Week 16 of the NFL season starts today and at the beginning of the season, we believe every Cleveland Browns fan would have taken being in the playoff discussion as play started on Christmas Day.
Instead, the Browns have the highest wild card seed (#5) with an 10-4 record with a road game today in New Jersey against the Jets, and a home date a week from today vs. Pittsburgh.
There was a bunch of permutations of how Kevin Stefanski’s group can clinch a spot in the post-season tournament today, but to put it in the most simplest terms, if the Browns win and either the Colts (who play Pittsburgh), Dolphins, or Ravens lose, Cleveland will have its first playoff spot since 2002.
Of course, if not for the Raiders stealing defeat from the jaws of victory last night, the Browns would already be in.
Which brings up the discussion that has made the rounds on sportstalk radio this week. If the Colts beat the Steelers, and the Browns win, the game next Sunday at First Energy Stadium is for the AFC North title, and a home playoff game.
On the other hand, should that scenario occur, and Cleveland loses to the Steelers and Indianapolis, Miami, and Baltimore all win out, the Browns would wind up 11-5 on the season, and be on the outside looking in.
We would rather have this scenario. The Browns win today, the Steelers beat Indianapolis, and the brown and orange will be playing on either January 9th or 10th, albeit on the road, in the first round of the AFC playoffs.
We get wanting the whole enchilada, a division title, the first since 1989 (9-6-1 record) would be sweet, as would the first post-season game on the lakefront since the Wild Card win over New England in 1994.
However, this team has gone through so much, and the fan base has done the same, heck, just get into the post-season.
Don’t forget this is a very young football team, and it has very little playoff experience. If you were drafted by the Browns, you don’t have any, that’s for sure.
Even a long tenured veteran like Jarvis Landry, who in many ways is the heart and soul of this team, hasn’t played beyond week 17.
The playoff experience would be invaluable for this group, which was pointed out a couple of weeks ago during a game, has no starters on offense who have reached their 30th birthday.
It would be tremendous for Baker Mayfield to play in the post-season, and it may quiet his critics, both locally and nationally for him to take a team into the playoffs.
Stefanski has experienced playoff football and the preparation that goes into it as an assistant in Minnesota, but we would now have the chance to do it as a head coach.
This is an organization that is built for the long haul, and they haven’t received fortunate breaks to achieve the 10-4 record in 2020. We don’t know what will happen in the years to come, and certainly injuries are a key in any NFL season, but this Browns’ team has the look of a group who will be in the mix for the next few seasons.
Getting into the playoffs, even as a wild card, would be huge for the organization. Bigger than getting to the last game in a win or go home situation and not coming through.
The just get in crowd has it right. Let’s play in a post-season game.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 