Cleveland Browns Escape Buffalo With 29-27 Win on Monday Night Football

My little brother just summed it up completely: “When was the last time the Browns kneeled down?”

What a relief of a victory. More than excitement or joy I just feel relieved. We had a lead, gave it away, came within inches of blowing a third straight heartbreaker…but finally we got a break at the end of a game tonight. It wasn’t perfect in any way, it doesn’t mean that the Browns have turned any corners, and it doesn’t mean that we can start talking seriously about the playoffs again (yet.).

What it means is that for one night we were able to make one more play than the opposing team. And that in and of itself feels good enough after the last two weeks.

And what is it about the Browns on Monday night? And about the Browns fanatics here on Midwest Sports Fans being able to predict the outcomes of the Monday night games? Ryan Russell came through this afternoon with his official guarantee of a Browns victory. I went against my gut and picked the Browns. Why? Because I happened to see that the Browns had a better record on Monday Night Football.

What were they keys to tonight’s 29-27 victory? Exactly what any reasonable Browns fan would predict before the game:

1. Braylon Edwards had to step up. He did. Whether it was because the game was on Monday night or because he finally found some focus or because Brady Quinn just kept going back to him, all that matters is that Braylon stepped up. 8 catches, 104 yards. Well done overall Braylon, but still too many drops of catchable balls.
2. 3 carries, 80 yards, and a TD. 1 reception, 21 yards on a key drive. Who is the masked man? Who else. Jerome Harrison. 4 touches and over 100 yards. Unbelievable. I’m excited that Jerome Harrison had the opportunity to make HUGE plays that put the Browns in a position to win, and I’m almost just as pissed off that he only got four touches. PLEASE ROB CHUDZINSKI — GET THE BALL TO JEROME MORE!
3. Kellen Winslow only had 3 catches for 40 yards, but his third catch on the final drive was huge. Without it, Phil Dawson probably does not have a chance to kick his game-winning field goal. It was a quiet night for Kellen, but he came up clutch in a huge moment. And I don’t want to forget about Brady Quinn either. The numbers weren’t great, and he made a couple of awful decisions in the 4th quarter and was lucky to see those passes slip through the fingers of Buffalo’s defenders. But he rebounded and got us in position for the game-winner. He’s a QB — that’s what matters.
4. Phil Dawson. Easily gets the game ball tonight. I predicted 4 field goals, and he did me one better. Five field goals, including the game-winning 56 yarder. Is it just me, or does Phil Dawson seem to have a 3-5 yard stronger leg this year? If he was a baseball player, steroids rumors would be swirling! (Clarification: I am not in ANY insinuating Phil Dawson would ever take steroids. Just making a joke. Sadly, I feel like I need to clarify this.)

Funny anecdote: While driving home from my brother’s Meet the Players Night for his high school basketball game, after Phil Dawson’s first field goal, I called Ryan Russell and left him a message. In the message, I sang “Dawson, he’s Phil Dawson, with the strongest leg in history!” to the tune of Flintstone’s.

I personally wasn’t thinking 56 yards strong. But Halelujah! It was.

I’ll probably post more tomorrow. Great win tonight for the Browns, no matter how ugly. Sometimes a team, an organization, a coach, a fan base, a city just needs a victory. Cleveland, its fans, and the Browns were desperate for a victory tonight. And we got one against another desperate team in their house.

Well done Browns. You showed fight and character tonight. No one quit. And I can’t help but think that it was the will of an entire Browns nation that pushed that kick right. Hyperbole? Perhaps. But thanks to Phil Dawson and the Browns I can even entertain that glorious thought.

[tags]cleveland browns, nfl, monday night football[/tags]

Tags: braylon edwards, jerome harrison, Monday Night Football, phil dawson

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