Cleveland Browns: Pressure to win first game taxing and demoralizing
When the Cleveland Browns take the field against the New York Jets this Sunday, there is an all too familiar sense of urgency to get in the win column.
The Cleveland Browns really shouldn’t be winless. Statistically, they have had advantages in the first three weeks of the season, including an edge in time of possession in Week 1 and more total yards in Weeks 2 and 3.
Even though Cleveland found ways to lose those games, largely thanks to an extremely turnover-prone DeShone Kizer, fans came away with hope that strides are in fact being made. These defeats looked nothing like the 15 last season after all.
But then came Week 4, and the Dawg Pound rightfully hit the panic button once again. The Cincinnati Bengals weren’t supposed to be good, and who knows, they may still not be. The battle for Ohio ended much like it has in virtually every meeting for the past several years, in a lopsided Cincinnati triumph.
An ugly 31-7 loss has thrown the fan base off quite a bit. All of a sudden, all of the progress it appeared the Browns had made can be questioned. And even worse, the team still doesn’t have a win.
With the lowly Jets coming to town this week, the discussions once again start, and it’s all too familiar. Yes, the season is only 25 percent complete, but the Browns have a difficult portion of their schedule ahead. After the Jets, they travel to Houston, host the Titans, square off with the Vikings in London, travel to Detroit, host the improved Jaguars and then get their chance at redemption in Cincinnati.
Which one of those games are the Browns going to win? Hopefully at least one, and that’s far from a ridiculous thought. But there’s not the one game in this stretch that stands out as particularly favorable for Cleveland. What does that mean? Maybe it’s a little premature and quite dramatic, but if the Browns lose to the Jets, they could very easily find themselves starting 0-11 again.
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Again, it’s much too early to be considering this realistically, and chances are, the Browns are going to be able to pull off an upset at some point. Still, due to their upcoming schedule, there’s just a little more on the line this week.
Even if there’s no chance the Browns go 0-16, which is hopefully the case, getting the first win out of the way and silencing the obnoxious conversation which persists until the team wins would be a major relief.
Last season it was constant. Each week fans wondered if it was finally the week the team could come out on top. And just when all hope appeared to be lost, they won. But it felt like an eternity, a torturous season which drove any fan who had the simple request of just a single victory absolutely insane.
It’s a different year and a much different team, but the same thing is beginning to happen. And the worst thing is, last season’s near 0-16 record makes all of the discussion start even earlier this time around. Overreaction to even consider a winless season just a month in? Most certainly. But the talk is going to start, and fans are just tired of it.
The Jets come in winning two in a row, which is concerning. But the good news is, the Browns can beat the Jets. The game last week was a major step in the wrong direction, but it doesn’t have to carry into this week. Cleveland was simply outcoached and outplayed by Cincinnati, a team which has had their number.
It’s hard to imagine that it’s too much to ask for the Browns to get in the win column before going 0-16 is a serious possibility. That’s why a win this week would mean a whole lot, even though the Browns will have plenty of opportunities later on.
Beating the Jets would allow everyone to breathe a sigh of relief, and most importantly, the coaches and players could focus on more important matters and not need to deal with the distraction of ridiculously early 0-16 speculation.
Either way, for fans, it’s getting annoying, and really tiring. So please Browns, no matter how it all goes down, just notch that first victory and spare us all.