CLEVELAND — The Browns needed to apply deodorant in the worst way.

Coach Kevin Stefanski likes to say winning is “a deodorant,” and he knew the Browns had been stinking it up this season.

It’s why same-guy-everyday Stefanski wasn’t quite the same guy when Week 7 preparation began. He stood in front of the team at Browns headquarters in Berea and laid out expectations in a not-so-even-keeled manner.

“I think it was just frustration kind of boiling over, but he was intense,” Browns left guard Joel Bitonio said.

Browns’ Kevin Stefanski wins battle of NFL coaches perceived to be on hot seat against Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel

The presence of intense messaging is not shocking when there are fireable offenses galore.

The Browns’ response — a 31-6 rout of the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 19 — may ultimately contribute to saving the jobs of Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry.

Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have publicly expressed a desire to keep this regime intact beyond the 2025 season. Still, a fourth consecutive loss, including one to the inept Dolphins during a rainy, windy day on Cleveland’s lakefront, would have really tested ownership’s appetite for continuity.

The Browns (2-5) are deeply flawed, but by beating the Dolphins (1-6) and their embattled coach, Mike McDaniel, Cleveland avoided what would have been a new low during this calendar year.

The fans who want Stefanski and Berry ousted have a long list of valid arguments at their disposal.

Going 3-14 last season and starting 1-5 this season created a 4-19 pressure cooker. A failure to score more than 17 points in 11 consecutive games despite offensive coordinator and quarterback changes during the span piled more damning evidence onto play-caller Stefanski’s plate. The Browns entered Week 7 averaging a league-low 13.7 points after averaging a league-low 15.2 in 2024.

Berry should shoulder even more blame.

Trading Joe Flacco to the Bengals is another move for which Browns GM Andrew Berry has received public backlash

Even if quarterback Baker Mayfield becoming an MVP candidate after the Browns dumped him for dumpster-fire-trade-acquisition Deshaun Watson falls primarily on ownership — and signs suggesting it does exist — the GM has neglected the offensive line and receiving corps to a devastating degree and possesses a brutal batting average in the draft. The 2025 rookie class might be an exception, yet it’s too early to render a verdict.

Either way, Berry’s reputation absorbed another blow because of the Browns’ most recent quarterback decision.

Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns without an interception on “Thursday Night Football,” leading the Cincinnati Bengals (and their elite wide receivers) to an upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers nine days after the Browns traded the veteran quarterback they recently benched in favor of rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel.

Understandably annoyed by the circumstances even before taking the loss in prime time, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin criticized Berry for shipping his Week 1 starter to a divisional rival whose franchise QB, Joe Burrow, will be sidelined for most of this season after undergoing turf toe surgery. The Browns sent the Bengals Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round selection and received a fifth-round choice in return.

After Flacco beat the Steelers, Bengals fans at Paycor Stadium chanted, “Thank you, Cleveland!”

Browns were desperate for Week 7 win vs. Dolphins

What happens when a team becomes a perpetual punchline?

Shortly before kickoff against the Dolphins, tickets at Huntington Bank Field could be purchased for $5 apiece without a processing fee on the TickPick app.

In other words, the Browns desperately needed to win. They needed three takeaways by the defense and another on special teams, 21 points off turnovers, three rushing touchdowns by rookie running back Quinshon Judkins and a clean outing by Gabriel. They needed to finally crack the 17-point barrier and prove they’re not the most pathetic team in the NFL.

“We wanted it bad,” Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy said.

Yes, the bar is low, but it’s where the Browns are.

Everyone knew the first six games would be daunting. Not everyone knew the Browns would blow golden opportunities in Week 1 against the Bengals in Cleveland and Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings in London. Their stunning Week 3 win over the visiting Green Bay Packers occurred after they had been shut out for more than 56 minutes.

Blowing out the Dolphins is merely one step in masking what has been a long-lasting stench.

Stefanski and Berry have held their jobs since 2020 and made the playoffs twice, yet the Browns have been an awful hard-to-watch product for much of the last season and a half.

It’s why the coach and GM will need more deodorant as 2025 unfolds to prevent their bosses from turning on them the way many fans have.