By R. T. Andrews
You are an unabashed Browns fan if you expected — as opposed to hoped for — some result other than the 38-7 laceration the Browns suffered when they ventured into Heinz Field last Sunday to confront the undefeated Steelers.
Sure, at 4-1, the Browns were off to their best record in more than a quarter-century. In fact their current record of 4-2 equals their best record during that span. But none of the wins were against NFL elite. And their other loss — in the season opener to the Baltimore Ravens, the division’s other powerhouse — was also a beatdown, albeit one that came with a wheel-barrow full of ifs that mean nothing in the reality of the NFL.
The Steelers whipping left no room for any ifs, unless they invoked the prowess and presence of Paul Brown, Jim Brown, Otto Graham, and Bill Willis. The superiority of the Steelers was evident on virtually every play.
But this isn’t a terrible thing. The Steelers are clearly a top 5 NFL team, characteristically loaded with a mix of talent, temperament, toughness, superior coaching and organization.
The Browns, just beginning to assemble some of that talent, coaching, and organization, are a heck of a lot better than they have been at any point since their rebirth in 1999. But they clearly have a way to go in the toughness and temperament categories.
They have a chance to rebound this week in Cincinnati against the Bengals, a team they beat at home in the season’s second week. The rematch will be one of the Browns’ most important games of the year. Win, and they are 5-2, staking a claim as one of the league’s better teams, just a few notches from the upper tiers. Lose, and they fall to a mediocre 4-3, having lost to a rookie QB who perforce outplayed their own #1 draft pick whose off-the-field chirping is at a higher level than his in game execution.
Last week confirmed what we already knew. Tomorrow’s game against the Bengals will tell us a lot more about the Browns’ toughness and temperament.
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