It’s crazy what a late-season win can do for a team in the middle of a lost season.
Last week, when the Cleveland Browns convincingly beat the San Francisco 49ers, the negativity of a 3-10 record seemed to dissipate a little. Suddenly, Johnny Manziel was a potential franchise quarterback. Likewise, coach Mike Pettine was no longer seen as a dead man walking, with many fans quickly reversing course and claiming he might be worthy of another year.
Sure, all of this was coming from a win over a very bad 49ers team. Still, all it took was one victory and all of the sudden there were some silver linings to find around another listless Browns season.
And then, one week later, all the positivity was gone.
…