VICTORY FRIDAY FOR YOUR FIRST PLACE CLEVELAND BROWNS
What a game. A dominant road performance in Cincinnati by the Brownies on national television has your Cleveland Browns in first place in the AFC North, the toughest division in the NFL. It's November 7th, and the Browns are in first place. The offense was dominant. The defense was DOMINANT. It was a brilliant performance by Brian Hoyer, by Kyle Shanahan, by Mike Pettine, Jim O'Neil, pretty much by everyone involved. Hell they even overcame the worst official in the league Jeff Triplette. They did it without Josh Gordon, without Andrew Hawkins, without Jordan Cameron. The Browns won and are in first place in the AFC North. The Browns are back.
The Browns had lost an NFL record 17 straight division road games. They hadn't won in Cincinnati in 7 years. The Bengals were riding a streak of 14 home games without a loss (13-0-1). Greg Little (what an ass) was going to make the Browns pay. The odds were certainly not on the Browns side. However it was clear from the start that the Browns had the better quarterback and in my opinion the better coaching staff. They were ready to go out of the gate, dominating in the trenches on both sides of the ball early and throughout the game. And on a windy night in an AFC North tilt, that's where the game needed to be won.
Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell, and Ben Tate had lanes all night, and none of the three backs tip toed around as has been the case the past few weeks. All three scored touchdowns. The Browns now have 12 rushing touchdowns in 9 games. Except for a couple of blown assignments by John Greco the offensive line was great. There looked to be even more yards on the field than the backs gained. Brian Hoyer played great as well, directing the offense and making timely third down completions. He was in total control again, a welcome site after the previous 3 games. Miles Austin has been tremendous, it seems like every catch he makes is for a first down. It wasn't an offensive clinic but it was a winning recipe for a game like this. Kyle Shanahan continues to be tremendous. This was classic AFC North football.
And it wouldn't be classic AFC North football without hard hitting, dominating defense. The defense continued to do what it has been doing for the past couple of weeks, forcing turnovers and stiffening up as the game went on. Joe Haden was a lockdown cornerback again, his third straight outstanding performance. Frankly he looked like the best player on the field. Buster Skrine had 2 interceptions and only one penalty. Tashaun Gipson forced another fumble and almost had another interception. That guy is a player. The defensive front, possibly bolstered by the return of Phil Taylor, was able to shut down the Bengal run game and keep consistent pressure on Andy Dalton. Andy Dalton, by the way, was not very good. Desmond Bryant has been playing lights out the past couple of weeks, and he had two sacks. Kruger and Sheard were in the backfield most of the night, abusing RT Marshall Newhouse. It was just beautiful to see. They were organized, disciplined, and aggressive. They were everything we expected them to be when Pettine was hired. It has taken some time but this defense has really come together. And they are still getting healthy on the defensive line.
And how great were Browns fans? Not that Bengal fans are anything to write home about (they are terrible), but the Browns fans showed up and showed out for their team, leading audible chants and barking wildly in the second half. It was awesome. This is a sleeping giant of a fanbase that is starting to rise up, the largest fan backers group in the world belongs the the Browns. The beast is waking.
Not even dirtbag Jeff Triplette could spoil the party, hopefully we are done with that crew for the year. I just can't stand the guy, he is awful.
Proud. That's how Browns fans can feel about their team today. Proud. Proud to wear their orange and brown. It's been far too long since we've been able to feel this way. The Browns are in first place on November 7th. They have outscored the last two division opponents they've played 55-10. They are a team on the rise that is purging the demons of the past on a weekly basis. They are doing it with an old school toughness. And they are a team we can be proud of. Finally. Victory Friday. For your first place Cleveland Browns.
Random gifs
Hardest hit by a Bengal all night
Here's a truck driving into a pool
Bonus Pic nice work Matt Dalakas. Greg Little can take your order now.
