Josh Edwards looks like a genius now, as he was the only writer I found who predicted that the Browns would beat the Falcons.
As you know, I expected the Browns to lose. I have never been happier to have been wrong.
...well I need to point out that I said the Browns had a "shot", because they were getting three defensive starters back, and it was just the second week of the post-Haley/Jackson era, and (oh yeah) of Rodney Higgensfield.
Kitchens/Mayfield are doing a great job of maximizing the skill talent of this offense, and making the offensive line's job massively easier.
You saw it, right? Baker Mayfield rarely held the ball for over three seconds. There were slants, crosses, and stuff to help him out.
And ok-ok Nick Chubb is a stud, but the commitment to him, and the "in yo face" smashmouth running game was also semi-new.
I say "semi"-new because Todd Haley did try to run the ball a lot.
But Freddie Kitchens really did use some wishbone formations, and had Mayfield getting rid of the ball quickly.
The offensive line (especially tackles) looked better. Who wooda thunked it? That's what happens when they get to be the hitters instead of the hitees, and when the passrushers don't have all day to get home.
How about Brashad Perriman? Where were the drops? In fact, nobody dropped anything!
This whole team is excited and optimistic. They've stopped screwing up; their standards are higher than they were before Hue and Todd hit the road.
You can see it. Why the hell was Nick Chubb parked behind Carlos Hyde? Why was Duke stuffed in a car-trunk? Why was Mayfield standing in a deep pocket waiting for guys to get open?
The defense was more impressive than the offense, as the Falcons are one of the most lethal offenses in football.
They're optimistic, and liberated. Freddie Kitchens has a real future as an offensive coordinator, and Gregg Williams has to be taken seriously as a Head Coach candidate.
The infuriating part of this was that this talent has been here all along...in handcuffs.
Quit talking about the playoffs being an unrealistic goal for the 2018 Browns. They should have had at least six wins by now, and when they come back off their bye, they're going to play like a contender.
The playoffs are now mathematically unlikely, but they will face the Bengals and other wildcard contenders directly.
Even with bad coaching, this team lost in overtime to the Saints on bad kicks, and tied the Steelers in a game they should have won several times over. Last week they all but shut down an elite offense and beat a team that won four in a row.
They're one game behind the Ravens and two behind the Bengals, and yes: They can beat both those teams.
The 2018 Browns can beat any team in the NFL.
I suppose expecting this young team to win out is too optimistic, even for me. Even that would make them 9-6-1
But only the Chargers are 7-2. None of the rest of the AFC non-division leaders have won more than five games.
The Titans and Colts are red hot right now, but they're in the same Division in a dogfight, and niether of them are a match for the Browns.
No, they're not. The Browns are better. Just the facts, man.
If the Browns miss the playoffs in 2018, it's okay. They can ruin a lot of other teams' days, anyway.
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