To say it’s been an unlucky 13 for the Browns is an understatement as big as Lake Erie.

 It was exactly 13 years ago today, on Jan. 5, 2003, that the Browns made their first – and only – postseason appearance of the expansion era, losing a 17-point third-quarter lead and ultimately the game as well, 36-33, to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in the 2002 wild-card round.

 It was not only the bitter end of a surprisingly great season in which the Browns went 5-2 in the last seven games to finish 9-7 and earn a spot in the playoffs on tie-breakers ahead of the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos, but it was also the bitter end of anything great – really great – for the re-born franchise.

Oh, sure, the Browns finished 10-6 in 2007 for their only other winning record since 1999, but they didn’t make the playoffs, losing out this time on tie-breakers to Pittsburgh for the AFC North championship, and to the Tennessee Titans for a wild-card berth.

Since then, the Browns have posted eight consecutive losing records, getting seven wins only once during that span. This means that in the 17 seasons of the expansion era, the Browns have had a losing mark 15 times and have made it to the playoffs on just one occasion.

 That’s worse than embarrassing or humiliating. That’s hard to fathom, especially for a franchise that, for its first 50 seasons from 1946-95, was iconic.

 When the Browns went ahead of Pittsburgh 24-7 with 9½ minutes left in the third quarter of that playoff game on Kelly Holcomb’s second touchdown pass of the day to wide receiver Dennis Northcutt, this one a 15-yarder, no one could have conceived what would happen not only for the rest of that cold afternoon, but also in the 15 seasons that followed.

 It seemed the Browns had arrived, that they had finally shaken themselves out of the shackles of being an expansion team.

 But then safety Robert Griffith dropped a sure interception and a wide-open Northcutt dropped a third down pass, either one of which would have sealed the victory, and the Browns began a slow but consistent drop to the bottom of the NFL.

 The Browns have never recaptured the magic of that dream season of 2002. Instead, it’s been a recurring nightmare.

 They are trying again to find their way back to that. Will they? Can they? Is it possible that with that wretched No. 13 out of the way, their luck will change?

 Answering those questions positively is the only thing that matters.