CINCINNATI — It was billed all week as a meaningless game, essentially a glorified exhibition.
The Browns certainly played like it, although they likely won't dwell on it too much. They have their eyes on a far bigger prize.
With its playoff positioning already locked up and most of its top starters getting a well-needed rest, Cleveland wound up on the wrong end of a 31-14 against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday afternoon. The Browns finish the regular season 11-6 as the AFC's No. 5 seed, and will now prepare for the opening round of the NFL playoffs next weekend.
Most Cleveland fans' attention was likely directed to Nashville, where Jacksonville was attempting to clinch the AFC South division title against Tennessee. Instead, the Jaguars were stunned by the lowly Titans, 28-20, meaning the Browns will now face the No. 4 seed Houston Texans on the road in the wild-card round.
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Cleveland clinched its postseason spot 10 days ago with a Thursday night win over the Jets, and after the Baltimore Ravens wrapped up the AFC North could not improve or hurt its position in the standings. That gave head coach Kevin Stefanski an opportunity to sit a lot of his top players, which was certainly a relief given the amount of injuries his team has endured this year.
The list of Browns either inactive or warming the bench on Sunday included:
- QB Joe Flacco
- WR Amari Cooper
- TE David Njoku
- LG Joel Bitonio
- RG Wyatt Teller
- C Ethan Pocic
- DE Myles Garrett
- DE Za'Darius Smith
- LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
- CB Denzel Ward
- CB Greg Newsome II
Among the backups seeing time was Jeff Driskel, the Browns' fifth starting quarterback of the season (a franchise record). Unfortunately, the journeyman could not join the quartet of Flacco, Deshaun Watson, P.J. Walker, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson in getting a victory, finishing the day completing 50% of his passes for 166 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Both of those TDs came late in the game to David Bell, cutting into what had been a 31-0 Cincy lead. Bell, a former third-round pick, had perhaps the best game of his two-year career with four catches for 68 yards and the two scores.
Meanwhile, the Bengals had been eliminated from postseason contention with last Sunday's 25-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, so all they had to play for was a third straight year with a winning record. All healthy starters played and feasted on the Browns' second and third-stringers, with Jake Browning throwing for three touchdown passes (two to Andrei Iosivas) and Joe Mixon tallying 117 total yards and a pair of TDs.
Despite having its season derailed by Joe Burrow's thumb injury, Cincinnati still managed a 9-8 record, meaning all teams in the AFC North will finish above .500. That's a first for any NFL division since 1935, and besides the Ravens and Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers have also managed to sneak into the playoffs thanks to Jacksonville's loss to Tennessee.
All eyes now turn to the heart of Texas, where Cleveland will face Houston in a battle of two of the NFL's most unlikely contenders. Led by rookie QB and former Ohio State star C.J. Stroud, the Texans have undergone an almost instant turnaround from laughingstock to budding powerhouse, snatching the AFC South on the strength of a 23-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.
The Texans franchise has only been around since 2002, and has never faced Cleveland in a playoff game. However, the Browns did host the old Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) in the 1988 wild-card round. Much like this years group, that team started four different quarterbacks and earned a 10-6 record, but the Oilers vanquished them 24-23 in what would end up being Marty Schottenheimer's final game as Cleveland's coach.
The NFL has not yet set the schedule for wild-card weekend, but the Browns could potentially play on either Saturday, Sunday, or even next Monday night. They also beat the Texans 36-22 earlier this season, although Stroud did not play due to a concussion.