It’s OK to admit it if you had doubts about yesterday’s game. We had no healthy running backs left who’d been in the Browns’ training camp. We’d just lost to the Jets, while the Ravens, even with their backup quarterback, mustered a road win the week before. Then we surrendered an opening drive touchdown for the fourth time this year. Derrick Henry was gashing our depleted D-line for double-digit yards at a time. Deshaun Watson looked downright skittish, scrambling into sacks or short gains. The Browns had more punts than first downs in the first half, which ended in a 10-0 hole.
But the defense held fast, and the offense at least protected the ball well enough to keep the Browns within striking distance. So Carson Schwesinger struck, knocking the ball free from Henry for the game’s sole turnover. It was a gutsy game from Schwesinger, overcoming a sprained ankle to tally a team-high 13 tackles and force his second fourth-quarter fumble in as many weeks. The Browns drove 35 yards for the tying touchdown.
And yet, it was still in doubt when Andre Szmyt missed the go-ahead field goal, giving the Ravens the ball about 25 yards from field goal range with 3:40 to go. But Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, the rangy rookie safety from Toledo, filling in for the concussed Grant Delpit, was instrumental in forcing another three-and-out. And Watson, for all his shortcomings, came through again in the clutch, hitting Jerry Jeudy in stride over the middle on a critical third-and-five. The 33-yard gain set Szmyt up for redemption, and (after the first kick was blocked by an encroaching rusher) he hit the walk-off field goal to put the Browns back in first place!
We had a hearty crew of 19 on hand at the Northville Sports Den to bear witness. Cheryl Popp, our Backer of the Week, regaled us at halftime with the enduring love story that made her a Browns fan. Dave Kubinski won the 50/50 raffle and most kindly donated his net winnings back to our chosen charity, Dementia Friendly Services. And Shawn Pignatiello and family went home with a Browns pillow after answering the second-string trivia question, as the first question seems to stump the room each week. They were as follows (answers below):
- Joe Flacco wore number 15 for the Browns, but back in 2013, it was another Brown wearing that number who scored two receiving touchdowns as the Browns upset Flacco and the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens. Who was it?
- Name the Bay Village, Ohio native who was the only player to wear number 15 for both the Browns and the Ravens.
CLUB NOTES
Browns Backers clubs, at their best, do more than just watch games together. Ours has a long history of boosting local charities, and that’s been a big feature of this year’s revitalization efforts. Dementia Friendly Services, our designated cause this season, makes communities more supportive places for people living with dementia and their families. Its programs include workshops, social gatherings, accommodating movie outings, and caregiver companions.
DFS is directly benefiting from our biweekly 50/50 raffles and our ongoing Change for Charity collection of loose coins. We’re in a season-long challenge with Beer City Browns Backers of Grand Rapids to see which club can gather the most metal money for our respective non-profits. Word is that those west-siders are bringing in Ziploc baggies full of coins in hopes of taking the trophy, so please chip in at our weekly watch parties! We also have Dementia Friendly Services‘ 2027 (beautiful!) photo calendar available to take home, with a suggested donation of $15, which all goes to the cause.
We’ll be hearing from our charity’s founder at our 20th anniversary celebration on Feb. 7. Are you on board yet to join “Top Dawg” Hanford Dixon and the rest of us at top-rated Slows Bar BQ in downtown Ann Arbor? Please make your reservations soon so we can nail down our program and fill the room for this special event.
Super Bowl-sized thanks go out to two club members this week:
- Michael McGrath, for donating a signed Jamie Meder (the Pierogi Prince of Parma) #98 jersey to the club, and
- Dick Nolan, for a most generous contribution that substantially stabilizes SEMBB’s finances in support of our renewed efforts to bring Browns fans together for many bigger and better days ahead.
and speaking of which …
WEEK SEVEN PREVIEW
For the first time this season, the Browns are the betting favorites, as they head to Nashville to take on the 1-5 Tennessee Titans on Sunday at 1 p.m. First-year coach Robert Saleh’s crew forced three turnovers and racked up six sacks to get off the schneid and beat the Colts 26-20. A win would propel the Browns to 5-2 for the first time since the playoff (and pandemic) season of 2020.
No shutdowns or social distancing are required this time, so why not slide on over to the Den and join us for the festivities? We’ll have another Backer of the Week introduction, more trivia, and a unique and useful raffle prize: a set of four 1970s vintage Browns drinking glasses.
In the meantime, let’s toast our first-place Brownies and enjoy the rest of Victory Monday!
Bark hard, keep the faith, have a great week, and we’ll see you soon.
Brownsgirl (Susan) and Ace Davis (Dave)
https://maybethisyear.com/ P.S. trivia answers: Davone BessDave Zastudil |