The two sides of the Cleveland Browns and Johnny Manziel

Dec 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) talks with Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Johnny Manziel and the Cleveland Browns looked good on Sunday. Now comes the hard part.

As anyone who has followed the Cleveland Browns for more than, oh, an hour, knows, it is not always easy to be a fan of this team.

Browns fans everywhere received a three-hour respite from the despair, dysfunction and disappointment on Sunday, though, as the Browns rolled over the San Francisco 49ers. The fact that they did it in front of the home fans made it even better.

The joy was a bit short-lived, however, because of the need for Browns fans divided over quarterback Johnny Manziel‘s future with the team to rush out and gloat at all the “haters” after Manziel’s performance on Sunday.

It is an odd phenomenon, even by Cleveland’s standards, as Manziel has become something of a Teflon player for the Browns – nothing is ever his fault and only his accomplishments can be celebrated. At least according to some.

“I told Josh today it’s continuing to slow down for me and it’s a great feeling to be able to sit there and know when you’re protected and know when you’re not and know when you need to get the ball out. It’s getting better.” – Quarterback Johnny Manziel

It doesn’t have to be that way, obviously, as it is certainly reasonable to acknowledge that Manziel had the best game of his NFL career against the 49ers, while also accepting that one game does not mean it is time to anoint him the unquestioned answer at a position that has plagued the Browns since 1993.

The two arguments don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

Just consider what else happened at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The defense sacked San Francisco quarterback Blaine Gabbert nine times – the most by a Browns defense in more than 22 years. They also limited the 49ers to just 221 yards of offense, which was 87 yards below San Francisco’s previous season-low.

This is the same Browns defense that came into the game having given up 30 or more points in five consecutive games and eight times overall.

Does Sunday’s performance vindicate defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil, who has been under fire all season, and provide an example of what his defense can do given time? Maybe.

But it is also just as likely that the defense we’ve seen all season – rather than the one that took apart the 49ers – will reappear and Sunday was just one game. The defense needs to follow up yesterday’s performance again next week against Seattle – which has scored 30 or more points in three consecutive games – and the following week and the week after.

How about the running game?

After only exceeding 50 yards three times all season and finding the end zone just once, Isaiah Crowell exploded for 145 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, including a pair 50-plus-yard runs. He was a big part of why the Browns rushed for a season-high 230 yards on the ground.

“(Johnny) was dialed in to the plan, he knew where to go with the ball, and stayed in the pocket until it was dictated that he had to get out.” – Head coach Mike Pettine

So the running game is fixed, right? Maybe.

But it is also just as likely that the running game we’ve seen all season – rather than the one that took apart the 49ers – will reappear and Sunday was just one game. The run game needs to follow up yesterday’s performance again next week against Seattle (which has the No. 2 ranked run defense) and the week after that against Kansas City (the NFL’s No. 7 ranked run defense) before anyone gets comfortable.

Which brings us to Manziel.

There was a lot to like about Manziel’s game on Sunday and even when he did make a mistake – the throw across his body that was intercepted, missing Duke Johnson and Gary Barnidge when they were both wide open – they are the type of mistakes that should prove correctable rather than fatal.

Sunday was another step forward for Manziel, as pointed out by Pro Football Focus:

"The bottom line is that Manziel has at least shown something for the Browns this season, in a league where far too many quarterbacks see the field who don’t show anything. He has produced positive grades in his last two starts, and in pretty much every game he has played this year he has made a couple of big plays — even if they haven’t always outweighed the bad."

"This season, while most quarterbacks see their passer rating under pressure drop by over 30 points, Manziel’s only slips from 91.9 to 84.2, and it actually went up against the 49ers — to 116.7 — when they were able to apply heat. He still makes plenty of poor plays when pressured, and his overall grade is far worse, but the encouraging part is actually how he has played when kept clean."

"This is usually the starting point for viability in the NFL, and Manziel this season has completed 68 percent of his passes from a clean pocket with a positive PFF grade on those plays. Compare that to the Jets’ Ryan Fitzpatrick, for example – a similar maverick style of player – and he comes out looking very favorable. Fitzpatrick has a negative PFF grade from a clean pocket and has completed only 63.6 percent of his passes, with a lower yards-per-attempt figure and a slightly higher passer rating (93.7). Fitzpatrick has the Jets at 8-5 and firmly in the playoff hunt, and is not a terrible starter at the position."

Even if the 49ers are not a good team, that shouldn’t take away from the fact that the Browns – especially Manziel – went out and did what they needed to do in a convincing win. And there are a lot of positives to take from that.

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Somewhat lost in the rush to praise Manziel is the role that head coach Mike Pettine, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterback Josh McCown have played in Manziel’s development. The fact that they have been challenging him and working with him to get better, rather than enabling him, can’t be undersold.

That is hard truth for many to accept, but if the results we are seeing on the field is in fact authentic, then the credit doesn’t all fall on Manziel.

The challenge for Manziel – and the rest of the team – is to do it again next week and the week after and the week after that. The wins and the good performances can’t only come against the 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens (a combined 11-28 on the season).

The Browns showed a lot of positive signs on Sunday against the 49ers.

The trick now is to make that a weekly occurrence, rather than just a once-a-year event.

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