How Can One Win Get The Cleveland Browns Season Back On Track?

At 1-3 on the season the Browns are desperate for a win as they visit the Washington Commanders in Week 5

Cleveland Browns defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54), center, carries what he thought would be a turnover with teammates running back Pierre Strong Jr. (20), safety Grant Delpit (9) and safety Rodney McLeod Jr. (12) celebrating along during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Part of the beauty of football is it's existence as a week-to-week sport, where the weight of any individual loss feels like the season is over, and the weight of any individual win serves as an open invitation to make Super Bowl travel arrangements.

For the Cleveland Browns, back-to-back losses to the Giants and Raiders have felt like the doomsday scenario of all doomsday scenarios, both inside and outside the team facility. From self inflicted wounds like untimely penalties, dropped passes and poor tackling, to an anemic offense that has yet to score 20 points in a game, not much has gone right for Cleveland through four games.

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But again, the beauty of football is that one single win can often serve as a secret elixir to a team's problems. A magical cure-all that in an instant can get a season back on track.

So as the Browns get ready for a Week 5 showdown with the Washington Commanders, the players recognize how much a win could right so many wrongs from this early portion of the season.

"Can be huge, especially a road win with a hot team like the Commanders," quarterback Deshaun Watson said this week. "It can definitely start something great and that's what we believe, but we got to win today. We got to win [each day of practice] and then go out there and just play free and try to get a W, and get a W on the road against a very good Commanders team, then that can really start something and we can build off that confidence and that momentum."

Like a slumping basketball player who sees one shot go in the basket, sometimes one win can spark a streak of wins. At 1-3 on the season the Browns could desperately use one of those to get things moving in the right direction.

Sometimes a win even serves as the perfect recipe to fix all of a team's warts. Veteran guard Joel Bitonio knows that.

"It's a lot easier to correct mistakes after a win, but truthfully we just have to play better," said Bitonio. "Scoring less than 20 points a game on offense isn't enough. And it's truly hurting ourselves. Guys are good in the NFL. People are going to lose blocks, people are going to get beat in a coverage and stuff like that. But if we can eliminate the MAs, if we can eliminate things that are the penalties, the stuff that's hurting ourselves, I think we'll be in a better position and getting a win I think will get the team going again in the right direction."

Momentum is a real thing in sports, not just some cliché that fans talk about. Watson mentioned it, and so did star wideout Amari Cooper, who has had a particularly rough start to his 2024 campaign. Given how difficult it can be to win on a week-to-week basis in this sport, he understands how one victory can change the outlook of Cleveland's season.

"Wins are very hard in this league," said Cooper. "Therefore, when you win one, it does create some momentum. Obviously, you have to carry it over to the next week, but it's never a bad thing to win in this league."

ICYMI: Nick Chubb described what it felt like to return to #Browns practice this week for the first time in over a year: https://t.co/6NRtPm8MIB

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There's a mutual understanding inside the Browns locker room that there is still plenty of time to accomplish everything they hope to as a team. That belief can dissipate quickly though if they were to drop to 1-4. Conversely a 2-3 record – while still concerning – could trigger the start of something special.

"Add 'em up, add 'em up. That's what we need," safety Grant Delpit said. "One win out of our belt road wins at that. They huge man. It's huge confidence boosters for the team. We haven't been playing our brand of football and we know that's what's been getting us beat. We've been finding ways to lose games and we are not going to win until we stop finding ways to lose. So listen, a road win, that's going to get some fire on us and continue that hopefully into the second quarter of the season."