NFL Rarity: Browns Win Season Opener

Hold on, let me catch my breath! I am still trying to recover from the surprise of all surprises. The Cleveland Browns won their season opening football game and they have a rookie kicker to thank for that win. Cade York, a fourth round draft pick out of LSU booted a 58-yeard field goal to give the Browns the lead in Sunday's season opener at The Carolina Panthers! York, who'd been kicking 70-yarders in warm-ups helped give the Browns a 26 to 24 win. That marked the first season opening win for Cleveland since 2004 (defeating Baltimore 20 to 3) and the first season opening road win since 1994 (28-20 over Cincinnati) way back when Bill Belichick was their coach.

There were a lot of story lines in this game foremost being revenge. Cleveland was playing against their former starting QB Baker Mayfield who was traded (unceremoniously shown the door) to Carolina and won the starting job. Surely a win by The Panthers, led by Mayfield, would show the Browns what they gave up. Another story line involved Jacoby Brissett, the new Browns Back-up who is starting in place of the $230-million dollar man Deshaun Watson who's been suspended for 11 games for sexual misconduct.

Brissett finished 18/34 for 147 yards and one touchdown, Nick Chubb ran for 141 yards on 22 carries, and Kareem Hunt scored twice. Baker was 16 of 27 for 235 yards, one passing TD, one rushing TD and one interception. 17 of the Panthers 24 points were scored in the fourth quarter and The Panthers had a 24 to 23 lead with just over one minute left. That was enough for the Browns to march part-way down the field and get Cade York close enough to blast one 58 yards through the uprights with room to spare; his fourth field goal of the game and one long enough to surpass Phil Dawson by one yard for the franchise's second longest field goal. The team record is still held by Steve Cox who booted one of 60 yards in 1984.

How am I after week one? Pleasantly surprised! We have a fill-in QB that can manage the game, two good running backs, a superb DL named Myles Garrett who sacked Mayfield twice, and a a hero of a rookie kicker named Cade York that helped The Browns open the season with a win for the first time in 18 years.

I like Mayfield and I think he got a raw deal from the Browns. I'll cheer for him and hope he does well, except when he is playing against Cleveland.