The Cleveland Browns managed to not lose on Sunday for the first time since December of 2016, but their tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers should have been a win. Hue Jackson’s team had multiple opportunities to end its drought and blew them all, which is something the franchise has grown accustomed to.
There are countless statistics that show how horrible the Browns have been for the past decade, but one from Sunday’s tie really jumps out. As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell notes, the Browns had a turnover margin of plus-5 against Pittsburgh. Of the last 137 teams to have that turnover margin in a game, 132 won. Three of the five teams that came up short were Browns teams.
The Browns are +5 in takeaways today. Since the Browns returned to the NFL, teams with a turnover margin of +5 or better in a game are 132-4-1. The Browns are responsible for two of those losses and the tie.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) September 9, 2018
When they say a team can’t get out of its own way, that is exactly what they mean.
The Browns had the ball in Steelers territory near the end of regulation, but Tyrod Taylor threw an interception while trying to force a deep ball to Josh Gordon. Cleveland then recovered a fumble with less than a minute left in overtime and had a chance to win it with a 42-yard field goal, which of course was blocked.
On the bright side, the Browns on Sunday did not look like the Browns of 2017. A win should be coming at some point, and even Bud Light has recognized that. Still, you can’t help but feel like they’re cursed when things unfold the way they did against the Steelers.
