This sure is fun

It was a Dickensian kind of afternoon Sunday along the lakefront for the Browns, who toyed with their fans emotions before escaping with a 32-23 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Instead of a Tale of Two Cities, this one was a Tale of Two Halves for the Browns, who labored for 23 seasons (not counting the three years they were unfairly kicked out of the National Football League) to finally open a season with a 4-1 record after the first five games. 

The first half treated the 16,000 fans or so on hand to a near flawless brand of offensive football Browns fans haven't seen for many seasons. Like four possessions that bled nearly 20 minutes off the clock, 284 yards from scrimmage on a ridiculous 43 plays and 20 points on the board. 

Baker Mayfield looked sharp as the Colts, determined to stop the vaunted Cleveland ground game, practically dared him to throw,. He said thank you very much and proceeded to complete 20 of his 29 passes for 228 yards and touchdown tosses to Kareem Hunt and Rashard Higgins.

He did what a good field general does. He kept the chains moving, converted six of nine third downs and looked very much in control. A rout against the NFL's best defense loomed. It became even more likely on the Colts' first possession of the second half.

A 47-yard pick six by new strong safety Ronnie Harrison, subbing for the injured Karl Joseph, extended the lead to 27-10 less than three minutes into the second half. Browns fans had to be beside themselves with joy.

The defense, which has struggled all season, had its 11th takeaway in the last three games and first touchdown. The offense was purring and now this. What in the world was happening with this erstwhile forlorn franchise?

And then the game turned. Just. Like. That.

Isaiah Rodgers, a rookie cornerback, returned Cody Parkey's ensuing kickoff 101 yards and the emotional high the Browns and their fans were experiencing after Harrison's pick softened. Poor coverage again was the major contributor.

Nine players with orange helmets surrounded Rodgers at the Colts 25. He somehow squirted through a tiny crease, cut to the right sideline, avoided a tackle by M.J. Stewart Jr. at the 40, cut back to the middle and was gone.

That seemed to inspire the Indy defense as Mayfield and the Cleveland offense looked nothing like the team that played the first 30 minutes. What worked in the first half didn't come even close in the next 30 minutes. 

All of a sudden, the Colts defense that led the league in just about every category sprung to life. It continued to slow down the run and Mayfield became a different quarterback, the one who becomes a mistake machine when flustered. He became uncertain, much less confident with his passes. 

How many times have we seen him this season start to pull the trigger on a pass only to have second thoughts and yank it back? The rollout passes that were called and executed so successfully in the first half disappeared. It also didn't help that the usually reliable Jarvis Landry, who made a couple of dazzling catches, dropped a pair of passes you and I could have caught that would have extended possessions.  

The next four Cleveland possessions resulted in a Bobby Okereke interception that led to a field goal, a pair of Jamie Gillan punts and an Anthony Walker pick that led to another field goal. A special teams breakdown and two Mayfield interceptions turned a presumed rout into yet another Browns nailbiter.

Gillan's first punt Cleveland provided the only bright moment for the defense in the final quarter.  It was fair caught at the Colts' four-yard line. Quarterback Philip Rivers, who has been around long enough to know better, threw the ball away toward no one in particular in the vicinity from his end zone on the first play after he was nearly sacked by Myles Garrett. 

Intentional grounding in the end zone resulted in a safety, extending the Browns' lead to 29-20, a two score lead and breathing room, which then became a one-score lead after Walker's interception and subsequent field goal.

The sagging Cleveland second-half offense, which in no way resembled the first-half Cleveland offense, mustered a puny 66 yards on 22 snaps and burned just 12:29 off the clock. The Colts made adjustments that worked. The Browns did not counter.

And then the game turned again. Just. Like. That.

With time running out and the Colts sensing a comeback victory, the first-half Cleveland offense reappeared. The emotional rollercoaster ride Browns fans were experiencing was about to take a different route.

Hunt, who had gained 72 hard-earned yards on 20 attempts against the stout Indy defense, was spent. His injured groin was probably shouting "no more." In came D'Ernest Johnson, who ran so well last Sunday in Dallas, but was relegated to spot duty in this one, carrying the football only four times for three yards.

On the Browns' final possession of the game when they needed him most and with Hunt on the sidelines, the second-year man delivered and ran the Colts out of timeouts. 

The play of the game for the offense, as it turned out, was a quick burst by Johnson on a counter play with guards Joel Bitonio and Chris Hubbard leading him through a small seam on the left side of the line where he turned on the jets and sped down the left sideline for 28 yards.

There was nothing the Colts could do to stop the clock and Parkey made it official with 20 seconds left in regulation with help from a friendly left upright, which steered a ricochet through on his 46-yard field goal attempt. 

While it's comforting to know this offense is pretty damn good when it hums, it has yet to reach its peak. It also needs to hone one aspect of the game that created heart-pounding thrillers the two weeks. Consistency is the hallmark of good teams. The Browns don't have it yet on that side of the ball. 

Victories like this one, of course, are enjoyable. They should be celebrated. But when that inconsistency shows up against better teams, like Pittsburgh next Sunday for example, those victories might not be as achievable as the last two.