However, it's never easy or simple for the Browns, as the Bears moved into Cleveland territory with five seconds remaining for a Hail Mary attempt by the visitors.
Justin Fields' bomb bounced off several Bears and Browns jumping in a clump and landed in the hands of Chicago's Darnell Mooney for what would have been a Bears win and a devastating Browns defeat- BUT
the ball bounced off the hands of Mooney, who somehow kicked the ball into the hands of reserve safety D'Anthony Bell to allow the Browns another crazy 2023 win.
Joe Flacco threw two touchdowns with three interceptions and finished with 374 yards passing while both Amari Cooper and David Njoku finished with over one hundred yards receiving and a touchdown catch.
Cleveland improved to 9-5 on the season and maintained its one-game lead for the top wild-card position in the AFC.
The Browns will travel to Houston to battle the 8-6 Texans, one of three teams that are one game behind Cleveland for the wild card.
Brownie Bits
1) Joe Flacco threw three interceptions, but it can be argued that none of the three was his fault.
The first looked to be a miscommunication with the receiver, the second throw was on the money with Cedric Tillman getting hit just as the ball arrived, shooting the ball into the air to be plucked by Tremaine Edwards for the pick-six, and the final one, Flacco had an open David Njoku. Just as the ball arrived Tyrique Stevenson came flying into the picture with a tremendous play.
2) Flacco's fourth-quarter play was what you would hope for with over two hundred yards and leading the Browns to a touchdown and two field goals including the game-winner.
3) The Browns running attack wasn't gobbling up ground with only twenty-nine yards on eighteen attempts.
The running game will need to do better with two of their final three games on the road.
4) The offensive line took another blow with Joel Bitonio unable to continue after the first quarter.
Give Bitonio credit for the effort as he felt his back tighten up in warmups but tried to play anyway but the pain was too great.
5) The loss of Bitonio would mean the Browns for most of the game played with an offensive line missing four of the five players that started the season as only Wyatt Teller remains.
Ethan Pocic may have a chance to return this season and Bitonio's status is up in the air but all three of the tackles have been lost for the season, leaving the Browns to rely on players that were on practice squads earlier this season at tackle.
6) The offensive line that was the strength of the offense has suddenly become a liability with all these injuries, unable to push off the line in run blocking, and having difficulties keeping pass rushers off the immobile Joe Flacco.
Montez Sweat rampaged through the Browns blockers for three sacks on Sunday and I wonder just how the Browns are going to keep Jonathan Greenard and Will Anderson off Flacco next week unless Ethan Pocic and Joel Bitonio can play.
7) The play of the game came with three minutes remaining when Joe Flacco drilled a throw through tight coverage to Amari Cooper down the sideline, resulting in a fifty-one-yard touchdown that tied the game at seventeen.
It's the type of throw through windy conditions that big-armed passers make and smaller quarterbacks don't.
8) Give the defense credit for keeping the Browns in the game until the fourth quarter.
The defense allowed only ten points and their third-quarter hold on the Bears to keep them to a field goal that gave them a lead of 17-7 rather than one of 21-7, which essentially was the difference in the game.
9) The Browns received two massive plays from rookies who are in the lineup due to injury.
The biggest may have been Cameron Mitchell getting just enough contact on a fourth down run by a running Justin Fields to leave Fields just short of a first down on the Cleveland thirty-three on the first Bears possession of the fourth quarter.
The score was still 17-7 at that stage of the game and if the Bears score even a field goal on the drive, who knows how the Browns react to needing two touchdowns to win at that point.
10) Ronnie Hickman played well with five solo tackles and a pass breakup that forced a punt.
The former Ohio State Buckeye was undrafted and there may be a few teams kicking themselves for not using a day three pick on Hickman.
11) Marquise Goodwin was signed to be the deep threat to open the downfield passing game, yet Goodwin's injuries had not allowed him to be that threat.
In fact, Goodwin had caught only three passes for a combined ten yards but it was Goodwin breaking away for a fifty-seven-yard gain that kickstarted the Cleveland comeback.
The gain would lead to a Dustin Hopkins field goal, cut the Bears lead to seven, and allow the Browns to play one possession at a time rather than chase two scores.
12) So how does it set up for a battered Browns squad, holding a one-game lead over the two AFC South survivors (Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Houston are tied for first in the division at 8-6), Cincinnati, and Buffalo, with two of those four joining Cleveland for wild card positions.
Pittsburgh and Denver are one game behind that group and while not out of the running, will need some help in the remaining three weeks.
The Christmas Eve tussle in Houston looms large, win that one and I'd think it would be very tough for the Browns to not make the dance.
Lose to the Texans and things could tighten up considerably as the Texans would join the Browns at 9-6 and the other 8-6 have very winnable games with Buffalo visiting the imploding non-Brandon Staley Chargers, Cincinnati traveling to the punchless offense of the Steelers, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville on the road against mediocre NFC South foes Atlanta and Tampa Bay.
I think one more win could be enough, two would seal things up but two of their three remaining games are on the road against teams that are hustling for the postseason themselves (Houston and Cincinnati) for a team that is winning in strange ways, the margin of error isn't as great as one could think.
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