The pain Browns fans go through on a regular basis is pretty brutal. The most amazing part of it? They find a new way to rip their fans' hearts out each and every week. Sunday was more of the same, with the Browns securing a winless, 0-16 season by virtue of their loss to the Steelers in Week 17.
And the way it went down was perfectly Brownsy, with Cleveland literally letting it go right through its hands. On a 4th-and-2 with little time remaining, rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer escaped pressure, scrambled around and found second-year wideout Corey Coleman down the field. The Browns appeared to have a chance at winning the game.
*Ron Howard voice*
"They didn't."
Fitting end to the Browns season #LOLBROWNS pic.twitter.com/bAI5iHDzMf
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) December 31, 2017
Immediately afterward we got a "Good Will Hunting"-style scene involving Kizer and Coleman.
0-16 didn’t happen because of Corey Coleman, but his drop will be the lasting image of it, and that’s a bummer. this photo hurts my souls pic.twitter.com/wSAFzCZDUB
— Jordan Zirm (@clevezirm) December 31, 2017
What a nightmare for everyone involved. Cleveland is now just the second team in NFL history to record an 0-16 season, joining the 2008 Detroit Lions in the pantheon of all-time miserable NFL teams. The Browns had way less than even a one-percent chance of going winless for the entire season and yet, here we are.
Based on @numberFire's weekly pre-game win probability projections, the Browns had roughly a 0.26% chance of going winless this year. And they did. Say what you want about that roster -- there's a reason teams don't go 0-16 very often. It's hard to. pic.twitter.com/1w5BJSjMly
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) December 31, 2017
Browns were +5000 (!!!) preseason to go 0-16.
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 31, 2017
This Corey Coleman drop sealed the deal. pic.twitter.com/YRtJrxUDEF
The Browns social media team summed it up well, recording one of the best tweets of the entire year on the eve of 2018.
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 31, 2017
Twitter responded to the situation exactly the way you would expect.
Your welcome. pic.twitter.com/0cI5enQd38
— Don (@dwill) December 31, 2017
— Chris Rollins (@Rolly_World) December 31, 2017
How many wins does Hue Jackson have in two years? pic.twitter.com/0BMDsv4f8m
— Faux Sports Ohio (@FauxSportsOhio) December 31, 2017
The 2017 Browns and 2008 Lions are the only two teams to finish 0-16. pic.twitter.com/dvY3ZrBnbf
— SB Nation (@SBNation) December 31, 2017
CLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLeveland Browns
— PFTCommenter (@PFTCommenter) December 31, 2017
Hue Jackson somehow decided to brag about the situation.
#Browns Jackson: “I don’t think anyone else could’ve done this job for the past 2 years”
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) December 31, 2017
I mean, he's not wrong. It would be really hard for ANY NFL coach to take over a team and go 1-31 over the course of two years. It's a borderline magic trick to manage and not win a single NFL game on a Sunday over a two-year period.
#Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said he TOLD new GM John Dorsey that Hue Jackson would return as head coach, that there was no debate. Says, "I don't think Hue has lost (his) magic."
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 31, 2017
The only good news for the Browns is that the draft order falls favorably for them. Because they traded with the Texans during the draft last year -- in the deal where Houston moved up and got Deshaun Watson -- the Browns get the Texans' first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. And because the Texans were terrible, they ended up securing the No. 4 overall pick in the coming draft. That means the Browns, who secured the No. 1 overall pick last week with their loss, have two top-four picks.
The Giants will select No. 2 overall, the Colts will pick third and the Browns will pick again with the fourth pick. Hue Jackson is going to get two nice new toys despite going 1-31 over a two-year stretch.
Oh, also, there's going to be a parade!
A 0-16 “Perfect Season” Browns parade, sponsored by @Excedrin, will take place on Jan. 6. Parade will go around stadium to form an “0” pic.twitter.com/yMPEAwYYjQ
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 31, 2017
It's the perfect cherry on a disgusting sundae that was the Browns' 2017 season.