GREEN BAY, Wis. — After losing to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 24-22 on Christmas Day, the Cleveland Browns fell to 7-8 on the season and remain in last place of the AFC North.
Yet despite the Browns having just two games remaining on their schedule, their playoff hopes remain alive, with a potentially realistic path to the postseason having taken shape.
According to advanced analytics site Five Thirty-Eight, Cleveland currently has an 11% chance of making the playoffs, which can likely only happen by winning the AFC North. To be clear, Cleveland needs to win its two remaining games at the Pittsburgh Steelers and vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, as its next loss will eliminate the them from postseason contention.
But if they can do that, it might not be a surprise to see them get the help they need to make the playoffs for a second straight season.
While Cleveland entered the weekend one game back of the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, those two teams played each other on Sunday, with Cincy prevailing 41-21. As far as their playoff hopes are concerned, the Browns' preference was for the Bengals to win, as Cleveland still has a chance to hand Cincinnati another loss in Week 18.
Plus, the Ravens -- who started third-string quarterback Josh Johnson on Sunday -- play the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, making it totally conceivable that Baltimore could drop its second straight. If that happens and the Browns beat the Steelers next week, Cleveland would jump the Ravens in the AFC North standings.
Speaking of the Steelers, the Browns were also rooting for Pittsburgh to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday (they did, 36-10), and for the Chiefs to also beat the Bengals in Week 17. Add it all up and Cleveland's likeliest path to the playoffs -- and its first division title since 1989 -- includes the following outcomes:
- Browns beat Steelers and Bengals
- Ravens lose to two of Bengals, Rams and Steelers
- Chiefs beat Steelers and Bengals
While that may not be the Browns' only path to the playoffs, it appears to be their most attainable, and so far things are going according to plan. But it all starts with Cleveland winning two straight games -- something it hasn't done since Weeks 3 and 4 of the 2021 campaign.