Browns doing the right things to win

By STEVE KING

It’s not hard at all to figure out how to win football games, especially in the NFL.

Goodness, it’s easy.

But doing it, actually doing it? Well, that’s a different issue entirely.

After being unable to do it for longer than anyone can remember in this fitful, nightmarish expansion era, finally, the Browns doing the right things to win is beginning to show.

That was evident in their come-from-behind 34-20 victory over the Washington Football Team on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Weeks are better when they start with a #VictoryMonday❗️ pic.twitter.com/bUI84ryw7a

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 28, 2020

They played very well – almost flawlessly, actually — in the fourth quarter, making plays when they were there to be made. That combination is the No. 1 ingredient in winning, and the Browns did it by outscoring Washington 17-0 after trailing 20-17 at the end of three quarters.

The games in the NFL are, for the most part, close – very close. The distance from the top to the bottom – from the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to the god-awful New York Jets – isn’t really that big in many respects. The bad teams often times play well for the first three quarters, too, but the difference is that they can’t close the deal. They can’t finish. They can’t make plays down the stretch.

The Browns did it by running the ball to wear down Washington, using an efficient passing game to keep the defense honest, and playing well defensively themselves by getting up into the face of former Ohio State standout quarterback Dwayne Haskins and hassling him, frustrating him and pressuring him into mistakes.

The Browns were the better team going into the game. They knew it, and so did Washington. But that means nothing unless you produce – until you perform well in the final 15 minutes when almost all of these games are up for grabs.

They did it a week and a half earlier against the Cincinnati Bengals, rolling to a big lead through three quarters and then doing enough to hold in for a 35-30 win.

But Sunday was as different type of game, and the Browns came through again.

So, does this mean that the Browns, who are now 2-1 for the first time since 2011, are a good team? No. Hardly. It just means they’re getting better, and closer to being one.

But they still have a long, long way to go.