NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Did the Cleveland Browns not get or ignore the memo that their season was over? The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens are headliners in the AFC but the Browns, well, they deserve some respect as well.
How can you describe a team that loses their best offensive players in Nick Chubb and Deshaun Watson, and yet, are still sitting in the thick of the playoff race with an 8-5 record? Tip your hat to the defense and heart. The Browns have no quit in them.
It seems every week is a big game for the Browns. A loss here or there and their season really could be over. But despite it all, the Browns keep grinding out wins and find themselves within striking distance of a playoff spot and the AFC North crown. How is this possible?
The year began with modest expectations. Then it went downhill from there with the injury to Chubb. The Browns were forced to rely on Jerome Ford and while he’s not as explosive as Chubb, he has carried the load along with Kareem Hunt.
This season has been an injury-filled one for many teams but can you name a team that has gone through more than the Cleveland Browns? There have been no complaints by the players. And if any fanbase deserves a mulligan on the season, it’s the Browns. Hell, they’re on their 4th starting QB and one who many thought had retired.
The Jaguars’ fans are making excuses due to the injury to Trevor Lawrence. The Pittsburgh Steelers are blaming everyone from coordinators to their backup QB. The Chiefs are mad at the refs, and now the Chargers can point the finger at the injury to Justin Herbert, and so on. Yet, through it all, the Browns are gaining momentum and being labeled as a team no one wants to see in the playoffs.
Will The Cleveland Browns Make The Playoffs
Think of the Cleveland Browns as the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. There is not much to go on but a strong ground game and a solid defense. Trent Dilfer was just a game manager but that was enough. These Browns are built the same way. While analysts keep their eyes on the Cowboys, Eagles, 49ers, Ravens, and others, the Cleveland Browns are doing their job, going home, and doing it again week after week.
Can this keep up? Maybe not. Maybe it all catches up to them and Flacco shows why he was on the couch this season. Or, he shows why he’s a Super Bowl champion and does the unthinkable with a team that does nothing but believe.
This team was left for dead. They had no choice but to try a revolving door at QB. They had to resign a player they gave up on (Hunt) and put all the pressure on a tired defense.
The Cleveland Browns may not be your popular pick to win it all, but as we’re learning, don’t ever doubt a team that plays as a team. The memo was thought of, written, and handed out. I guess somewhere along the way, the Browns never received or opened it.
