{"id":141855,"date":"2022-11-28T12:51:15","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T12:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/browns-win-final-game-without-deshaun-watson-but-what-will-their-identity-be-with-him-ashley-bastock-2\/"},"modified":"2022-11-28T12:51:15","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T12:51:15","slug":"browns-win-final-game-without-deshaun-watson-but-what-will-their-identity-be-with-him-ashley-bastock-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/browns-win-final-game-without-deshaun-watson-but-what-will-their-identity-be-with-him-ashley-bastock-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Browns win final game without Deshaun Watson, but what will their identity be with him? – Ashley Bastock"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CLEVELAND — There was a small commotion among the fans right above the Browns’ tunnel in FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Videos and pictures of a real, live skunk in the stands began to make the rounds during the first half of Cleveland’s thrilling 23-17 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For awhile, the skunk was trapped under the metal stairs, before eventually wriggling its way free and searching for food amongst the Cleveland faithful.<\/p>\n

The jokes wrote themselves. But let’s be honest, at this point the skunk is a pretty apt metaphor for the Browns’ 2022 season. At the beginning of the year, not many people expected them to be here, with a 4-7 record and with Deshaun Watson’s suspension ending. At the very least, most people expected them to be closer to a .500 record and still be very much alive in the division race.<\/p>\n

But after all the mistakes this season, particularly on defense and special teams, at times it felt like this team was trapped by the identity of waiting for Watson to return.<\/p>\n

Now, following this game against the Bucs and with the conclusion of their first 11, it’s all about what the Browns will do once they wriggle free over the final six.<\/p>\n