Browns expect to play with pride, edge despite no playoff chances

On Dec 25, 2022

CLEVELAND − The moment wasn’t lost on Joel Bitonio. The Browns’ All-Pro left guard’s face showed it even more than anything that he said.

The Browns saw any hope of a playoff appearance or a winning season blow away in the frigid 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, maybe, spoil the Washington Commanders’ NFC Wild Card hopes on New Year’s Day.

For Bitonio, the longest-tenured Browns player, the pain of that reality was etched across his face as he spoke following the loss. That’s even as he said the thing one would only expect to hear from him when it asked if he’s allowed one eye to peek toward what could be next season.

“I’m focused on this year,” Bitonio said.

The Browns could always hide behind the potential − no matter how mathematically slim − of making the playoffs as motivation as long as it was still out there for them. Even if the playoffs weren’t something they could realistically attain, they could also fall back on finishing the season with just the fourth winning season since the franchise’s rebirth in 1999.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) rushes for a first down during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Now, the question of motivation is a real one for them to face. What it becomes, though, is a more individual-based question than a team-centric one.

“If you don’t have some type of edge or chip on your shoulder to just play on any given Sunday, Saturday or 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 should find a reason to want to go out there and put on a great performance because this is a privilege. You look at the statistics, 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 to examples to back up why that will remain the case, they can look to the last month. They were written off in October after a four-game losing streak left them at 2-5, then gave a flash of hope in an impressive Halloween night rout of the Cincinnati Bengals.

They were written off again in November after back-to-back disappointing showing against AFC East heavyweights Miami and Buffalo. However, the Browns once again left the door cracked by winning three of their last four coming into the game with the Saints.

That door was finally slammed shut 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 seemed ready to stay open just a little bit longer when David Bell caught an 18-yard pass to the Saints’ 15.

Bell thinks that fight on a day like Saturday, which was the second-coldest Browns home game ever in terms of kickoff temperature, shows they’re not going to roll over and play dead against Washington and Pittsburgh.

“I think we’re going to finish strong,” Bell said. “We have a lot to play for still. … This is a team that never gives up. As you could see within this game, we fought to the end. Things didn’t go our way, but until that clock hit triple zero, we were still fighting. So I think with those next two games coming up, we’ll still go with that same mindset ‘cause then if we finish strong with that, then it can roll over to the next season.”

That’s the kind of talk veterans like Bitonio or Cooper can appreciate from a rookie. At this point in a season, as much as any point, the motivation is as much a personal pride as it is anything else.

For many of the Browns, Saturday may have been their final home game with the team. Where their path takes them next season, be it still in Cleveland or elsewhere around the NFL, could depend on “putting good film out there and just doing your job,” as linebacker Reggie Ragland said.

“I think it’s one week at a time,” safety John Johnson III said. “Like I said this, it’s a business. It’s just profession. It’s a lot of moving pieces. So you gotta take it one week at a time, one day at a time and just try to give it your best.”

As the Browns, one by one, left their home stadium for the final time this season. They walked past a wall of mirror departing the locker room area.

There’s a fitting metaphor within that fact. As the Browns left, they no doubt thought about why they were left once again to have to look in the mirror and wonder what could’ve been with their season.