It wasn't a pretty day... not by any means.
But yet again, somehow, someway the Cleveland Browns have won another football game.
"Our guys are a scrappy group," said head coach Todd Monken.
On Sunday, Oct. 18, the Browns took down the Baltimore Ravens at home in a Week 6 in-division clash, 13-10. Starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who began the season strong before falling off in the last few weeks, struggled mightily throughout the contest.
He finished with just 164 passing yards on 26 attempts, completing 16, but led the team to a game-winning drive that saw a 33-yard connection to wideout Jerry Jeudy.
He now leads the league in game-winning drives with four.
The game was then capped off by Browns kicker Andre Szmyt knocking through a 37-yard field goal to push the Browns to 4-2 on the season.
"It's been the last five weeks. It's been an unbelievable credit to our team," Monken said. "Especially our defense, early on, you know, after 10 points, shutting them out...it gives us a chance to win...
"Just the way our guys work and the way they believe, there's just something about this group that makes them special... We have a lot to work on and we'll go back to work tomorrow...But that was pretty cool."
Szymt had his initial attempt to win the game blocked, but Ravens defensive back Keyon Martin was ruled offsides.
For the Browns, it was a big sigh of relief.
Earlier in the contest, Szmyt, one of the league's most consistent kickers, had missed wide left on a 48-yard attempt that would have put the team up 13-10. Fortunately, he got his redemption.
Now, on the campaign, the 28-year-old is 12-for-13 on field goals while also making eight of his nine tries on PATs.
It is obviously a great sign to see Cleveland establish a consistent and reliable leg, but such circumstances show just how rough the offense has been this season. Both the passing and rushing attack have been incredibly inconsistent, which has led to the Browns having to rely on Szmyt far too often.
As a team, the Browns finished with a combined 237 yards of offense, 144 of which came from the passing game. The other 93 came from the rushing attack, with Jaleel McLaughlin leading the charge, taking nine carries for 41 yards.
With injuries and inconsistencies smacking the Browns left, right and center, players like McLaughlin are going to have to continue stepping up to try and light a spark for the offense, even if you'd rather see your $230 million quarterback do it.
He has simply not lived up to expectations over the last two weeks, throwing for a combined 319 yards and one score. He has also completed just 52.5% of his tries.
The Browns can scrape and claw to wins all they want in the early parts of the season, but when the playoff-deciding games start to arrive in a few weeks, teams are going to be at their best. And if the Browns want any chance of playing competitive football beyond the regular season, the offense is going to need to be better, Watson included.
“We just got to flatten out some of the other ups and downs that we have … It’s a we thing, not an individual thing," Monken said Sunday.
Returning to the field on Sunday, Oct. 25, the Browns will have a chance to reestablish the offense in an outing against the 1-5 Tennessee Titans.
The two sides will play at 1:00 p.m. EST from Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
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