Cleveland Browns, Shake It Off: Jacksonsville Jaguars Await Next Week

Yesterday afternoon, as time was winding down in the overtime session of the Cleveland Browns-New York Jets game in Cleveland, all one had to do was look at the expression on wide receiver Chansi Stuckey's face.  Because just as the Stuckey knew his untimely fumble might have been the difference-maker in yesterday's contest, the entire Browns team knew they let one slip away against a Jets team that was very beatable.

Alas, Browns players and coaches cannot dwell on that loss, as they have to travel to Jacksonville next week to face a hungry Jaguars team, one that just survived a thrilling shootout with divisional rival Houston. 

Quarterback David Garrard's last-second Hail Mary TD pass to Mike Smith led Jacksonville to its second consecutive win, and at 5-4, the Jaguars are starting to believe they can beat anyone in the league, as well.

Next week should be a great barometer of how far these Browns have really come, as yesterday was the first loss Cleveland absorbed all season that came on the very last play of the game. 

And that was after quarterback Colt McCoy had rallied the troops to tie the game at 20 in regulation, his first fourth quarter comeback drive ever as an NFL QB.  How the Browns players and coaches respond to this loss next week will determine the true identity of their team in 2010.

The Jaguars will not be an easy test, however.  Not only do they have the continually improving Garrard under center, but they also boast tailback Maurice Jones-Drew, one of the more explosive running backs in the league.  If the Browns thought that stopping L.T. and Shonn Greene was key to a victory yesterday, then shutting down Jones-Drew will be an absolute must come next Sunday.

Defensively, while on paper the Jaguars rank statistically among the bottom half of the league, the Browns cannot underestimate this unit, either.  Because as the Browns know, anything can happen on any given Sunday, and the Jaguars should be pumped playing in front of their home crowd.

So, next week's contest vs. Jacksonville will show just how far Eric Mangini has come in his year and a half stint as Cleveland Browns head coach.  It will also show the resolve of these Browns, who, all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, suffered a very disheartening loss yesterday. 

If the Browns have truly turned the corner, they will be able to go into a hostile environment, such as Jacksonville, and defeat a Jaguars squad that still has hopes of a wild card playoff berth.