Thankless job

Job one for Kevin Stefanski Sunday afternoon against the Washington Commanders in the penultimate road game of the 2022 season is making certain the Browns emerge with a 1 and Oh record after it. Maybe not.

Of course that's always his main goal. At least that's what he says in the weeks leading up to games. Be 1 and Oh after a game and he's a happy head coach. Problem is he has failed nine times to attain that goal thus far in the first 15 games. 

But there was always something on the line when those games were meaningful: The chance to qualify for the postseason existed in each and every one of those 15 games. Only once has Stefanski gone consecutive weeks boasting of the 1 and Oh -- weeks 12 and 13 against Tampa Bay and Houston.

And now that the postseason is yet another unfulfilled goal, what incentive, what motivation is there for this bewilderingly underachieving team to go out and play inspired 60 minutes of football? Yep, that's the biggest job for Stefanski in the final two weeks.

How in the world is he going to prepare this team to play a collision sport when a good many of them are already thinking about how to improve their golf games, where they're going to travel, how they're going to spend the next few months recovering from injuries? Anything other than football.

How does one handle that in an effort to maximize performance with nothing on the line? Appeal to their pride? Remind them this is how they make a living? That will be Stefanski's main hurdle Sunday. Prevent his men from just going through the motions. 

The 7-7-1 Commanders, a less talented team than the Browns, have a postseason appearance in their sights. The goal: Knock off the Browns Sunday and division-winning Dallas in week 18 and they're in. They're also in by beating the Browns with losses by Green Bay, Seattle and Detroit.

The Commanders stagger into this one on the wings of a three-game winless streak and a change at quarterback. Carson Wentz, who began the season and went down in game six with a broken ring finger on his throwing hand, is back and replacing Taylor Heinicke, who is 5-3-1 but has struggled lately.

Wentz wasted little time praising Cleveland's professional football team in the run-up to the game. "The Browns are no slouch, you know," he said. "They're a good team. Their defense plays fast. They've got some playmakers over there we have to account for who can make life really difficult."

Really? Is he watching the same games we're all watching? Just who are those playmakers? Okay, I'll give you Myles Garrett and . . . and . .. . that's about it on defense. No one else stands out behind him. And who on offense besides Nick Chubb and Amari Cooper is scary good? Even the line has had its problems.

Playmakers on both sides of the football for the Browns have been MIA a good portion of the season. To quote a favorite expression used almost imploringly by numerous football coaches at all levels, the better teams always seem to "find a way to win)." Losers like the Browns don't. The record does not lie.

Finding ways to make plays helps win games. Whether it's intercepting a pass at a crucial juncture, completing a pass in a clutch late-game situation, causing and recovering a fumble, being in position to and deliver a key block, catching a ball that is almost impossible to catch. Stuff like that.

Now to Sunday's game. Neither team has momentum right now. Only one has incentive.

With absolutely none with his team, that's what Stefanski is guarding against Sunday. Also in the season finale in Pittsburgh against the Steelers, who are trying to avoid a season sweep by the Browns for the first time since all the way back in 1988. Yikes!

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera almost certainly will turn Wentz loose by against a Cleveland secondary mainly responsible for their plight this season. The run defense is a close second.

Wentz's chief targets will be former Buckeyes Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel, who have combined for 1,750 yards and eight touchdowns, and rookie receiver Johan Dotson, who has scored seven more. The running will be handled chiefly by rookie Brian Robinson, who has run well the last four games.They operate behind a line that has given up 42 sacks.

Defensively, the Commanders are bolstered by the return of defensive end Chase Young, another ex-Buckeye who missed 33 games and 13 months with a torn ACL and ruptured patellar tendon in his right leg. 

The Browns, who have nothing to lose now by playing those who have played minimal roles to date, are nonetheless sticking with those responsible for the 6-9 record. Not certain why. For some reason, there's the notion winning the last two games will create a culture of winning that will carry over to next season. Uh, no. Too late for that.

Once again, and for the 10th time this season, they will underachieve again against the Commanders, especially on offense, which has produced just three touchdowns in the last four games. They are headed for an 11-loss season and firm occupancy of the AFC Central basement . . . again.. Make it:

Commanders 24, Browns 13