CLEVELAND — The moment did not go unnoticed by Joel Bitonio. The Browns All-Pro left guard’s face showed that even more than anything he said.
The Browns saw any hopes of a playoff appearance or winning season dissipate in the icy winds of Saturday afternoon’s 17-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The best they can hope for is another 8-9 finish and perhaps spoil the Washington Commanders’ NFC Wild Card hopes on New Year’s Day.
For Bitonio, the oldest Browns player, the pain of that reality was etched into his face as he spoke after the loss. That’s even when he said the thing one would only expect to hear from him when asked if he’s allowed one eye to look at what the next season could be.
“I’m focused on this year,” said Bitonio.
The Browns could always hide behind the potential – no matter how mathematically slim – to make the playoffs as motivation, as long as it was still available to them. Even if the playoffs weren’t something they could realistically achieve, they could also end the season with just their fourth winning season since the franchise’s 1999 revival.
Now, the question of motivation is a real one for them to face. What it becomes, though, is an individual rather than a team-centric issue.
“If you don’t have some kind of edge or chip on your shoulder to just play any Sunday, Saturday, Monday or Thursday, that’s not a good thing,” receiver Amari Cooper said. “This is our livelihood, this is how we support our families. No matter how you look at it, you have to find a reason why you want to go out there and do a great performance, because that’s a privilege.
“You look at the stats – players don’t play that long in this league. You want to go out there and show that you can be that player that beats those odds.”
If the Browns are looking for examples to justify why this will continue to be the case, they can look to the last month. They were eliminated in October after a four-game losing streak left them at 2–5, and then gave a glimmer of hope in a stunning Halloween Night rout of the Cincinnati Bengals.
They were eliminated again in November after back-to-back disappointing showings against AFC East heavyweights Miami and Buffalo. However, the Browns once again left the door open by winning three of their last four against the Saints.
That door was finally closed when New Orleans’ Carl Granderson sacked quarterback Deshaun Watson on fourth down inside the red zone with 19 seconds left. Just 24 seconds earlier, it looked ready to stay open a little longer when David Bell caught an 18-yard pass to the Saints 15.
Bell thinks the fight on a day like Saturday, which was the Browns’ second coldest home game in terms of starting temperature, shows they aren’t going to roll and play dead against Washington and Pittsburgh.
“I think we’re going to finish strong,” said Bell. “We still have a lot to play for. … This is a team that never gives up. As you can see in this game, we fought until the end. Things didn’t go our way, but until the clock hit triple zero, we were still fighting.
“So I think with the next two games, we’re still going to go with the same mentality, because if we finish strong with that, it could roll over to next season.”
This is the kind of conversation that veterans like Bitonio or Cooper can appreciate from a newcomer. At this point in the season, as much as at any other point, the motivation is as much personal pride as anything else.
For many of the Browns, Saturday may have been their last home game with the team. Where their path takes them next season, whether it’s still in Cleveland or elsewhere in the NFL, may depend on “putting a good movie out there and just doing your job,” as linebacker Reggie Ragland put it.
“I think it’s one week at a time,” said security guard John Johnson III. “Like I said, this is a business. It’s just a profession. There are many moving parts. So you have to take it one week at a time, one day at a time and just try to do your best.”
When the Browns, one by one, left their stadium for the last time this season, they passed a wall of mirrors exiting the locker room area.
There is an appropriate metaphor in this fact. When the Browns left, they no doubt thought about why they were left to once again look in the mirror and wonder what could have happened to their season.
“Very disappointing,” said defensive end Myles Garrett. “It is not where we want to be. It’s not where we expected to be at the start of the season. At the end of the day, you have to keep fighting. You have to be proud of your work and what you do. A lot of guys in this locker room love this game and want to give it their all. You have to keep fighting regardless of what the details are or what the circumstances are. I just have to keep going.”
Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.
On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ
Comments
Post a Comment