Week 17: The Comeback Kids

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 28, 2009
WEEK 17

CLEVELAND, O.H. - "The Comeback Kids" did it again. Several times earlier this year the Browns narrowly escaped defeat with a game-changing play late in the 4th quarter. This time, the stakes were much higher. With the entire season in the balance, the Browns found themselves starting a drive at their own 15 with the score tied at 20 and less than a minute to play. Four plays and 43 seconds later, the Browns kicked the game-winning field goal to beat the Bengals 23-20 and advance to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Kellen Winslow Jr. (TE), called "Moses" by his teammates, offered an explanation for the comebacks that probably had coach Jesse McGrew shaking his head.

"It's humanly impossible to stop us," he said. "We cannot be stopped. Period. We are the best team in this league at finding ways to win. We are the Houdini of the vNFL. Just try and stop us."


Daryl Nied catches a 34-yard pass from Brady Quinn against the Bengals to set up the game-winning field goal with 12 seconds left

The more cerebral Daryl Nied (TE), who played a prominent role in a number of these comeback plays, simply called them "Miracles of the Week." Displaying an unusual level of maturity for a rookie, he said, "A lot of football is luck. What matters is what you do with the lucky breaks you get, and of course, how you survive when things aren't going your way. We can't take credit when the other team misses field goals or commits penalties, just as we can't be blamed for freak injuries that make or break a season. That's football. But when we rise to the challenge by taking advantage of the opportunities we get or overcoming the obstacles in our way, that's when I'm proudest to call myself a Brown."

Looking back on the season, the Browns have certainly had more than their fair share of lucky breaks:

• Week 3 vs. JAC - With the Jaguars leading 10-6 in the 4th quarter, Chaun Thompson (LB) intercepted a pass at the Cleveland 2 yard line to give the Browns one more shot at a comeback. Final score 13-10.

• Week 5 vs. DEN - With the Broncos leading 27-24 in the 4th quarter, Braylon Edwards (WR) caught a bomb from Brady Quinn (QB) for a 52-yard TD with 2:56 left on the clock. Final score 31-27.

• Week 12 vs. CHI - With the Bears leading 17-13 in the 4th quarter, Nied converted two long 3rd down passes from Quinn, turning one of them into the go-ahead TD with 0:50 left on the clock. Final score 20-17.

• Week 16 vs. GBY - With the game tied at 23 in the 4th quarter, rookie George Halkin (SS) intercepted a pass at the Green Bay 46 yard line to give the Browns a short field with 3:58 left on the clock. Final score 26-23.

• Week 17 vs. CIN - With the game tied at 20 in the 4th quarter, Nied caught a 34-yard pass from Quinn to put the Browns in position to kick the winning field goal with 0:12 left on the clock. Final score 23-20.

Next week, the Browns travel to Indianapolis to play the Colts in the marquee game of Wild Card weekend. The Colts are favored to win by 2.


Players of the Week


Brady Quinn (QB) - 24 of 32 for 242 yds (7.56 ypa, 2 TD)


Devin Fox (RB) - 11 for 123 yds (11.18 ypc)


Phil Dawson (K) - 3 for 3 FG, 48 Lg, 2 for 2 PAT


The Good


In Week 2, George "DMZ" Halkin returned a pick 64 yards for a TD against the Vikings

1. With 100 tackles (including assists), 1 sack, and 8 INTs, Halkin is the leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Drafted by Cleveland with the 30th pick in the 3rd round, it's fair to say that Halkin's performance this year has been a very pleasant surprise. "We knew he would be good," said director of player personnel Howie Craig. "But not THIS good." His teammates have taken to calling him "DMZ," short for demilitarized zone. Why? "Cause nothing gets past that kid," said Thompson. Along with a ball-hungry linebacker corps, Halkin has put the Browns at the top of the league in INTs with 28 during the regular season. Big plays like these on defense have helped the Browns win a number of games this year, and they will need more of the same if they hope to survive in the coming weeks.
2. After two years of uninspiring performances by the highly scrutinized, often criticized (we plead guilty on that count) Brady Quinn, fans in Cleveland were beginning to wonder whether drafting him with the 1st overall pick in 2007 was a mistake. This year, he proved all of his critics wrong, completing 71% of his passes for 3,518 yards (7.66 ypa), 23 TD, 8 INT, and a 102.5 passer rating. Though Quinn continues to have difficulty evading the pass rush, he has yet to miss a game due to injury. That kind of toughness has won the respect of his teammates and his coaching staff.

The Bad

1. What happened to Cleveland's ground game? Fox has gotten only 37 carries in the last 3 games combined. A source who asked not to be identified told us that offensive coordinator Jack Forbes had rolled out a new game plan during the last few weeks of the season to test the limits of the offense's versatility. There is no word on which game plan Forbes plans to use for the Wild Card game against the Colts.
2. The Dawg Pound has been uncharacteristically quiet these past few weeks. Perhaps it is taking the linebackers some time to adjust to defensive coordinator Lee Sims' new schemes. About midway through the season, after injuries took Kamerion Wimbley and D'Qwell Jackson out for several weeks, the Browns switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3. Is it time to switch back, or is now the wrong time to be making a change? Whatever the case, we want more sacks!

The Ugly

1. Injuries, while not devastating, have plagued the Browns this season like a bad cough that just won't go away. Though the defense appears to have recovered from a rash of injuries that decimated the linebacker corps in the middle of the season, the offense limps into the post-season nursing injuries in every unit and missing a handful of key role players. So far, the Browns have been able to win games in spite of the injuries, but how many more times can you expect them to beat the odds? Next week, they play a rested and healthy Indianapolis.

Injury Report

Brandon Jacobs (RB) - Questionable (sprained knee)
Terrelle Smith (FB) - Out (tonsilitis)
Braylon Edwards (WR) - Questionable (sprained knee)
Ernest Wilford (WR) - Out (dislocated shoulder)
Eric Beverly (TE) - Probable (knee tendinitis)
Jeremy Bridges (T) - Out (separated shoulder)
Jeno James (G) - Probable (strained rotator cuff)
Ricardo Walker (DE) - Probable (broken finger)