The end must be the beginning.

That’s what the Browns and their fans have to hope is the case after the team ended its season – and head coach Mike Pettine and General Manager Ray Farmer surely ended their dreadfully embarrassing stint in Cleveland – with a 28-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Browns finished 3-13, tied for their second-worst record ever. But that’s history, as are Pettine and Farmer.

Now it’s all about fixing this thing – finally getting the Browns righted.

Enough is enough. And this nightmare has gone on way too long – ever since the club returned to the field in 1999.

The fans – the best ones in pro sports — deserve better. They demand better.

And Browns owner Jimmy Haslam must deliver.

Those who watched the game today – and have watched this team play all season – can clearly see that while the defense is bad and the special teams are bad, the problem is unquestionably with the offense. The defense did a nice job, but the Browns could have won today if they had cashed in all those trips into the red zone. The offense can’t score. It hasn’t been able to score all season.

In the NFL, where offense is the thing and you have to score a lot of points to win, being so inept offensively is a death knell.

As such, the Browns need to hire a GM and a head coach who both understand offensive football and can evaluate talent.

Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer weren’t those guys.

However, it doesn’t matter now because it’s time to look ahead and not behind. Sure, learn from the past, but don’t dwell on it because you can’t change it.

Haslam can change the future, though, and he must.

If not, then he needs to get out of town, too.