not mobile, but he can still deliver the ball on time and with accuracy.

If Stefanski and the coaching staff want to have a functional offense for the rest of the year, and you can’t continue to depend on the defense, then he needs to play Joe Flacco.

And hopefully, Garrett will be healthier next week, and Ward can return to the field. That would help the defense greatly. We were bothered that no one else stepped up to make a big play though. We thought there was more depth added.

We still aren’t concerned about the season. Cleveland simply needs to win the game they should win (Bears, Jets, Bengals) and they should return to the playoffs.

However, they need the defense to get healthy. And it would help if it were cold and windy for Jacksonville this coming Sunday.

Just A Bad Day In Denver For Browns

Even though the NFL has become a passing league over the last 20 years, one thing remains constant, it is still difficult to win when you can’t run the ball and you can’t stop the run.

Last Sunday, the Browns couldn’t stop the run, allowing 169 yards on the ground, and they decided not to run that much, gaining just 107 on only 24 tries. The result was a 29-12 loss to Denver, dropping Cleveland’s record to 7-4.

It wasn’t coach Kevin Stefanski’s best play calling performance, as Denver came into the game with the league’s worst defense against the run, but Cleveland threw the football 42 times, although to be fair, after P.J. Walker replaced an injured Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the third quarter, he threw 13 times as the Browns were behind.

To be fair, at the time DTR left the game, the Browns were very much in it, trailing 17-12 late in the third quarter, and coming off a 13 play, 79 yard drive that ate up 6:24 off the clock. Right after he left came the play everyone is talking about.

Cleveland tried a reverse with the ball handed to Elijah Moore who was to pitch it to Pierre Strong running around the right side. It looked like Strong had a lot of room, but the pitch was mishandled, and Denver recovered on the Browns’ 20-yard line.

We point this out because fans love trick plays, except when they don’t work. How many times have you heard a team’s offense is vanilla, with no imagination. Our point is it looked like a good play call; the execution was just terrible.

As we said previously, it was not a banner day for the Cleveland defense. Denver gashed the run defense, as the Browns allowed the second most yards rushing in a game this season. It was the second straight week they allowed around 170 yards on the ground, and this time, there was no 74-yard run to skew the stats.

There were numerous runs of 10 yards or more, something for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to fix this week.

They did hold the Broncos to just 134 yards in the air, but mostly because they didn’t force Denver into many obvious passing situations. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah recorded the only sack on the day.

Let’s go back to the quarterback spot though. If Thompson-Robinson can’t go against the Rams this week, it very much looks like Joe Flacco will get the start. We would also go a step further and say Andrew Berry should be on the lookout for another QB to replace Walker, who is unplayable.

He fumbled twice in limited time against Denver, raising his total to four on the season. He simply isn’t consistent enough. He did make a beautiful throw to Moore for 28 yards but plays like that are few and far between.

The way Cleveland has gone through quarterbacks this year, we think you have to find someone else. Walker can’t play another down for a playoff contending team.

Besides the QB situation, the Myles Garrett medical report is key. If Garrett has to miss some time, it will force Schwartz to make some adjustments. We have full confidence he can, but missing a player like Garrett is never a good thing.

Browns Stack Another Win With Another Gritty Performance

Before the Browns started this rugged pair of games, media people and fans were saying they were hoping for a split of the contests with the Ravens and Steelers. At the time, we felt that was the difference between the fan bases between Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Those folks would not accept a split, they would want to take both games.

Fortunately, the players and coaching staff don’t think like the fans because they expected two victories and they got them, winning Sunday on the last second field goal by Dustin Hopkins to beat the Steelers, 13-10, and raise the Browns’ record to 7-3.

The Browns believe they can win every game they play, mostly because of their incredible defense, which outside of Jaylen Warren’s 74 yard run (we know, Butch Davis math), held Pittsburgh to 175 yards, 3 of 14 on third down conversions, and sacked Kenny Pickett three times.

And after a rough second half where Cleveland couldn’t move the football, rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson came alive with 1:18 remaining in the game, completing four of five throws to get the Browns into field goal range.

Overall, the rook went 24 of 43 for 165 yards, and he threw that much only because Cleveland’s vaunted running game was stymied after halftime. The Browns were held under 100 yards on the ground for only the third time this season, getting just 96 on 29 attempts.

Once again, the defense was dominant, forcing nine punts, and getting the ball back for DTR after Cleveland had to punt it away themselves with under two minutes to go.

They should have recorded safeties on Pittsburgh’s first two offensive plays, but because of the league officials’ reticence in calling the two point defensive score, neither were called. It was also the fourth game this season, Cleveland allowed less than 100 net yards passing.

In today’s NFL, that’s incredible.

It was the Browns’ fourth win by three points or less this season, but those wins are against San Francisco (7-3), Baltimore (7-3), Pittsburgh (6-4) and Indianapolis (5-5). They also have three victories by more than 20 points this season, the same as the Ravens and 49ers.

As a comparison, Kansas City has one, Miami has two, and Philadelphia, with the league’s best record, has none. So, it is not as though Cleveland is doing it with smoke and mirrors.

Apparently, the Browns will be signing veteran Joe Flacco as insurance for the rest of the season, but unless Thompson-Robinson starts to turn the ball over, our guess is he’s the starter going forward. Flacco is just there to provide professional quarterback play should something happen to DTR.

Kevin Stefanski wanted his rookie to take care of the football and for the most part, he did just that, and he put together a drive at the end to get the team in position for a game-winning field goal.

Why wouldn’t you keep him in there?

We have been a fan of the Browns for a long time, but this team has renewed our love for the team. This team plays with heart, they are physical, and they don’t make excuses. They treat each game as its own entity and views it as an opportunity to go 1-0 as their coach says.

After watching the opening win against Cincinnati and the way the defense played, we felt this team would be in every game.

It’s right there for the 2023 Cleveland Browns. They will look to go 1-0 next week at Denver.