Thursday, Sept. 3 (PM) – Nothing.

And something.

That’s the story of the Browns’ game against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night at Soldier Field.

The Browns scored nothing – no points, zero. They got beat 24-0, and didn’t look good doing it.

For a team that is expected to struggle to score points, this wasn’t a good sign.

Sure, this was the preseason finale, a meaningless game if there ever was one since all the starters sat and the backups played exclusively from start to finish.

Still, getting blanked, no matter if it’s a practice, a scrimmage or a preseason game, is never an acceptable thing. Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis was terrible, but he was also under duress on nearly every play, being sacked seven times. It was hard to watch.

But the regular season will start in a week and a half, so you can rest assured that, in a broad sense, this game was forgotten by the time the Browns’ team plane landed at Hopkins Airport early Friday morning.

The Browns finished the preseason 1-3, which, again, since these games don’t count, is not a big deal.

What is a big deal, though, is the fact the Browns have to start getting into a winning rhythm, and soon. With seven straight losing seasons, and 14 in the first 16 years of the expansion era, the Browns don’t know how to win. There is a science to that, but the Browns have no idea what the right formula is.

So on Sept. 13 when they visit the New York Jets in the opener, the Browns have to begin getting something good – something tangible – from the games they play.

They can’t lose 24-0, have their quarterback get sacked seven times and look clueless offensively. It would mean something then, and the Browns wouldn’t be able to dismiss what happened and simply move on, as they are doing now.

As former NFL head coach Herm Edwards famously said, “You play to win the game.” That’s all that will matter from here on out this year for the Browns.