NOT AGAIN?! BROWNS LOSE TO BALTIMORE IN SEASON OPENER

By STEVE KING

Browns lose!

Another loss.

Can you believe that?

Can you really, truly believe that?

The Browns lost a season opener on Sunday. Yes, they lost their first game of the year. Again. Still. Seemingly forever.

They lost to the Baltimore Ravens – in Baltimore, at M&T Bank Stadium.

Final. pic.twitter.com/mxSbpsW9Ig

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 13, 2020

That is their 21st season-opening-week loss in 22 tries – yes, they are 1-21 in openers; 1-21, for goodness sake! – in the nightmarish expansion era, which began in 1999. That may explain why the Browns have had just two winning seasons in the previous 21 years.

The other time Cleveland won an opener, it was against the original Browns franchise, the Ravens, in 2004 at what was then known at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Browns, led by an incredibly efficient performance by quarterback Jeff Garcia in his Cleveland debut (yes, that’s how long ago it was), scored the game’s last 17 points and won 20-3.

That season was not one of the two in which the expansion-era Browns ended up posting a winning record. They started OK, going 3-3, then completely fell apart, losing their next nine games, with head coach Butch Davis, who got the job because, in part, of his defensive acumen, resigning in disgrace after the club lost a high school basketball score-like 58-48 decision at Cincinnati about halfway through that ignominious streak. They won their last game, a meaningless 22-14 decision over the Houston Texans on the road under interim coach Terry Robiskie, to finish 4-12.

Ever hear the expression, “First impressions last?” In the case of the Browns, it’s true. These openers seem to mimic what the rest of that season will be.

The Browns hope that is not the case again this time. But we shall see.

There is a 24-hour rule in the NFL about the time that teams can celebrate victories or commiserate losses, then they have to move on to the next game. But that will have to be cut in the half this time because the time before the next game has been cut in half. The Browns will host the Cincinnati Bengals in several days at FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday Night Football.

That’s the best thing possible for the Browns to have a chance to atone for the Ravens loss.

Perhaps the Browns will get their first win – but in their second game. That’s the best the Browns – and their fans – can hope for now.

And keep this in mind: It’s one thing to lose a game on the road, but it’s another thing entirely – much, much worse – to lose a game at home, in your own stadium and in front of your own fans, even if, because of social distancing, there will be relatively few of them.