Of all the social media posts, memes, T-shirts, et cetera, with self-deprecating humor about the pro football team on the lakefront, no slogan is more apropos than this: “We almost always almost win * Cleveland Browns.”
Our lovable losers wasted no time living up to that mantra in the 2025 season.
The Browns lost 17-16 to the annoying intra-state rival Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener despite racking up big edges in total yards (327-141), first downs (22-11) and offensive plays (71-49). Cleveland limited standout quarterback Joe Burrow to a measly 113 yards passing and held the Bengals to a minuscule 7 net yards in the second half.
Yet, the Browns still managed to pull defeat from the jaws of victory once again.
Cleveland dropped to a pathetic 3-23-1 in season-opening games since returning to the NFL in 1999. We know the Browns’ regular seasons don’t turn out any better, with just three playoff seasons (2002, 2020, 2023) and one postseason win (2020) in that span.
The Browns blew their chance of getting the 2025 season off on the right foot when rookie kicker Andre Szymt’s right foot misfired.
Oh, Szymt! The former NCAA Kicker of the Year for Syracuse missed two kicks that a lot of high-schoolers could make. He missed a PAT in the third quarter and a potential go-ahead, chip-shot 36-yard field goal with 2:22 left in the game.
Oh, Browns, why do you torture us so?
I’m probably like a lot of Browns fans in how I approach watching games. I don’t expect a whole lot, but sometimes the team draws me in with their solid play and suddenly I’m thinking, “Wow, the Browns are playing well today. They can win!”
And then they don’t.
Joe Flacco looked in control at age 40 and spread the ball around skillfully, connecting with eight different receivers. He wound up 31-for-45 passing with one TD and two interceptions, but the pickoffs came after his receivers bobbled catchable passes and Bengals defenders swooped in.
Rookie running back Dylan Sampson looked solid in his debut with eight catches for 64 yards while adding 12 carries for 29 yards.
Fellow rookie Harold Fannin Jr. from Bowling Green was fun to watch with seven catches for 63 yards. It was pretty cool to see a tight end wearing No. 44.
Wide receivers Jerry Jeudy (5-66 receiving) and Cedric Tillman (5-52, TD) also got into the action, but their crucial drops led to the aforementioned interceptions.
Myles Garrett was clutch late with two sacks, and rookie linebacker Carson Schwessinger had a team-high five tackles.
It won’t get any easier heading to Baltimore, which blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead in a 41-40 loss against Buffalo. The Bills’ 41-year-old kicker, Matt Prater, who looks more like a town mayor, made a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
I’m picking the Browns to win five games this season. Whatever their final record, we longtime fans are guaranteed to watch absurdity in more games than that.
Parting Shots
After Ohio State’s highly anticipated 14-7 season-opening triumph over Texas, the Buckeyes’ 70-0 win over Grambling State was a yawner.
OSU racked up a video-game-like 651 total yards with the settings on “easy.”
I wondered why anyone in the Ohio State Athletic Office would schedule Grambling State, but I have more understanding after learning the Tigers were a late addition. The Buckeyes originally had a home game scheduled with UConn for Oct. 28, but both schools mutually agreed to cancel that matchup. OSU then opted to bring in Grambling State for the Sept. 6 matchup.
Despite the lopsided score and a lot less fan appeal, it was a good chance for the Buckeyes to run a glorified scrimmage and get a lot of the second-, third- and even fourth-team players meaningful reps.
Grambling State got a rare opportunity to play on one of the biggest stages in college football, showcased its legendary marching band and took home a $1 million paycheck for making the trip to Columbus.
With how long the college regular season is and a grueling playoff schedule to follow, it's understandable why elite programs schedule a few early cupcakes.
—Area high school football teams will focus on conference matchups as the season enters week four.
The Wayne County Athletic League teams went a combined 13-11 in nonleague games. Dalton, Hillsdale, Smithville and Rittman all went 3-0 while Norwayne went 1-2. Going winless were Chippewa, Northwestern and Waynedale.
The Indians’ opponents are a combined 1-8 while the Bobcats’ foes are 8-1. I still pick Hillsdale as the favorite, with Dalton, Norwayne and Smithville in the mix as well.
Principals Athletic Conference teams went a combined 14-6, led by 3-0 Triway and Manchester. Orrville, Fairless and Tuslaw are 2-1, with Northwest 1-1 and Canton South 1-2.
If Triway can get by Northwest this week, the Titans’ home game against Manchester in week eight could ultimately decide the title. Orrville, which has the talent to still be in the race, will host Triway in week 10 in their classic rivalry.
Ashland (3-0) is the lone Ohio Cardinal Conference unbeaten. West Holmes and Lexington are 2-1, Madison and New Philadelphia are 1-2, and Wooster and Mansfield Senior are 0-3. The Quakers opened league play last week with a 42-7 win over Wooster.
Lexington will host Ashland in week 10 in a matchup that is almost guaranteed to have title implications. West Holmes’ impressive 28-7 win at Dover, keyed by an old-school ground attack, has the Knights believing they can be in the title hunt.
