CLEVELAND — It all essentially comes down to one game for the Cleveland Browns.
You win on Sunday, you advance to the playoffs. You lose, and without a multitude of help, you're done.
But as fate would have it, the team standing in the way is the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's not the other teams in the AFC's Wild Card logjam, it's the bullies to the east.
As Jim Donovan reminded me on Monday's Donovan & Dino, the Steelers have essentially stood in the way of everything the Browns have tried to do since they came back in 1999.
First regular season game upon return to the NFL? Steelers. First playoff opponent? Steelers. And we know how those two games turned out.
Jimmy says that so much of what the Browns do is based on the Steelers. "It's how they draft, it's how they gauge where they are in the division. It's always measured against Pittsburgh. And now this Sunday, it's the ultimate," he told me.
There were so many things to unpack from this crazy weekend that saw the Browns lose to the New York Jets while several key players were back home on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Jimmy provided a timeline of events that began on Saturday with the news that a player had tested positive for coronavirus and then culminated in the team holding a walk-through in a parking garage prior to Sunday's game.
Also on Monday's edition of Donovan & Dino, we touched on these topics:
- Why the Browns chose to throw the ball 53 times against the Jets, while running it only 18 times
- A bad day for the Browns tight ends
- Kicking woes for Cody Parkey
- Can Kevin Stefanski get the Browns ready for a virtual playoff game?
- How will Mike Tomlin decide whether or not to play his starters against the Browns on Sunday?
You can get more thoughts from Jim Donovan after the Jets loss on Jimmy's Take by clicking here.
Watch Donovan & Dino in the player below:
More Browns Coverage:
- Kevin Stefanski: Browns receivers can rejoin team Thursday if they continue to test negative for COVID-19
- How can the Cleveland Browns clinch a playoff spot in Week 17?
- Why the Cleveland Browns' playoff odds are higher than they appear
- 'This is the start of the playoffs for the Cleveland Browns': After Further Review with Dave 'Dino' DeNatale and Jay Crawford