As we’ve said here any number of times over the years, all games count one in the NFL standings.

But some games come more than one in terms of what they do for your team, both positively and negatively.

And so it is with Sunday’s 19-17 victory by the Browns over the San Francisco 49ers.

That one counts way more than just one victory in that the Browns were all banged up on offense, including at quarterback with starter Deshaun Watson being sidelined for a second straight game. Meanwhile the 49ers came in with arguably the best team in the league and a 5-0 record.

And then, when the 49ers went right down the field on the opening drive to score a touchdown to go ahead 7-0, the Browns’ path to victory seemed even more cloudy.

But the Browns came back to win, in spite of all this.

With that, then, this win might possibly count even much more than two with what it does for the Browns. If the playoffs started today, they would be in as a wild card. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2020, but before that, they hadn’t qualified since 2002. As such, to be solidly in the postseason picture five to six games into the season is encouraging and exciting.

The Browns now know they cannbeat anybody if they play to their ability level. Even with all the injuries on offense, and the loss for the season of Nick Chubb, the best running back in the league, the Browns still have a tremendous roster. So the fact that they are 3-2 is not a surprise. And the fact they could really get up a head of steam as they move forward is not a surprise, either.

The Browns came into Sunday’s game off their bye, and then on their last game before that, they were routed 28-3 at home by the Baltimore Ravens. To go from that to the game on Sunday is a seismic change, the likes of which you don’t normally see, especially in the case Browns, who have struggled so much in this expansion era.

But they can’t rest on their laurels — they can’t get all giddy about the win over the 49ers, just as they couldn’t get down in the dumps for too long after losing to Baltimore — but they have to go forward and play each game one at a time. That sounds trite and very much like “coach-speak, but it is absolutely the case. They have to go into their game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday with the same focus, drive and fight that they had against the 49ers, and if they don’t, then they could very easily lose, which would be horrible because it would erase all the good things they have gained in the 49ers game.

Do they have the right mindset?

We’ll find out on Sunday.

Steve King