Kartje: Browns rally behind a possum and a rookie QB to end Cleveland’s suffering

In the upper deck of FirstEnergy Stadium, in the midst of another miserable quarter of Browns football, a possum was found loose in the stands.

Anywhere else, such an occurrence would be profoundly bizarre. But in Cleveland, it felt strangely – and depressingly – fitting. The Browns hadn’t won a game in 635 days. A week earlier, they missed two extra points and two field goals to blow a winnable game against the Saints. Days later, they cut their kicker and traded one of their top wideouts to the Patriots. For the league’s preeminent bottom-feeding franchise, a rodent problem in the stadium was basically par for the course.

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Around these parts, hope was pretty much impossible to come by. The Browns’ last winning season was over a decade ago. Their last playoff appearance came in 2002. Their last playoff win came on New Year’s Day, 1995, four months before their rookie quarterback was even born.

And so, as the Browns defense allowed two second-quarter touchdowns and security struggled to contain the situation in the stands, one Cleveland man, with a No. 99 jersey tucked into bright orange windbreaker pants, took matters into his own hands. He charged right up to the possum, grabbed it by the tail and held it aloft, in glorious victory.

Browns fan just secured a possum

(via steve_bertolino/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/k6Oqet5Kcs

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 21, 2018

Not long after that, everything changed in Cleveland.

When we discuss the Baker Mayfield era, years from now, the possum will probably be lost to history. (Though, as of the next morning, “Rally Possum” shirts were already on sale.) But in those moments before Mayfield entered the game late in the second quarter, before he set the Jets defense ablaze, led the Browns to their first victory in two seasons, galvanized a long-suffering franchise and opened coolers of free Bud Light across the city, all Cleveland had to celebrate was one dude catching a possum in the bleachers.

Now, though, there is hope. It came in the form of Mayfield, last April’s No. 1 overall pick, who entered Thursday night’s game late in the second quarter and immediately energized a lifeless offense. He replaced Tyrod Taylor, who would have stayed in the game, if not for a concussion. But in spite of Hue Jackson’s poor judgment, destiny intervened, anyway.

And boy, did destiny make its intentions known. On his first drive, Mayfield charged down the field before halftime, and the Browns kicked a field goal. Cleveland was still down by two scores, but the energy in the building had shifted entirely.

After the break, Mayfield proceeded to dice up the Jets defense with eye-popping precision, connecting with his wideouts in a way Taylor hadn’t come close this season. He cycled through his reads with ease and dialed up dazzling throw after dazzling throw. Long before the Browns comeback was complete, it felt preordained.

In Cleveland, where a possum loose in the stands felt more normal than actually believing in the Browns, this sentiment was totally unfamiliar. No team in NFL history had been tortured more by the quarterback position, but suddenly, here was a Browns quarterback exuding confidence, delivering dimes over the middle and in traffic, doing what no one believed he could do.

Mayfield ultimately finished 17 of 23 for 201 yards, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a Cleveland fan who remembers a single one of those incompletions. What Mayfield did on Thursday night transcended box scores.

Of course, what matters most is still to come. This is only one win. It’s a minuscule sample size to judge a quarterback. And it came against a team unprepared for Mayfield and his skill set.

But don’t bother telling that to the city of Cleveland. Let them have this one. Because after a depressing stretch of dismal quarterbacks, from Tim Couch to Charlie Frye to Spergon Wynn and Brady Quinn, the Browns have finally found a quarterback who maybe, just maybe, is capable of saving the league’s worst franchise.

For a city in desperate need of a little hope, that’s a whole lot more exciting than catching a possum.

BEST BET OF WEEK 3

Atlanta (-3) over New Orleans. The Saints needed two missed extra points and two missed field goals last week to sneak by a team that hadn’t won a football game since Christmas Eve 2016. New Orleans just isn’t right at the moment. Atlanta, meanwhile, is 5-1 against the spread in its last six home games and won each of their last two at home against the Saints. The Falcons haven’t set the world on fire this season, but they also haven’t given up 48 points at home to the Bucs.

Season record: 2-0Last week: Chargers (-7.5) over Bills — WIN

FANTASY PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, 49ers. In fantasy football, shootouts are your friend, and this week, with a matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the high-flying Chiefs offense, Garoppolo is going to have to sling it around for the 49ers to keep pace in Kansas City. The Chiefs have allowed 430 passing yards per game through two weeks. Count on Garoppolo to, at least, surpass 300 yards this week.

PRO FOOTBALL REFERENCE NICKNAME OF THE WEEK

Patrick Mahomes, “Fatrick”. I’m not sure where Pro Football Reference digs up the bizarre (and often hilarious) nicknames listed on their site, but they must’ve had to go to Mahomes’ elementary school playground to procure this one. As someone once nicknamed “Fartje” during a playground football game, I can sympathize.

TOP 5 … REASONS TO RETIRE FROM THE BUFFALO BILLS IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME

5. Because it’s winter. In December and January, Buffalo is an icy winter hellscape. It’s basically unlivable. Who wants to hit someone in that cold?

4. Because you can’t afford to have any more children. Former Bills wideout Jordan Matthews said this week that he’s a father because of his time in Buffalo. “There wasn’t anything else to do there, but each other,” he said.

3. Because your coach once benched Tyrod Taylor for Nathan Peterman. Everyone not named Sean McDermott knew this would be a disaster. Six interceptions later, it became more like performance art.

2. Because your coach then started Nathan Peterman in Week 1 the next season. Seriously, does this guy not learn?

1. Because you can literally be anywhere else. Buffalo is freezing cold. There’s nothing to do there. Niagara Falls is overrated. The football team is about all there is. And did we mention that it’s the worst in the league?

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