Yikes. That one hurt. I don't know how else to say it. The magic the Browns had all season long to get here, must've stayed in Cleveland. Sadly, the clock struck midnight, and reality woke us up from what had otherwise been a dream season, considering all the injuries this team had.
An 11-7 record, cobbled together by a Coach of the Year candidate using four quarterbacks, five tackles, and what seemed like a different lineup every week. We can't ask for much better than that considering the situation. But I'm not going to sugarcoat things. They weren't ready.
They weren't ready for this game. Plain and simple. I don't know if they got big heads. I don't know if they overlooked the Texans. I don't know what happened to them. But I do know what I saw that went wrong. Let's take a look at the final set of Keys to Victory before we hit the offseason.
Missing Person's Report: The entire Browns defense
This one was the biggest shocker of them all. I did not expect the Browns to sack CJ Stroud 3-4 times, and play like they do in Cleveland. For some reason, the team's defense just didn't travel well this season. I don't know if it's from bad coaching. I don't know if it's from just not adjusting well to hostile environments. But the defense the Browns hung their hats on all season long was nowhere to be found. We never even saw glimpses of it.
And Greg Newsome, Denzel Ward, and the rest of the defensive backs just looked lost out there. It's like these guys had forgotten how to cover the deep ball. CJ Stroud picked them apart all day long.
Myles Garrett and that fearsome pass rush was nonexistent too. There was never a time where I saw that CJ Stroud was uncomfortable in this game. Not even remotely. And like I've said previously, the Browns are at their absolute best when they play front to back football.
The defensive front gets great pressure up front which leads to...
Bad mistakes by the opposing quarterback that the defensive backs can capitalize on, which then leads to...
Better field position for the Browns offense on the next drive, and the trust in their teammates to continue to hold down the fort and get stops while they score points. And if the Browns offense scores? That enables the defense to pin their ears back, be aggressive, come after the opposing quarterback, and start the cycle all over again.
The Browns never even managed to get past step 1. And a big consequence for not doing that, leads to my next point...
CJ Stroud exposed the Browns defense.
I knew this kid was going to be a problem. Too many Browns fans got cocky on social media and are now looking like fools. I didn't get that way. I knew what kind of threat this kid was to us. I was hopeful and cautiously optimistic that the Browns would give the rookie out of Ohio State his "welcome to the Playoffs" moment.
But instead, he made Cleveland's defense look flat out stupid. He went 16-21 for 274 and three touchdowns, good for a fantastic 157.2 rating. Every mistake Cleveland made, the talented rookie took advantage of it.
If the defense didn't bring him down when they could have, he ended up burning them. If no one covered the flats (which no one ever did for some stupid reason), he dumped it out to a running back, tight end or wideout who gashed the Browns. And if his wideouts were wide open, he let it fly.
Stroud not only beat the Browns defense in every conceivable way, he punished them. And taught them a very painful lesson: Come ready to play in January. Even if it's a rookie quarterback. If you don't, you WILL get your butt handed to you, as well as a plane ticket home.
But congratulations to CJ Stroud. He 100% earned this win. He showed up to play, and nobody from the Browns other than Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah showed up. And I'm not the least bit surprised by the result with that kind of effort.
Jim Schwartz and his guys will have all offseason to think about this one. I love the Browns, but I hope it eats at these guys enough to motivate them to make a run in 2024!
January Joe's last ride?
This one made me sad. It's like the Joe Flacco who had given us so much to be happy and excited about, was gone. He looked like you'd expect a 39-year-old quarterback in the twilight of his career to look: inaccurate, slow, timid, and just not who we were used to seeing.
Granted, it wasn't all on him. The defense crapped the bed, and the offensive line didn't do a great job blocking for him in this game. There was never a time where he could ever consistently set his feet, let it fly, and get into a groove.
And the two times it looked like he was about to turn the corner, he turned the ball over instead for a pair of pick sixes. He's the first quarterback since 2008 to throw a pair of pick sixes in a Playoff game.
But I had prepared myself for this possibility. For as good as Joe Flacco has been for us in his short time here, I knew this kind of magic had to run out sooner or later. It wasn't sustainable. It had to end at some point. Unfortunately, and sadly, it happened to be today.
But even though the Browns got smoked, even though I'm sure other NFL fans are laughing at our team's performance tonight, you know what? I'm still a fan. I'm still a Brown. Until God calls me home. I love this team. Even when they disappoint me like today, or break my heart on a consistent basis, I am still a fan.
It's easy to be a Chiefs, Steelers, or Patriots fan. They haven't gone through truly awful football, and still stayed with their team in spite of that. They might say they've gone through rock bottom. They really haven't. Forgive their ignorance and arrogance. Most of them have no clue what being a fan is all about. If they all went through 20+ years of bad football, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and New England wouldn't have any fans left. I guarantee it. They're soft and spoiled. They're front runners.
But I have seen truly awful football. You have. We all have. And we are still here. That's what makes Browns fans a truly special group. We can go through the worst of times, and hold out hope that maybe, just maybe, this team will one day turn the corner. They'll one day be a team that can make us proud, happy, and get the Dawg Pound barking again!
And even though this season didn't end anywhere near the way we would have liked, you have to admit that even though things were stressful and unpredictable, that you had a smile on your face watching the Browns in 2023 most of the time. I know I certainly did!
I just hope they can bring this kind of excitement and happiness to us again starting this fall. See you next season, boys!
Thank you to all who read these articles. I truly appreciate you all! Keep the faith. And as always, GO BROWNS!
Statistical Leaders
Joe Flacco: 34-46, 307 yards, TD, 2 INTs
Kareem Hunt: 8 carries, 26 yards, TD
David Njoku: 7 catches, 93 yards
Source: ESPN
Picture Credit: clutchpoints.com