Story by
Browns' 4th-quarter magic is turning into belief heading to Pittsburgh
- Story by
- Browns' 4th-quarter magic is turning into belief heading to Pittsburgh
Todd Monken 's a football coach. So ask the Browns coach to put something in perspective, and that perspective is going to be skewed a certain way.
In other words, ask Monken to put into perspective the way both his team as a whole and quarterback Deshaun Watson , specifically, have played down the stretch of the four games the Browns have won in the final two minutes, and he's not necessarily going to follow the popular storylines.
Advertisement
"I mean, that's really more of a narrative than what we talk about here, other than … I mean, the flip side is we haven't started very fast," Monken said on a Zoom call Oct. 26. "So, at the end of the day, we've got to start faster, and it's all about this week.
"But I'm proud of Deshaun , the way he's battled back in games at times and found a way to take us down the field and give us a chance for victory. And the whole offense in general, and there's been times our defense has made big stops. It's given us opportunities."
Subscribe to Browns Insider newsletter
Opportunities such as the one that awaits Nov. 1 in Pittsburgh. The Browns' latest Houdini act saw them escape from Nashville with a 27-24 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Advertisement
The win over the Titans, capped by a game-winning 32-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt as time expired, improved the Browns to 5-2 this season. That puts them in first place in the AFC North with the team they'll face next — the 5-2 Steelers.
The winner of the game will have sole possession of the division lead to start November. Monken, though, wasn't even going there with his line of thinking.
"I just think about, really, day to day," Monken said. "Like today, I was talking to the team about the game, and I was putting that to bed and making the corrections that we can make and then we'll get on to Pittsburgh. And when they come in Wednesday, it's, 'How can we have the best Wednesday possible?"'
The Browns already own one win over the Steelers, in Week 4, by the same 27-24 score by which they beat the Titans. However, that win essentially followed the same script of the one they used against Tennessee.
Advertisement
The Browns fell into early holes in both games: 7-0 to the Steelers, and 14-0 to the Titans. The Browns led at halftime in both games, then held fourth-quarter leads of 24-16 on Pittsburgh and 24-17 on Tennessee.
The Steelers eventually tied it 24-24 with 1:42 left, and the Titans did the same with 58 seconds remaining. Yet both games ended, essentially, on kicks by Szmyt, who hit a 56-yarder with 10 seconds left to beat the Steelers.
"I mean, it's amazing," left guard Zion Johnson said on a Oct. 26 Zoom call. "I just know everyone on offense, defense, special teams, just the whole team in general, when we're in those situations, we feel very confident. We know that we're going to be able to knock down the opportunity and get it done.
"So it's just very unique to be a part of a group that in those situations just has the confidence to go out there and knock down the opportunity."
Advertisement
Szmyt has kicked game-winners for the Browns in the final 10 seconds of their last three wins. He also had a 37-yarder as time expired to beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-10 in Week 6.
Watson, though, had to lead the Browns to a touchdown to beat the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. After the Panthers took an 18-13 lead with 4:25 remaining, he led them on a eight-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:48 remaining for the 21-18 win.
Fannin also played a major role in the latest game-winning drive with a 36-yard reception to put the Browns in position for Szmyt to kick the field goal with three seconds remaining to beat the Titans. Watson was 3-of-3 passing for 50 yards on the drive.
"It's never easy," Watson said after the game. "So every game is different, every situation is different. But it definitely builds confidence for sure."
Advertisement
Watson has been a combined 13-of-18 passing for 167 yards with a touchdown on the four game-winning drives. Over the last three against Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Tennessee, he's a combined 10 of 12 for 137 yards.
That's where the "clutch" narrative, if you want to call it that, draws its origin. Although Monken won't buy into narratives, he'll begrudgingly acknowledge performances like that do help to create belief.
"I think some of that is true," Monken said. "There's only so much belief you can have without having the results play that out. That's where belief comes from. In relationships, in life, that belief comes from a certain amount of trust. And so, I think there's a part of that. I think our players have a belief in each other, and I think they've done a great job of playing the next play, irrespective of the score or what's happened in the last series, last play, where we're at in the game.
Advertisement
"I think they've done a very good job of that. I think that just happens to be one part of the game where we've made some plays at the end. We've got some really good skill players, and Deshaun's let it rip."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns' 4th-quarter magic is turning into belief heading to Pittsburgh
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
