CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns are going to the playoffs.
That's a phrase every Browns fan hopes to say at the start of every season. Hope springs eternal when everyone is 0-0 in the record books.
Why not us?
In the 25 years since the Browns returned to the shores of Lake Erie, only two times before Thursday night have the fans been able to say that phrase proudly.
When you start four quarterbacks in a season, you don't go to the playoffs.
When you lose the best player on your team and the unquestioned identity of your offense in Week 2, you don't go to the playoffs.
When you lose the amount of impact players the Browns have lost on both sides of the ball all year long, you don't normally play meaningful games in December.
When you ask a 38-year-old quarterback who hasn't been "the guy" on his respective team for nearly half a decade to hop off the couch and guide you to a playoff spot, you shouldn't be in position to make it to the playoffs in a crowded field of wild card hopefuls.
Throughout every setback, "Why not us?" became a reality Thursday night.
Five years ago, the Browns beat the Jets on "Thursday Night Football" to end a 19-game winless streak. Tonight, they clinched a spot in the 2023 playoffs against the Jets on Thursday Night Football.
Hard to make these things up
It was a party at the stadium, in the city of Cleveland, and on social media after the Browns took care of the Jets. Below are the reactions to tonight's game:
Love for the Dawg Pound
Browns' Christmas wish granted
The Elite One
More than a Revenge Game
Give him his flowers
Enjoy it, Browns fans!