A point-by-point look at – and consistent, bottom-line responses to — the Browns’ 33-30 victory in overtime over the host Baltimore Ravens on Sunday:
*Point: The Ravens rushed for 181 yards, which is not surprising since the Browns haven’t stopped the run all year.
Response: Yes, but the Browns won the game.
*Point: The Browns, who have said from way back in the spring that they wanted to run the ball, rushed for nearly 100 yards less than Baltimore, just 81, and averaged only 3.3 yards per attempts, or 2.5 less than the Ravens. They haven’t been able to move the ball on the ground all year.
Response: Yes, but the Browns won the game.
*Point: It was Flag Day for the Browns yet again, as they were penalized nine times for 74 yards.
*Response: Yes, but the Browns won the game.
*Point: Once more, the Browns got off to a slow start, trailing 14-3 after the first quarter.
Response: Yes, but the Browns won the game.
*Point: The Browns gave up over 30 points or more for the third time in five games and have allowed 137 overall, which, through Sunday’s games, is the fifth-most in the AFC.
Response: Yes, but the Browns won the game.
*Point: With injuries, defections, retirements and other missing players from recent seasons, the Ravens more resembled the Maryland Terrapins than they did the team that finished 10-6 last year, beat up the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card playoffs and then barely lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the divisional round.
Response: Yes, but the Browns won the game.
*Point: This was yet another week with no real contribution from Justin Gilbert, a cornerback/returner/wide receiver-in-training who was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Response: Yes, but the Browns won the game.
*Point: OK, OK, so Josh McCown threw for 457 yards and went over 300 yards passing for a third straight week and thus set two team records, but that’s fool’s gold. There’s no way he’ll continue at that rate, or anything even remotely close to it.
Response: Yes, but the Browns won the game.
Yes, that’s right, but despite all those negatives – and they are indeed negatives, make absolutely no mistake about that — the Browns still won the game. Have all of you people who believe the glass is always half-empty, no matter what, forgotten that the Browns had 33 points to only 30 for the Ravens? Having more points that the opposition when time expires – that is, winning the game – is all that matters. Ever. Statistics are for suckers. They are for losers.
Enjoy the victory. Head coach Mike Pettine and his assistants are well aware that the Browns still have all kinds of problem areas. The coaches are also well aware that their biggest challenge this week as they prepare for Sunday’s visit by the Denver Broncos, is to bring the players back down to earth after their wild celebrations late into the night Sunday and convince them that they did not win the Super Bowl, but merely one regular-season game in a row.
At the same time, though, it’s better than losing one regular-season game in a row, which is something everybody needs to keep in mind not just on this Victory Monday, but all week long.
And as for McCown, he should not have been celebrated the previous two weeks when he had big numbers because his team didn’t win. But he should be celebrated this week because the team won – again, that’s all that matters, especially for a quarterback, since that is his one and only job – and, to add to that, he also played the leading role in making big plays at key points late in the game exactly when they needed to be made.
