National Football League

Browns find a way, somehow, again

Published Nov. 2, 2014 6:52 p.m. ET

foxsports

CLEVELAND -- Let's all go to Cincinnati and have a game that's essentially for first place, Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, and let's play it on national television, too.

Two months ago, that was crazy talk. Especially that "Browns" part.

Two days from now, it'll be the game everybody's talking about.

The Browns are a 5-3. A fortunate 5-3, a resilient 5-3, a really lacking in style points but style points don't matter 5-3. The Browns are improved, their defense is improving and their unpredictable special teams provided three field goals and two blocked kicks, and those things allowed the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers to get in their own way in key situations on Sunday, and because of that the Browns came out smiling and victorious, 22-17.

A flawed 5-3 beats the heck out of what it's been since the last time the Browns 5-3, way back in 2007. That team won 10 games; the Browns haven't won more than five in a season since.

These Browns are 4-1 at home. They won a second straight home game Sunday despite being outgained again, despite not really stopping the run again, despite a couple of interceptions by Brian Hoyer, who bounced back and provided the exclamation point with a game-winning 34-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Gabriel after a blocked punt; he only got the pass off after a big block by Terrance West to thwart an oncoming rusher.

That's called complementary football. The Bucs helped, too; they were in a three-deep coverage on that pass but still lost Gabriel on the right side of the field after Hoyer rolled left.

"No one should be able to get behind a three-deep coverage," Bucs coach Lovie Smith said.

The Browns owe the schedule makers a drink.

Hoyer is on his way to never buying his own drink in Cleveland again. He was 21-of-34 passing for 300 yards Sunday. He was sacked three times, smacked hard on at least a dozen others and got booed in the third quarter after a second straight three and out sequence. He stunk at times but delivered in the biggest moments, again, and the Browns still have a patchwork receiving corps and are getting bullied on the interior of the offensive line and Hoyer keeps coming back swinging.

He's not perfect. He's a survivor.

"When it's all said and done, we're 5-3 and we're moving on," Hoyer said.

Hoyer is 8-3 as the Browns starter. Graded on a Cleveland Browns curve, that's like 800-3.

With the cupcake portion of the schedule out of the way and the Bengals looming, he's 0-0. We're only five days away from the biggest Browns game in seven years.

"It's a quick week," Hoyer said. "I have to get home and start watching Cincinnati."

Another interception Sunday extended Tashaun Gipson's NFL-best season total to six. Gipson and Joe Haden and Donte Whitner are leading a secondary that's playing better every week, and Gipson said after the game that he "can't wait to play meaningful football in November."

That's both a nod to the condifence with which these Browns are carrying themselves and a sobering reminder of how bad things have been for the Browns for so long.

Thursday night, they'll ply the biggest game they've played in so long knowing that the way to keep playing such games and keep raising the stakes is to keep winning. They know, too, that the Bengals aren't the Bucs or the Raiders. Ditto for what follows.

One at a time is a favorite coach's cliche.

It sure is fun when the one big game gets here, and it's coming Thursday.

"It's big," Browns coach Mike Pettine admitted when the postgame conversation turned to the Browns being 5-3. "We'll celebrate a little bit tonight but emphasis on a little. It's a short week.

"We know we have to be all in this week."

The Browns are going to Cincinnati to play a game that really matters, one that can change perceptions and attitudes and set the stage for the rest of them.

The Browns will show up and fight.

For the first time in a long time, lots of people will be watching.