Cleveland Browns: How realistic are playoff chances?

The Cleveland Browns have now won three straight games and their playoff hopes aren’t dead yet — but how realistic are their postseason chances?

Following a massively disappointing 2-6 start to their 2019 campaign, the Cleveland Browns are now just a game below .500 with three consecutive wins. After squeaking out a victory over the Bills and dominating the Steelers, the Browns owned Miami in Cleveland in Week 11, winning 41-24 in a game that was not as close as the final score.

Save for one interception, everything looked like we expected the Browns offense to look like entering the season. Baker Mayfield was terrific (22-of-34, 327 yards, three touchdowns, one pick) while working in Jarvis Landry (10-148-2) and Odell Beckham Jr. (6-84-1) while Nick Chubb got involved heavily (21 carries, 106 yards, one touchdown; three receptions, 58 yards) also put in work.

Moreover, even without Myles Garrett on the field as he served the first game of his indefinite suspension, Sheldon Richardson (two sacks) and the Browns defense made plays with two interceptions and four sacks on Ryan Fitzpatrick.

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There is still reason to be skeptical about Freddie Kitchens’ long-term viability as a head coach. But while that may be true, the Browns are clearly hitting their stride. Perhaps just as importantly, they have one of the easiest end-of-season schedules in the NFL. Thus, you have to wonder if the playoffs are a reality for Cleveland still, despite everything that’s gone poorly this season.

Of the Browns’ remaining five games, only two opponents have winning records. It also happens that those two opponents are the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, two divisional rivals that Cleveland already has wins against this season in convincing fashion. The rest of their opponents (two games against the Bengals and one against the Cardinals) have a combined three wins and one tie.

Beating the Ravens is not going to be an easy task as they’ve been playing a dominant brand of football. Thus, even if you assume a loss there, this version of the Browns has proven they can go 4-1 over their final five outings, which would put them with a 9-7 finish on the season.

That then leads us to the question of if 9-7 is enough to get a Wild Card berth in the AFC this season.

After Sunday’s action in Week 12, the Bills seem like a lock as one Wild Card team in the conference after moving to 8-3 on the season. That leaves the final spot up for grabs and it indeed is that. The Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans are all 6-5 on the season, one game ahead of the Browns.

Having said that, the Steelers could well lose three of their last five as they face the Browns, Bills and Ravens down the stretch, which would put them at 8-8. The Raiders have a tough slate as well, facing the Chiefs, Titans, Jaguars, Chargers and Broncos over their final five. After losing to the Jets, that could be 8-8 as well.

Neither the Colts nor the Titans have it easier, either. Tennessee faces the Colts in Indy before aking on the Raiders, Saints and having two games against the AFC South-leading Texans. Indianapolis doesn’t have it easy, either, taking on the Titans, Bucs, Saints, Panthers and Jaguars to finish the year.

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All of that is to say that the playoffs are still very much a reality for the Cleveland Browns. They are going to need some help from the other teams in contention for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. Moreover, going 2-0 against the Ravens on the season and finishing 10-6 would make the postseason even more of a reality.

Having said that, if the Browns continue to build off their recent play with a complete offense loaded with dangerous weapons and defense showing out well, Cleveland might — against all odds from after what we saw through eight games — just sneak into the playoffs.

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