Back in the day, the Browns didn’t lose many games – just seven, in fact, in their first 60 tries.
 
So when they did lose, the biggest question was how they would respond. Would it take the wind out of their sails? Or would they gather themselves and come roaring back?
 
That’s exactly where the Browns were at 65 years ago today, on Oct. 7, 1950.
 
After going 52-4-3 in the All-America Football Conference and capturing all four league championships from 1946-49, the Browns went into the NFL in 1950 and won their first two games that season.
 
Then came their first taste of defeat in the new league when they fell 6-0 to the New York Giants on Oct. 1 at Cleveland.
 
Six days later – on a Saturday night – the Browns went to Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field and played their first game ever against the Steelers. Head coach Paul Brown’s team rebounded impressively, blowing out to a 20-point third-quarter lead en route to a 30-17 victory that raised their record to 3-1.
 
The Browns took advantage of six Pittsburgh turnovers and the fact they rushed for 191 yards, including 76 from wingback Dub Jones in 10 carries, 64 in 12 attempts from fullback Marion Motley, who ended up being the NFL rushing champion that season, and 47 in 12 tries from their top pick in the 1950 NFL Draft, halfback Ken Carpenter.
 
Jones had two touchdowns on runs of seven and 48 yards, and quarterback Otto Graham added a pair of one-yard scores.
 
Defensive tackle John Kissell accounted for the final two points when he tackled running back Lynn Chandnois in the end zone for a fourth-quarter safety that made it 23-3. The Browns put it into cruise control from there.
 
With the running game clicking so well, Graham didn’t have to worry much about passing. He hit on 10 of 17 attempts for but 75 yards, with half of those completions – five – going to wide receiver Mac Speedie for 38 yards.
 
The Browns were back on track as they eyed the rematch with the Giants two weeks later at the Polo Grounds.