Lucky? Uh huh

After what happened to their team Sunday, fans of the Indianapolis Colts now know exactly how Browns fans have felt for the better part of the last 25 National Football League seasons.

Victories frequently became losses with little room to explain, let alone understand, just how and why they occurred. It was empty feeling after empty feeling attempting to deal with the whys and hows of games that strangely wound up on the wrong side of the ledger.

Empathy for followers of the Colts had to pour forth Sunday from fans of the Browns, whose team ping-ponged back and forth all afternoon en route to a 39-38 road victory that seemed improbable with mere minutes left in regulation.

Late questionable calls by officials that usually slammed the doors of hope for the Browns over the years opened for them against the Colts on the final drive of the game after they had taken a 38-33 lead with 5:38 to go when Gardner Minshew II hooked up with Michael Pittman Jr on a 75-yard catch and run.

After the teams traded quick three-and-outs, the Browns traveled 80 yards in 12 plays, Kareem Hunt squeezing in his second touchdown of the game from a yard out on fourth down. P. J.Walker, who had replaced Deshaun Watson at quarterback late in the opening quarter after Watson was injured again, kept the drive alive with a sensational 30-yard hookup with Elijah Moore on third and 20 at the Cleveland 20.  

Connections with Amari Cooper, who strangely wasn't targeted until the second half, and Donovan Peoples-Jones ultimately moved the football to the Indy 16. Then it got weirdly interesting. 

An E.J. Speed strip sack of Walker and recovery on third down was wiped out by a suspicious illegal contact call on Colts cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. Next play, Baker was flagged again for interference with DPJ on a pass that was clearly uncatchable, landing well outside the end zone.

What's going on here? These incidents usually happen to the Browns. Three incomplete passes later, Hunt scrunched in behind offensive lineman Nick Harris, completing the miracle.

The Browns will take it, of course, but unlike last week's upset of the San Francisco 49ers, which was richly earned with a little help from luck, they know this one was headed disastrously toward evening the record at 3-3.

For the first time this season, the defense, with the exception of Myles Garrett, looked like imposters. They weren't even close to looking like the unit that stunned the NFL in the first five games, racking up ridiculous stats. On this day, though, busted coverages, atrocious (being kind here) tackling, being caught out of position and numerous bouts of confusion were among the culprits.

It's entirely possible they took the 3-3 Colts lightly and didn't think they needed to bring their A game. The Colts took advantage, racking up 456 yards on offense (the previous high was 296), 20 first downs (16), 288 net yards passing (200) and became the first team this season to win time of possession (32:31).

Minshew, 15 of 23 for 305 yards and long-distance scoring throws to rookie Josh Downs (59 yards) and Pittman, also scored twice. It took six games, but you can bet teams will seek tape on this one to see just how the Colts exposed the Cleveland secondary -- and defense overall -- rather handily.

Minshew is the kind of well-traveled journeyman who can come in and instantly pick up an offense unlike Walker, who by now must have more than a few fans nervous when he has the huddle. Throws like the one to Moore are far too few and even more in-between.

The Browns also better hope Watson is not badly hurt to the point where Walker is pressed into action. His talent suggests his best residence on this team is the practice squad. Unfortunately, it's too late for General Manager Andrew Berry to fix that problem.

You just can't snap your fingers, bring in a tested veteran looking for a job and expect him to be good to go right out of the chute. It doesn't work that way. It takes a while for any new quarterback to learn a new system and the nomenclature of the playbook. 

This should have been handled when Berry shipped Joshua Dobbs to Arizona for a future draft choice at the beginning of the season. Walker and rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson are nowhere close to the answer if Watson's physical troubles continue.

Of course the GM didn't anticipate Watson being out of commission for this long. That's not the point. He should have had someone like Minshew ready just in case. Better to have that veteran on the roster and not need him than not have him and need him.

Watson was in for four brief possessions, taking 13 snaps. He sure looked good handing off to Jerome Ford on the third play of the game with a front row look as the young running back looked like Nick Chubb, racing untouched on a 69-yard scoring journey. The other possessions ended in a pick, three-and-out and another pick that was overturned by replay. 

Garrett was the lone defender who actually wanted to play. His virtuoso performance included nine tackles (seven solo), a pair of strip sacks, two quarterback hits, one pass defensed and a spectacular block of a Matt Gay field-goal attempt that will be shown all night on SportsCenter's Top 10. Should be No. 1.

With 10 minutes left in the second quarter, Colts kicker Matt Gay lined up for a 60-yard field-goal attempt. The 6-4, 270-pound edge rusher literally -- and cleanly -- hurdled the middle of the Indy offensive line at the snap, landed on his feet and easily blocked the attempt.

The offense, in the midst of beginning to stagger at that point, gained only inches in three plays before the extremely reliable Dustin Hopkins connected on the first of his four field goals from 44 yards. The others were from 54, 54 and a career-high 58 yards. 

In doing so, he set a league record with at least one 50+ field goal in five straight games. A career 50% kicker from long range, he is perfect on seven attempts thus far. 

The Browns wanted consistency out of Hopkins. Instead, they've been rewarded with brilliance. That brilliance has saved the offense numerous times. He has scored 56 of the Browns' 134 points this season. That's 41.8%. And an indictment on the offense.

Hopkins is money. But he can't be expected to do this every week. That's unrealistic. 

There are still 11 games left. The defense will come around. It's too good not to. The offense, which seems stuck in neutral, is a different matter. And a worrisome one at best.