Last Sunday afternoon at Huntington Bank Field the Cleveland Browns lost in a upset to the New York Giants 21-15. The disappointing loss bothered many Cleveland Browns fans who had high expectations this season. The Cleveland Browns were a 6.5-point favorite in that game. But there was a time in Cleveland Browns history that after a disappointing 1-2 start, the Browns went on to have a successful season.

In 1986 the Cleveland Browns started the season with a 1-2 record. They lost the season opener to the defending Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears 41-31. In week two the Browns defeated the Houston Oilers 23-20. In the third week of that season the Cleveland Browns hosted the Cincinnati Bengals for a Thursday night game. The Browns lost that game in miserable fashion by a score of 30-13. It was a low point for Browns fans that season.

Most Cleveland Browns fans reading this are not old enough to remember or even know the 1986 Cleveland Browns. They probably heard about how it ended with the infamous John Elway drive game in the AFC Championship game. But they never really heard of the journey to the 1986 AFC Championship game for the Cleveland Browns. The team had leadership that was undeterred by adversity.

Then head coach Marty Schottenheimer did not let the season get away form his team. Two weeks later that team ended the Three Rivers jinx by defeating the Steelers in Pittsburgh by a score of 27-24. That was the first time the Browns beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh in 16 years. The Cleveland Browns finished the 1986 season with a 12-4 record and a division title. They even won a playoff game for the first time since 1969 that season.  Can this happen again in 2024?

I am not saying that this will be the repeat of the 1986 Browns season. I am just saying that the season is far from over at this point. There are 14 games left on the schedule and what this team does for the rest of the season will be indicative of its leadership. Let’s just see what happens.