Some teams win with overwhelming talent, while others win by refusing to go away. The second type rarely looks dominant on paper, but it finds ways to hang around and steal victories when the odds say otherwise. Coaches love those teams because their identity is built on effort rather than style points. Todd Monken believes he has one of them in Cleveland.
Monken summed up his team after Sunday’s 13-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, by describing the team as ‘scrappy.’
“Our guys are a scrappy group,” Monken said.
Browns coach Todd Monken: “Our guys are a scrappy group.” pic.twitter.com/QGKBC1KqjW
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) October 18, 2026
It is hard to find a better word for this team. All 4 of Cleveland’s wins have been decided by 4 points or fewer, and the Browns have won those games by a combined 13 points.
Sunday was the clearest example yet. The Browns fell behind 10-0 in the 1st quarter, managed just 46 yards in the 1st half and still found a way to win on Andre Szmyt’s 37-yard field goal as time expired.
They did it with a roster stretched to its limits. Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Mike Hall Jr. and Teven Jenkins were all inactive, and Grant Delpit left with a concussion. Practice squad elevations Sam Kamara and Chris Williams were asked to help hold the interior of the defensive line against Derrick Henry.
The contributions came from unexpected places. Audric Estime, signed off the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad on Monday, scored the tying touchdown in his Browns debut. Carson Schwesinger played through an ankle injury and finished with 13 tackles and a forced fumble.
The defense embodied Monken’s description more than anyone. After giving up 10 points in the 1st quarter, it shut out the Ravens the rest of the way and held Henry to 58 yards on 17 carries.
That scrappiness traces back to the early weeks of the season. After the 34-10 loss in Jacksonville, Monken described a chippy practice week in which his players responded with anger rather than resignation, and the Browns have looked like a different team since.
It also explains how a team many projected to win 5 or 6 games is now 4-2 and in 1st place in the AFC North, with wins over both Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
Scrappy teams are not always sustainable, and the Browns will need to get healthier to keep winning close games. But Monken’s description captures the identity of this group, and if that toughness holds as reinforcements return, Cleveland could be playing meaningful football deep into the season.
NEXT: Insider Shares Worrying Injury Update On Carson Schwesinger
