The Morning After: Indianapolis

Colts 13, Browns 6

I hate moral victories. Really, I do. Moral victories are what bad teams take solace in after getting their butts whipped.
But after holding a blatantly-better Colts team to 13 points in a game the Browns were given little chance of winning anyway, maybe we can all be permitted to take some comfort in the dreaded M-V. It's all we'll have until the Browns take on the Bears in two weeks.

Moral victory No. 1: Trent Dilfer matched Peyton Manning nicely.
The lines: Manning 19-for-23, 228 yards, one interception; Dilfer 22-for-29, 208 yards, no picks.
All the pundits predicted this would be the week Manning would break out of his slump by torching an overmatched Browns secondary for, say, 450 yards passing. No dice. Manning had a decent game, but not up to his standards. Dilfer, by contrast, is continuing to be just what the doctor ordered for a Browns team in desperate need of stable leadership.
For the second straight week, Dilfer, a career journeyman, appeared up to the task of pitting stats against a future hall-of-famer. The big difference was Manning is still in the prime of his career, unlike Brett Favre.
Three games into the season, and Dilfer is doing everything Romeo Crennel has asked of him. If he keeps this up, the Browns will win games like Sunday's against lesser opponents.

Moral victory No. 2: the Browns racked up seven penalties for 62 yards.
How is that a moral victory, you say? It means the Browns actually performed better than their 263 yards of total offense would indicate. If not for a couple of chirps and ball flings by Braylon Edwards and Antonio Bryant, amounting to 30 yads in taunting penalties, Dilfer might have piloted several touchdown drives, and who knows what could have happened?

Moral victory No. 3: The performances, and postgame attitudes, of Dilfer and Reuben Droughns.
The Colts' fast, hard-hitting and utterly underrated defense played Dilfer and Droughns like bongo drums for most of the afternoon. The Browns' offensive line did not give up a sack for the first nine quarters of the season, then surrendered four in the final three quarters Sunday. Dilfer was hobbling by game's end.
Droughns was slammed at the line of scrimmage repeatedly. He fought hard, clawing and churning for 76 yards on 22 carries.
Both were on the field in the fourth quarter. And, based on postgame interviews, neither was satisfied with just being tough. Both felt their performances were for naught without the win.
That is a mixture of perseverance and accountability that has been missing for the Browns in previous years, with whiners like Jeff Garcia around and notorious passive-aggressive coddler Butch Davis running the ship. The atitudes of guys like Dilfer and Droughns will serve the Browns well down the road.

You might not like more victories, but let's face it: you have to grow legs before you can walk.

Up next: Chicago, Oct. 9, 1 p.m. ET.