A special Cleveland Brown needs to take a bow. Yes, it’s Victory Monday – Hey, Terry!

CLEVELAND, Ohio – This is Victory Monday for Browns fans. Many are still stunned by how the Browns came back to beat the Bears, 20-17, Sunday.

This was Cleveland’s FIFTH victory in the final two minutes. That’s right, FIVE times they’ve won in the final two minutes.

Let’s stop right here and give Dustin Hopkins the Phil Dawson Clutch Kicking Award for the season. I know, there are at least three games left, plus … dare we say it … the playoffs?

If the 9-5 Browns do make the playoffs, Hopkins is a big reason. So is Joe Flacco, authoring one of the most fun Browns stories in a long time.

Another moment to pause …

That’s right, the Browns GM deserves a lot of credit for coming up with a big-time kicker and a veteran winning QB in a football crisis situation. Berry always credits his staff. Good, let them take a bow. But Berry makes the final call on personnel decisions.

He traded a seventh-round pick to the Chargers for Hopkins, who is 33 of 36 on field goals. He also picked up Flacco when the veteran was waiting at home for 10 months for a team to call.

Lots of good moves have set up this remarkable season. But the addition of veterans Hopkins and Flacco probably saved the season.

GM Andrew Berry is the hidden hero of the 2023 Browns. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

WHO CAN BELIEVE THIS?

Victory Monday is bringing out so much pure joy from Browns fans.

Hey, Terry: “As a fan this is the first year in (how long?) that the Browns have been consistently fun to watch and a consistently good team. The defense is just indescribable. They refused to give up … The offensive line is way overmatched and still finds a way to operate at an acceptable level — good enough to enable Joe to get some throws away.

“And Flacco — where would we be without him? And our kicking team — the best overall in the league in my opinion. Gosh — we thought our season was down the tubes and now we have an opportunity to be in the playoffs. It is truly a fairy tale – or the makings of a good sports movie.”

Hey, Nancy: You said it best. As Myles Garrett explained, “Who could have written this story … not even Dr. Seuss.”

A CULTURE CHANGE

Hey, Terry: “I may be emotionally exhausted, but I never lost faith. Yes, Joe threw three interceptions, but did you notice that the team never quit? This team has no quit. The coaches have no quit. Every player called on never quits. No one hangs their head.

“The defense just looks at the offense and says, ‘We will get it back for you.’ The offense thanks the defense and delivers the plays that matter. The culture has changed before our eyes. And changed for the better. We have Houston next week. The coaches will instill the mantra of 1-0 next week. Enjoy the ride. Everyone can smile on VICTORY MONDAY.”

– Paul Toth

Hey, Paul: Another reason to know the culture has changed … Flacco says so. After all those winning seasons in Baltimore, Flacco knows about winning. He had nine winning records as a starter in his 11 Baltimore seasons. Overall, he was 96-67 when he played for the Ravens.

Flacco speaking after Sunday’s game:

“It just tells you a lot about the kind of guys that this organization has purposely picked to put on the roster and in that locker room. It’s one of those things that you probably can’t quite quantify. But having hard workers, having tough guys and all those things … if you’re put in situations where you need to have that resilience … it just speaks to the character of the guys in that room. You have to give credit to the organization for probably doing that on purpose.”

IS IT OUR TURN?

Hey, Terry: Consider this:

1. The Team Formerly Known As The Browns (the Ravens) have won two Super Bowls.

2. Those two wins should have been Browns wins.

3. Cleveland is owed at least one Super Bowl since their team was stolen and moved east.

4. One of those wins was led by Flacco.

5. The Browns are now led by the QB that led the Team Formerly Known As The Browns go to the Super Bowl!

6. Go Flacco! Go Browns! Go to the Super Bowl!

– Bill Faehnrich

Hey, Bill: Why not? It’s Victory Monday. The Flacco element of this season is why sports can have such a hold on the fans. No one would dare to make this up.

Hey, Terry: “After all the Deshaun Watson drama and injuries, it’s easy and fun to get behind Joe Flacco and this team of overachievers and hard-working players. It’s what we Browns fans remember from bygone days.”

– Tim Long

Hey, Tim: I’m hearing from a lot of fans who feel the same way. They were conflicted (or even angry) about the Watson trade. It’s easy to embrace Flacco, who does feel like “one of our own” because of his demeanor. Many fans mentioned the same attractive qualities about Jacoby Brissett last season. The team is easy to embrace.

TERRY PLUTO’S APPEARANCES TO SIGN SEVERAL OF HIS BOOKS