As a Cleveland Browns fan the 2023 season was one to remember. However, how will you remember it? Was it the one where magic seemed to be the name of the game for the team and things that we hadn’t seen for years started happening in a good way? Was it the injuries, injuries, and more injuries, and how this team persevered through it all? Or was it how the team collapsed under the pressure of a playoff game and looked discombobulated and lost?

While many of you will try in your minds to stick with the “feel good” moments on the season and there were plenty of those, I’m still gonna look at this season as one that was a lost opportunity at getting to a Super Bowl.

The Browns have never been to one of these and as we look to Super Bowl 58 in a few weeks, Cleveland faithful will be sitting around wondering when will we get our next opportunity?

The sad part of this Browns season is that despite the adversity that this team ran up against seemingly all season long, they were in an excellent position to ride their magic carpet ride all the way to the big game but they failed miserably and that will stick with me for a while longer.

The Browns will rise again as they prepare for the 2024 season, but it takes a lot of things to get back to the postseason and while most today from the players, fans, and media all expect this team to do that next season, it’s not a given.

Cleveland will get back quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back Nick Chubb and both these players will play huge roles in that push back to the playoffs. But there will be more obstacles next season and those can either side-track you or motivate you even more. That’s what we saw this season. The spectacular play of many players from quarterback Joe Flacco, wide receiver Amari Cooper or the linebacking play of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah all helped get this team to the postseason.

Do you remember the 2020 Browns season? Do you remember how that team led by then-quarterback Baker Mayfield was a play or two from getting to the AFC Championship Game? What happened the next season and the one after that? That’s right…they ended in sub-500 records and a lot of pointing fingers in the “blame game”.

I certainly am not predicting that to happen again next season as coach Kevin Stefanski will likely get a new contract with the team. The positives on this season, certainly from a factual view will carry into history, but those of us who watched that dreadful performance by the Browns last week will certainly remember this season as another lost opportunity.