Welcome to first place, Browns fans! Last Thursday night’s 27-24 takedown of Aaron Rodgers and the dastardly Steelers is drawing national attention to what could be this season’s Cinderella story. The first quarter boded ill, with the Browns’ two short possessions sandwiching a long Steeler touchdown drive in which our defensive MVP so far, Mason Graham, went down with a sprained knee and ankle. But star cornerback Denzel Ward turned the tide with a timely pick, soon followed by the Browns’ longest run of the season, a nifty 28-yard touchdown by little Jaleel McLaughlin, college football’s all-time leading rusher. The Browns owned the second quarter, adding short touchdowns by Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin on drives that included their longest pass play of the year, a 60-yarder to (dare we say Gordonesque?) rookie revelation Denzel Boston.
Buoyed by a rabid home crowd, the Browns overcame nine penalties and two second-half turnovers from Deshaun Watson. They sacked Rodgers five times and benefitted from excellent punting by Corey Bojorquez, a few rare Jerry Jeudy sightings in the wild, and a long last-minute field goal from Andre Szmyt, to the delight of our watch party crowd of 16 at the Northville Sports Den.
Congrats to the lucky ticket holder for our 50/50 raffle, Michael Drops, who was kind enough to donate a chunk of his $45 winnings to further benefit Dementia Friendly Services. Class act, that.
Kevin from Toledo returned to SEMBB after several years away, and he correctly answered our second trivia question, half of it anyway. No one attempted a guess at the first one, so we figured that was good enough to take the prize. Here are both questions, starting with the stumper (answers below):
- What former Steelers first-round pick later became the first and only Cleveland Brown whose father also played for the Browns?
- Name the two defensive players who each played over 65 games for both the Steelers and the Browns.
CLUB NOTES
Mark your calendar and act now to join us in what promises to be a very special Sunday afternoon: our humble club’s 20th anniversary celebration. If Browns Legend “Top Dawg” Hanford Dixon and 1964 NFL Championship team member Ed Bettridge can commit to being there on Feb. 7, then so should you! Slows Bar BQ in downtown Ann Arbor is hosting, and nearby street and garage parking is free all day. Available seating is dwindling, so don’t miss out. Check out the details here and save your spot while you can!
WEEK FIVE PREVIEW
We’ll be back in our accustomed private room at the Den this Sunday at 1, as the 3-1 Browns take on the 1-3 New York Jets. Will it be as epic as the first-ever Monday Night Football game in 1970, the double-overtime thriller in the 1986 playoffs, the miraculous comeback that saved the 2002 season, or Baker Mayfield’s stellar career debut in 2018? Come join us to find out! The Browns and Jets have
We’ll have a prizeworthy raffle, more trivia, another Backer of the Week introduction, brown and orange merch, our ongoing “Change for Charity” collection, and — we hope — as much to cheer about as we’ve enjoyed the last three weeks.
Bark hard, keep the faith, have a great week, and we’ll see you soon.
Brownsgirl (Susan) and Ace Davis (Dave)
