The beleaguered and wildly inconsistent Browns have now won three of their last four games, putting them in the thick of the playoff hunt.

It came right down to the last play, but in defeating Jacksonville, 23-17, they just knocked off a solid playoff team on the road.

Somehow, after a week of internal strife between a certain hotheaded tight end and a secrecy-obsessed front office, the team kept its wits about them in the latest of a continuing string of must-win games.

How did they do it?

Mistake-free football. No turnovers. Only one penalty, that being a forgivable act of commission by the dominant Shaun Rogers. With very few exceptions (e.g. the awkward early handoff to Vickers), the execution was crisp as this morning’s air.

Big Three’s big three. The season’s slow start was marked by the utter absence of long-gainers. Against the Jaguars, a trio of Derek’s daggers proved fateful: the gutsy play-action to Heiden (who made a great overhead grab) on 4th-and-1 to gain 51 yards; the perfectly-thrown deep sideline route to the Detroit Diva to gain 43; and the clutch 3rd-and-7 shot to Syndric Steptoe, who pinballed his way 53 yards downfield to set up the go-ahead points.

The man in the middle. Good 3-4 defense demands a stout nose tackle, and the Browns finally have him. Shaun Rogers notched nine tackles, including a sack, plus a block of a game-tying field goal. What can we call him? I’ve heard Big Baby, and “beast” fits the bill too. How about Middle Girth? He keyed an uncharacteristically strong rush defense, which limited Jags’ RBs to just 53 yards (less than they gained on Garrard’s scrambles). Rogers is really the only odds-on Cleveland candidate for the Pro Bowl so far this season.

The game plan on both sides of the ball was pretty close to the vest. Not much razzle-dazzle on offense: no Cribbs carries and not much from the Ghost either. The defense played off the receivers, blitzed less often, and focused on shutting down the run. It’s encouraging that they can win this way, because future opponents will be less likely to predict exactly how and when the Browns will attack them.

Also encouraging was the apparent lack of further injury. Corey Williams, beset by a bad shoulder, played but was a non-factor. When Shaun Smith and Mike Adams return, we’ll rely much less on Santonio Thomas, Terry Cousin, and Nick Sorensen on defense. Get Wheelie back on offense, and maybe Ryan Tucker too, and the weapons chest becomes more lethal.

And hey, we even saw some sideline emotion from RAC, dropping the F-bomb after the offense failed to kill even 30 seconds off the clock following Beau Bell’s forced fumble on the kickoff return.

So it was a good win, not perfect by any means, but few games are. It will all amount to nothing if they can’t handle the Ravens at home next Sunday, but the Browns again showed they can take it to anyone, anywhere. If they don’t self-destruct, they can absolutely accomplish what their coach ever-so humbly intones. Compete. Hang in. Represent. Have a chance.