By the numbers, Panthers PK John Kasay was about a three-in-four shot to hit the 42-yard field goal that he bounced off the left upright as time expired Sunday at Cleveland, securing a 24-23 win for the Browns. Before his miss, he had connected on 114-of-151 attempts from between 40-and-49 yards, a 75.4 percent success rate. Moreover, he had hit 3-of-4 kicks from that very range on the very same field earlier in the game vs. the Browns.
The Browns were all-too-close to losing their third game in a row and falling to 3-8, and had that happened, there simply would have been a good deal less optimism surrounding this team as it readies for three consecutive road games, the first a meeting with 6-5 Miami on Sunday.
But the Browns escaped with a much-needed win, a triumph that props up their still-flickering playoff hopes and shields head coach Eric Mangini from too much criticism for the time being as we get ready to put a bow on November. The victory wasn't without its silver linings, most notably the continued excellent play of RB Peyton Hillis, who scored all three Cleveland touchdowns, rumbled for 131 yards rushing and racked up another 63 yards receiving.
However, the offense stalled after halftime, mustering just three points in the final 30 minutes. QB Jake Delhomme threw a pair of picks, including one returned for a TD. The defense surrendered 151 yards rushing and allowed Carolina to drive 71 yards in less than a minute to set up Kasay's game-winning field-goal attempt.
The Browns were fortunate he missed; the numbers tell us that. If they are reliant on such breaks going forward, they are going to have their hearts broken more often than not. They are capable of better play, and they will need to build off the victory vs. Carolina to succeed with away games at Miami, Buffalo and Cincinnati next on the schedule.
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2010/11/29/eric-mangini-hot-seat-meter-status-quo
Nate Burleson Otto Graham Paul Brown Marion Motley Jim Brown Lou Groza
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