Remarkable, isn't it? How two different people who have two totally different positions on an issue can both point to the exact same thing and claim it as evidence to support their argument.
But that’s exactly what happened to Cleveland Browns fans last night when the snow took over the narrative in the shockingly entertaining showdown on the shore of Lake Erie.
There were excellent visuals aplenty for both Dome devotees and Dome deniers, depending on their perspective. Anti-Domers raved about the wintry conditions and saw it as an excellent example of how football was meant to be played, while those down for the dome saw it as reminder that since leaving the jungle thousands of years ago, humankind has made incredible technological strides to protect ourselves from these very elements and perhaps we should do so.
Regardless it made for some great visuals.
These are two teams who most people predicted would be in opposite situations by this point in the season, but as is so often been the case, the Browns forgot to be good even though they were supposed to be, and the Steelers forgot to be bad even though we want them to be.
This rendered last night’s game result mostly-meaningless for my team, technically speaking, but not in reality, of course. Because no matter how “over” a season is, and no matter how frustrated I get with this team, beating Pittsburgh will never not mean something. In fact, I found it thoroughly enjoyable.
I’ve seen some Browns fans complaining that winning this game only hurts the Browns chances at securing a high draft pick, and technically, that might be accurate.
But that’s only relevant if you have a decent amount of faith in the ability of those making the draft selections. And frankly, based on track record, we might be better off if this regime did NOT have the option of choosing whomever they want, based upon their own evaluation.
We’ve already seen that movie and it ends with using a fourth-round draft pick on Kicker Cade York, who is no longer in the league after being cut by the Commanders in September.
By the way, do you know how MOST teams acquire a kicker, in lieu of expending valuable draft capital?
They put one of those flyers up on a telephone pole outside their stadium and wait for guys to call.
My point is that when my team is playing the Steelers on a dark, cold night in the middle of yet another Lost Season, the LAST thing I can be concerned about is jeopardizing our draft position by foolishly refusing to defeat our detested rival in front of a home crowd. Win the game.
The only REAL downside to beating Pittsburgh, as far as I’m concerned, is that it does inadvertently help our other enemy, Baltimore, which stinks.
It’s like watching your nemesis walk out of a Dairy Queen, trip and drop his ice cream cone on the ground. You get to watch him get sad, then go back in and get another ice cream cone. Hilarious, right? But then you find out that the Dairy Queen is owned by the Baltimore Ravens, who therefore benefit from the other enemy’s misfortune. Not ideal.
Couple Post-Victory Shout Outs before we go:
Shout out to Nick Chubb for scoring two touchdowns against the team that took him out last year then quietly disappearing into the night and going home, probably to do some celebratory weight-lifting and cardio.
Shout out to the Browns Ground Crew for getting out there and getting after it last night. Not all heroes wear capes, some push shovels.
Speaking of, shout out to shirtless Browns bros in the snow. Thanks for always being willing to show up and show out to rep the city on national broadcasts, regardless of the temperature or if you’ve ever seen an exercise bike.
And finally, shout out to the Browns for helping to maintain one of the weirdest streaks in football. Pittsburgh is now 0-8 since 1980 when playing on Thursday nights against AFC North teams. That now includes FOUR losses to The Browns.
That’s right Pittsburgh! Maybe you’re headed to the playoffs and we’re circling the drain, but never forget that we’ve OWNED you on Thursday nights since the show Magnum P.I. debuted. And we still do.
Take your wins where you can get them, Cleveland. Go Browns.