CLEVELAND — There are always benchmarks when it comes to a team trying to ascend to become something more.
Before the Cleveland Browns can start thinking about becoming a playoff contender, they have to prove a couple of things: Can they win at home? Can they win in their division? And can they beat teams they're not expected to?
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Sunday's 49-38 win over the Cowboys in Arlington fits into the last category quite well. Not many had the Browns going into Jerry's World and knocking off the high powered Dallas offense. Yet, here we are. The Browns are 3-1 for the first time since Butch Davis was the head coach in 2001.
On Monday's edition of Donovan & Dino, Jimmy and I tried to put Sunday's win in perspective. The Browns were 7-8-1 in 2018, but as Jimmy pointed out, some of those wins came against struggling teams (Cincinnati twice, Denver, Atlanta, etc.). And frankly, everything last season was a flat out struggle for the Browns.
The win in Dallas feels different. The Cowboys came in with the top-scoring offense in the NFL. Even though there were only 25,000 fans in the stadium due to COVID-19, winning in that environment in Arlington is never easy. The Browns were challenged early, fought back, dominated the game for two quarters, then found a way to put away the win after Dallas rallied. Too often, we've seen other Browns teams fold in similar situations. And those heartbreaking losses have many times lead to the 'woe is us' scenario and seasons that spiral out of control.
Not this time.
In addition, Jimmy and I touched on several other topics during Monday's Donovan & Dino:
- How will the team function without Nick Chubb after his MCL injury?
- Is Kareem Hunt ready to be a #1 back again?
- Why did the Browns struggle so mightily to put the Cowboys away?
- Late-game decision making
Check out Donovan & Dino in the player above or on our YouTube player below:
You can check out more thoughts from Sunday's win from 'The Voice of the Browns' by clicking on Jimmy's Take here.
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