Little did they know that as Cade York lined up for the extra point that things were as good as they were going to be for a long time and circumstances were about to hand Cleveland arguably the worst loss in the history of a franchise filled with horrible defeats.
The 31-30 defeat to the lowly New York Jets started when the seemingly superfluous extra point was missed by rookie and Carolina hero Cade York to keep the lead at thirteen and not fourteen.
A point that didn't appear to be important at the time spelled the difference between overtime and a regulation defeat.
After the kickoff and a nine-yard completion kept the clock rolling, Joe Flacco hit a wide-open Corey Davis for a sixty-six-yard touchdown without a Brown in the picture, it brought to mind the late game Baker Mayfield strike to Robby Anderson against Carolina only one week ago.
Still, the Browns only have to recover the onside kick and the game ends.
They don't as the Jets wrestle the ball away from Amani Cooper with still 1:22 remaining.
Joe Flacco leads the Jets fifty-three yards in one minute, punctuating the score with a fifteen-yard pass to former Ohio State star Garrett Wilson, Wilson's second of the day for a player that the Browns could have possibly had without the trade for the socially-distanced DeShaun Watson.
The Jets kick the ball out of the end zone with Cleveland needing to get into range to give Cade York a chance at redemption and on the first play, Jacoby Brissett scrambles for twenty-one yards.
Brissett then throws his only interception of the day and the disintegration was complete.
Nick Chubb ran for eighty-seven yards and scored three touchdowns with the last one ending with some controversy.
Amari Cooper caught nine passes for one hundred one yards and the only Cleveland passing touchdown reception.
Cleveland will host Pittsburgh, who is also 1-1, on the Amazon Special Thursday night in what was once a luxury game now has become a must-win in order to even out the loss to the decrepit Jets.
Brownie Bits
1) Nick Chubb should have hit the ground or stepped out of bounds on his final touchdown, which would have led to a few kneeldowns and the clock running out.
Chubb did just that in a 2020 win over Houston, so he should have known- BUT
2) Kevin Stefanski admitted in his press conference that he didn't prepare Chubb for what he wanted to be done in that situation, which is his fault.
Good for accountability at that time but is it really accountability?
The same things happen again and again from the smartest guys in the room and they are always going to be fixed.
3) The coach's job, whether it's Kevin Stefanski or a position coach, is to prepare his players for situations, and after a time-out, it is essential to prepare them properly.
You can argue Chubb should have known better but it is the coaching staff that didn't make sure that Chubb knew in the event that he neared the goal line to get down or out.
4) Coaching any sport at any level, in game situations, it is the coach/manager's job not to assume that the player knows what to do.
The player is in the moment, instruct him what to do, and then if he doesn't follow the instruction-the coach did everything possible.
5) It's too bad that Amari Cooper flubbed the onside kick because it took the shine off an excellent game.
Cooper is exactly what you hope to see from a number one receiver- he runs excellent routes, his hands are dependable and he's willing to lay out to make a play.
6) The offensive line did their job and gave Jacoby Brissett time to throw as the Jets finished with just one sack in the game.
The work by the offensive line gave Brissett good protection and allowed the veteran to play very well.
7) Jacoby Brissett's one interception was unfortunate and not a bad one but look past that and give him credit for a solid game with one touchdown, one interception, and 229 yards.
If Brissett can play like this for nine more games, the Browns aren't going to be hurt by his play.
However, that's a huge if.
8) I was complimentary of Grant Delpit last week and I'm critical this week.
The long touchdown pass to Corey Davis has been either blamed on Delpit for not being in the right place or Delpit for not communicating with Denzel Ward and some have blamed Ward.
In any case, I wonder if the Browns are using Delpit properly to get the best use of the former LSU Tiger as Delpit seems to do best when he is allowed to freelance and run to the ball and in what Joe Woods is doing with him, Delpit seems some times to look lost when used as a centerfielder.
That's not to excuse Delpit but part of coaching and personnel is not slamming a round peg into a square hole and expecting it to fit well.
9) The Browns are paying Denzel Ward over one hundred million dollars to shut down receivers and lead the secondary on the field and even if the Corey Davis score was more the fault of Grant Delpit than Ward and I'm not sure that's completely the case, Ward needs to communicate better because that's what your leaders and stars are supposed to do.
10) Cade York moved from hero to goat in one week and that's part of the high-pressure job of an NFL kicker and he has to make that extra point.
Kickers will have missed kicks, even the best of them but York's miss hurts under the circumstances and it will be very interesting to see how that miss affects his confidence.
11) Special teams screwed up more than York's miss and the failure to recover the onside kick as in the first quarter, the punting unit allowed a fake punt to give the Jets a first down, which continued a drive that the Jets would score a touchdown in the end.
12) Joe Woods as defensive coordinator and Mike Preifer as special teams coach are both on the hot seat right now and I'd be surprised if either lost their job.
Letting Woods go would be merely a message as the season has started, the team would likely promote someone on staff to the coordinator position and the system would almost definitely remain the same, so firing Woods doesn't make sense to me.
13) Mike Priefer though, I wouldn't argue against letting him move on.
The Browns special teams have been bad under each of his seasons with the team, don't seem to be improving any this season, and changing the special teams' coach would be an easier position to fill from outside the organization.
14) This is a devastating defeat and the type of loss that has the potential to ruin seasons.
Now go out and beat Pittsburgh Thursday night and things even out but if they cannot, the Browns have no chance of being 3-1 at the end of the first month and with the schedule tightening after their visit to Atlanta, the Steeler game is a must-win.
It may be a stretch but Kevin Stefanski might be safe but almost anyone else may not be if the Browns get drilled by the Steelers on Thursday night.
More than a game or even a season could be on the line in the next two weeks- it could be some coaching and maybe even front office careers.
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