The Cleveland Browns didn’t lose on Sunday, but didn’t win either
By Josh Hill
After a winless season last year, the Browns finally didn’t lose a game — but didn’t win one either.
When Bud Light announced it was chaining beer vending machines that would unlock when the Cleveland Browns finally won a game, we all played the game of figuring out when (or if) it would happen.
Everyone had the same joke about how they weren’t going to win and the beer would expire. But in reality, the Browns best chance at ending its losing streak was opening week against Pittsburgh. The first game of the season is always wonky, and we forget that Cleveland almost won last year.
Unfortunately, the long terrible nightmare of losing continues (kind of). Despite dragging the Steelers to overtime on Sunday, the Browns didn’t win — but they didn’t lose either. The game ended in a tie, which is the most Cleveland thing ever.
The Browns ended a losing streak without actually winning.
If you don’t know the streak everyone is talking about, it’s how the Browns winning on Sunday would have been their first win since 2016. That’s not the only streak that (technically?) continued: A win over Pittsburgh would have been Cleveland’s first opening week win since 1999. That’s context for how awful not just the 0-16 season was but for the last two decades of football.
On the bright side, the Browns played very well defensively. Using the monsoon that hit Cleveland on Sunday to their favor, Cleveland forced five turnovers and held the Steelers to just three touchdowns. Myles Garrett looked, again, like the real deal and the rest of the defense played well behind him.
Honestly, the outcome of the game says far less about the Steelers than it does the Browns. If anything, the fact that Cleveland came this close to beating a team many believe can make it to the Super Bowl this year is a step in the right direction. It’s not the strongest step, but anything at this point is positive.
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There’s hope in Cleveland, but that’s currency that has lost almost all of its value for fans. The fact that those poor fans — who show up and still root for that team — have to get excited about a tie tells you just how dark times have become.