Browns Vs. Texans: What if the Browns win? Lose?
The Cleveland Browns season didn’t start the way they had hoped. While the team was competitive against the very good Kansas City Chiefs, ultimately the final score was not in their favor. In the longest season in NFL history, one game may not have a big impact on the final results.
For the Browns, 16 – 1 is still a possibility.
Unlikely, but a possibility.
The team quickly moved on to Week 2 against the Houston Texans. While Browns Vs. Texans is not expected to be a close game, based on the spread which is something new for recent Browns games, no game in the NFL is certain.
Taking a second to look ahead to late Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, what would it look like if the Browns beat the Texans? What if the team loses to Houston, a team that had a highly problematic offseason?
The short answers are easy: Win? Good. Lose? Very bad. Let’s break it down some more.
What if the Browns Win?
(AP Photo/Don Wright)
Unfortunately for Cleveland, a win won't mean too much outside of the scoreboard and the standings. The team would move to 1 - 1 on the season but have proven very little by defeating Houston. Houston's Week 1 win was against a lowly Jacksonville Jaguars team and their offseason was notable for the problems and concerns. If the Browns destroy the Texans, the response will be a simple "Well they should have." If Cleveland struggles to put away Houston, the calls of "overrated" will begin. Not a "no-win" situation for the team but the win will not have a big impact on the conversation around the team. For the team, that is fine with them.
What if the Browns Lose?
An 0 - 2 start for the Cleveland Browns in 2021 could be one of the most catastrophic results for the psyche of their fans. As we have seen with the miles-long wait to get into the "Muni Lot" on Saturday night, fans have high expectations in 2021. It will also unleash a myriad of narrative stories through the local and national media:
All hype team
2020 was a fluke, look at their point differential
They should have played their starters during the preseason
The league has caught up with Kevin Stefanski
(No matter how he plays) Baker Mayfield can't lead a winner
Expectations will always sink this team
Hearing rumors Odell Beckham Jr. is angry he was held out to start the season
Doesn't matter what happens, we've seen they can't beat the best teams and now have this letdown
Will Jimmy Haslam do something rash? Should he?
Same ol' Browns
After a loss to the Texans and an 0 - 2 start, some of those narratives could be accurate but they are easy to predict as well.
Game Prediction
(AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Looking at what we expect the game flow to look like in Week 2 could actually lead to a little of both for the Browns. The game prediction is a Cleveland victory 24 - 17 over Houston. The expectation is that the Browns get out to an early lead then grind the clock to protect Mayfield given the concerns at left tackle. That clock griding could lead some to worry that the team "didn't step on the Texans' throat." For Cleveland, winning is all that matters. "Style points" don't really interest the leadership of the team any more than a "moral victory" against the Chiefs in Week 1 did.
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